MIF Nuclease Inhibition Protects CNS Neurons following Inflammation
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE282120 | GEO | 2025/10/24
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Central nervous system inflammation is implicated in neurodegeneration across several disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). While marked therapeutic progress has been made through the suppression of immune cell trafficking and function, primary neuroprotection in MS remains elusive. This, in part, is due to an incomplete understanding of the molecular signaling pathways involved in immune-mediated neuronal death. Here, we show that parthanatos, a recently described caspase-independent and DNA damage-induced cell death program, contributes to neuron death in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of autoimmune neuroinflammation. We revealed that DNA damage increases in neurons during EAE, and that neurons are progressively lost over the disease course. Neurons in affected areas display intercellular hallmarks of the parthanatos cascade. Genetic or pharmacologic blockade of the final step in parthanatos, genomic fragmentation by MIF nuclease, reduces neuron loss and disease severity. Transcriptomic characterization of these neurons reveals parthanatos-dependent differences in response to EAE. Together, this work establishes parthanatos as a key mechanism of neuron cell death during neuroinflammation.
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Project description:Neuroinflammation causes neuronal injury in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are central modulators of cellular stress responses, but knowledge about miRNA–mRNA interactions that determine neuronal outcome during inflammation is limited. Here, we combined unbiased neuron-specific miRNA with mRNA sequencing to assemble the regulatory network that mediates robustness against neuroinflammation. As a critical miRNA-network hub we defined miR-92a. Genetic deletion of miR-92a exacerbated the disease course of mice undergoing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), whereas miR-92a overexpression protected neurons against excitotoxicity. As a key miR-92a target transcript, we identified cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 3 (Cpeb3) that was suppressed in inflamed neurons in mouse EAE and human MS. Accordingly, Cpeb3 deletion improved neuronal resistance to excitotoxicity and ameliorated EAE. Together, we discovered that the miR-92a–Cpeb3 axis confers neuronal robustness against inflammation and serves as potential target for neuroprotective therapies.
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