Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Virginia Tech, 970 Washington Street SW, Life Sciences I; Rm 249 (MC0910), Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
School of Neuroscience, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 10;14(1):8367. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58904-z.
Post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) stands as one of the numerous debilitating consequences that follow traumatic brain injury (TBI). Despite its impact on many individuals, the current landscape offers only a limited array of reliable treatment options, and our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and susceptibility factors remains incomplete. Among the potential contributors to epileptogenesis, astrocytes, a type of glial cell, have garnered substantial attention as they are believed to promote hyperexcitability and the development of seizures in the brain following TBI. The current study evaluated the transcriptomic changes in cortical astrocytes derived from animals that developed seizures as a result of severe focal TBI. Using RNA-Seq and ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA), we unveil a distinct gene expression profile in astrocytes, including alterations in genes supporting inflammation, early response modifiers, and neuropeptide-amidating enzymes. The findings underscore the complex molecular dynamics in astrocytes during PTE development, offering insights into therapeutic targets and avenues for further exploration.
创伤性脑损伤（TBI）后癫痫（PTE）是其众多使人衰弱的后果之一。尽管它对许多人产生了影响，但目前的治疗方案选择有限，我们对潜在的发病机制和易感性因素的理解仍不完整。在癫痫发生的潜在因素中，星形胶质细胞作为一种神经胶质细胞，引起了广泛关注，因为它们被认为在 TBI 后会促进大脑过度兴奋和癫痫发作。本研究评估了源自因严重局灶性 TBI 而发生癫痫动物的皮质星形胶质细胞的转录组变化。通过 RNA-Seq 和 IPA 分析，我们揭示了星形胶质细胞中独特的基因表达谱，包括支持炎症、早期反应调节剂和神经肽酰胺酶的基因的改变。这些发现强调了 PTE 发展过程中星形胶质细胞的复杂分子动态，为治疗靶点和进一步探索提供了思路。
