Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology最新文献

{"title":"Mitochondrial Crossroads in Neurobiology: From Cellular Vulnerability to Therapeutic Opportunity.","authors":"Rita Valenzuela, Ana I Rodríguez-Pérez","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01822-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10571-026-01822-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitochondria integrate metabolic, signalling, and quality-control pathways that are critical for neuronal and glial homeostasis. Beyond ATP production, they regulate redox balance, calcium dynamics, proteostasis, innate immune signalling, and the molecular pathways governing cell survival and death. This Closing Editorial synthesizes the main advances reported in this Collection across neurodegeneration, neurodevelopmental vulnerability, inherited mitochondrial disorders, neurotrauma, drug-induced neurotoxicity, and neuroimmune regulation. Collectively, these studies establish mitochondrial dysfunction as a heterogeneous and context-dependent process rather than a uniform or secondary consequence of neurological disease. Mitochondrial alterations are dynamically regulated across cell types, subcellular compartments, and disease stages, and are tightly coupled to inter-organelle communication and cellular stress-response pathways. The contributions highlight convergent mechanisms linking astrocytic mitochondrial DNA damage, dysregulated RNA-binding proteins, altered mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contacts, disrupted iron and redox homeostasis, and mitochondrial-inflammatory signalling to neuronal vulnerability and impaired circuit integrity. They also identify potential therapeutic targets while defining key unresolved questions, particularly the need to establish mechanistic causality, delineate cell- and compartment-specific mitochondrial responses, and validate findings using clinically relevant models and outcome measures. Overall, this Collection positions mitochondrial biology as a mechanistic framework connecting metabolic dysfunction, cellular stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal degeneration, and supports its development as a therapeutic target for disease-modifying interventions in neurological disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148896571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"First Evidence of Functional Neuronal Remodeling In Vitro in a Cell Line from an Evolutionarily Ancient Vertebrate (Sturgeon).","authors":"Bianka Grunow, Jonna Schulz-Ehlbeck","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01783-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10571-026-01783-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The targeted differentiation of stem cell-like cells into functional neurons is a central goal in developmental biology and comparative neurobiology. In this study, we report for the first time on the successful neuronal remodeling of cell line derived from the Atlantic sturgeon larvae (Acipenser oxyrinchus; AOXlar7y) under defined in vitro conditions. The cells were cultured on poly-D-lysine-coated surfaces and exposed to a reduced-serum medium supplemented with nerve growth factor-β to induce neuronal differentiation. Morphologically, time-dependent formation of neurite-like processes and network structures was observed over a period of 14 days. The neuronal identity of the differentiated cells was confirmed by immunocytochemistry with the neuronal marker NeuN. Functional maturation was examined by measurement of cytoplasmatic calcium activity. After stimulation with 200 µM ATP, cells with neuronal morphology showed distinct intracellular calcium transients, indicating functional purinergic signaling pathways. AOXlar7y thus represents a novel in vitro model for studying neurogenesis and neuronal function in a cellular model of ancient fish species and provides a valuable basis for future studies in comparative neurobiology, neurotoxicology, and evolutionary developmental biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13391976/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148560999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Bibliometric Analysis of Publications on Macrophages in Peripheral Nerve Injury.","authors":"Qingyi Huo, Mingyang Li, Yibo Zhao, Lixin Huang, Tao Sun, Zhimin Wu, Lijiang Sha, Xiaoli Zhang, Jun Sun, Hua Tang, Hui Wang","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01772-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-026-01772-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) disrupts nerve function, there has been increasing focus on the role of macrophages in PNI. