Forced expression of single defined transcription factors can selectively and stably convert cultured astroglia into synapse-forming excitatory and inhibitory neurons.

Mesio-temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is often accompanied by granule cell dispersion (GCD), a widening of the granule cell layer. The molecular determinants of GCD are poorly understood. Here, we used an animal model to study whether GCD results from an increased dentate neurogenesis associated with an abnormal migration of the newly generated granule cells. Adult mice were given intrahippocampal injections of kainate (KA) known to induce focal epileptic seizures and GCD, comparable to the changes observed in human MTLE. Ipsilateral GCD progressively developed after KA injection and was paralleled by a gradual decrease in the expression of doublecortin, a marker of newly generated granule cells, in the dentate subgranular layer. Staining with Fluoro-Jade B revealed little cell degeneration in the subgranular layer on the KA-injected side. Labeling with bromodeoxyuridine showed an early, transient increase in mitotic activity in the dentate gyrus of the KA-injected hippocampus that gave rise to microglial cells and astrocytes but not to new neurons. Moreover, at later time points, there was a virtually complete cessation of mitotic activity in the injected hippocampus (where GCD continued to develop), but not on the contralateral side (where no GCD was observed). Finally, a significant decrease in reelin mRNA synthesis in the injected hippocampus paralleled the development of GCD, and neutralization of reelin by application of the CR-50 antibody induced GCD. These results show that GCD does not result from increased neurogenesis but reflects a displacement of mature granule cells, most likely caused by a local reelin deficiency.

Despite the widespread interest in direct neuronal reprogramming, the mechanisms underpinning fate conversion remain largely unknown. Our study revealed a critical time point after which cells either successfully convert into neurons or succumb to cell death. Co-transduction with Bcl-2 greatly improved negotiation of this critical point by faster neuronal differentiation. Surprisingly, mutants with reduced or no affinity for Bax demonstrated that Bcl-2 exerts this effect by an apoptosis-independent mechanism. Consistent with a caspase-independent role, ferroptosis inhibitors potently increased neuronal reprogramming by inhibiting lipid peroxidation occurring during fate conversion. Genome-wide expression analysis confirmed that treatments promoting neuronal reprogramming elicit an anti-oxidative stress response. Importantly, co-expression of Bcl-2 and anti-oxidative treatments leads to an unprecedented improvement in glial-to-neuron conversion after traumatic brain injury in vivo, underscoring the relevance of these pathways in cellular reprograming irrespective of cell type in vitro and in vivo.

SummaryThe adult cerebral cortex lacks the capacity to replace degenerated neurons following traumatic injury. Conversion of nonneuronal cells into induced neurons has been proposed as an innovative strategy toward brain repair. Here, we show that retrovirus-mediated expression of the transcription factors Sox2 and Ascl1, but strikingly also Sox2 alone, can induce the conversion of genetically fate-mapped NG2 glia into induced doublecortin (DCX)+ neurons in the adult mouse cerebral cortex following stab wound injury in vivo. In contrast, lentiviral expression of Sox2 in the unlesioned cortex failed to convert oligodendroglial and astroglial cells into DCX+ cells. Neurons induced following injury mature morphologically and some acquire NeuN while losing DCX. Patch-clamp recording of slices containing Sox2- and/or Ascl1-transduced cells revealed that a substantial fraction of these cells receive synaptic inputs from neurons neighboring the injury site. Thus, NG2 glia represent a potential target for reprogramming strategies toward cortical repair.