The Subcommissural Organ Regulates Brain Development Via Secreted Peptides

Overview

Journal Nat Neurosci

Date 2024 May 13

PMID 38741020

Authors

Tingting Zhang

Daosheng Ai

Pingli Wei

Ying Xu

Zhanying Bi

Fengfei Ma

Fengzhi Li

Xing-Jun Chen

Zhaohuan Zhang

Xiaoxiao Zou

Zongpei Guo

Yue Zhao

Jun-Liszt Li

Meng Ye

Ziyan Feng

Xinshuang Zhang

Lijun Zheng

Jie Yu

Chunli Li

Tianqi Tu

Hongkui Zeng

Jianfeng Lei

Hongqi Zhang

Tao Hong

Li Zhang

Benyan Luo

Zhen Li

Chao Xing

Chenxi Jia

Lingjun Li

Wenzhi Sun

Woo-Ping Ge

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a gland located at the entrance of the aqueduct of Sylvius in the brain. It exists in species as distantly related as amphioxus and humans, but its function is largely unknown. Here, to explore its function, we compared transcriptomes of SCO and non-SCO brain regions and found three genes, Sspo, Car3 and Spdef, that are highly expressed in the SCO. Mouse strains expressing Cre recombinase from endogenous promoter/enhancer elements of these genes were used to genetically ablate SCO cells during embryonic development, resulting in severe hydrocephalus and defects in neuronal migration and development of neuronal axons and dendrites. Unbiased peptidomic analysis revealed enrichment of three SCO-derived peptides, namely, thymosin beta 4, thymosin beta 10 and NP24, and their reintroduction into SCO-ablated brain ventricles substantially rescued developmental defects. Together, these data identify a critical role for the SCO in brain development.

Citing Articles

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Subcommissural Organ: A Patron Saint of Neuronal Development.

Luo Y, Wu W, Gao Z Neurosci Bull. 2024; 40(12):2012-2014.

PMID: 39249732 PMC: 11625028. DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01290-3.

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