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of research trends and key topics related to macrophages in the field of PNI. We conducted a search in the Web of Science Core Collection database for studies published between 2000 and 2023 using \"macrophages\" and \"PNI\" as keywords. Bibliometric analysis was performed using visualization tools, including VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and GraphPad Prism 8, and others. As of December 31, 2023, a total of 905 relevant publications were identified. In terms of author contributions, Japanese researchers Kiguchi Norikazu and Kishioka Shiroh shared the highest number of publications, each with 15 articles. In terms of journals, Experimental Neurology published the most articles, while the University of Würzburg in Germany emerged as the leading institution in this field, with the highest publication output. Among the 51 countries involved in this research, the United States ranked first, followed by China. The keyword 'exosomes' first appeared in 2021, making it the most recent keyword. Cluster analysis categorized the keywords into four main groups: the role of macrophages in Wallerian degeneration, the role of macrophages in pathological peripheral neuropathic pain, macrophage-derived products after PNI, and role of macrophages in PNI repair and strategies for modulating their function using biomaterials. Macrophages are increasingly crucial in PNI research, and future studies integrating novel approaches may yield innovative therapies for nerve repair.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148535438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patient-Derived PSEN1 Cerebral Organoids Revealed Parallel Development of Amyloid-β Accumulation and Network Dysfunction.","authors":"Andrijana Angelovski, Hana Hribkova, Jiri Sedmik, Barbora Liscakova, Olga Svecova, Sona Cesnarikova, Katerina Amruz Cerna, Veronika Pospisilova, Martin Kral, Martina Kolajova, Petr Klimes, Dasa Bohaciakova, Marketa Bebarova","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01779-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-026-01779-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by progressive dementia, brain atrophy, and ultimately death. Using cerebral organoids derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) carrying the familial PSEN1 A246E variant, we investigated the temporal relationship between amyloid-β (Aβ) dysregulation and spontaneous neuronal activity. Multielectrode array recordings from the differentiation day 60 (DD60) to at least DD130 revealed that AD organoids exhibited transient hyperexcitability and hypersynchrony compared with wild-type (WT) controls, followed by a gradual decline in activity. During the enhanced excitability stage, both elevated Aβ42/40 and Aβ aggregate size showed positive correlations with the percentage of active electrodes and the global synchrony index (GSI) in AD organoids. These findings indicate that Aβ dysregulation might contribute to transient network hyperexcitability in early AD. The results also suggest that patient-derived cerebral organoids may serve as a translational model to examine early network dysfunction and inform future investigations of potential Aβ-induced changes in excitability during the preclinical stages of AD.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148535478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Monomethyl Fumarate Modulates Iron Metabolism and Mitochondrial Function in Microglia with Implications for Multiple Sclerosis Progression.","authors":"Justus Dann, Katharina Klöster, Ulas Ceylan, Neele Heitmann, Britta Eggers, Svitlana Rozanova, Martin Eisenacher, Katrin Marcus-Alic, Konstanze F Winklhofer, Ralf Gold, Simon Faissner","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01775-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10571-026-01775-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fumaric acid esters have proven to be effective medications in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with neuroprotective effects. In this study, we investigated the impact of fumaric acid esters on primary murine microglia in vitro compared to DMSO vehicle control. Monomethyl fumarate (MMF) increased MTT reduction in a dose-dependent manner, whereas dimethyl fumarate (DMF) exhibited a biphasic response with low concentrations enhancing MTT reduction and higher concentrations inducing toxicity. Notably, complementary analyses of cell number and cell death did not reveal differences between MMF-treated and control conditions, indicating that the increased MTT reduction reflects enhanced cellular metabolic activity rather than increased viability. Consistent with this interpretation, MMF-treated cells exhibited higher basal and maximal oxygen consumption, spare respiratory capacity, and ATP production in the Seahorse XF Cell Mito Stress Test. Proteomic analysis did not indicate an upregulation of mitochondrial respiratory chain proteins, but instead suggested a qualitative shift in mitochondrial homeostasis, including increased expression of mitophagy-associated proteins. MMF-treated Nrf2-deficient microglia showed a blunted increase in MTT reduction, suggesting an involvement of Nrf2 in mediating MMF-induced metabolic effects. Additionally, MMF modulated the microglial iron metabolism and reduced the uptake of non-transferrin-bound iron and altered the gene expression of iron transport proteins, promoting a shift toward the uptake of less toxic, transferrin-bound iron. MMF mitigated iron-induced toxicity and was associated with upregulation of the ferroptosis suppressor protein, indicating a protective response to iron overload. Together, these findings suggest that MMF enhances microglial metabolic activity and mitochondrial function while reducing iron-mediated toxicity, thereby contributing to its neuroprotective effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13385331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148520108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The CRF‑CRFR1 Axis Mediates Prenatal Fear Stress‑Induced Hippocampal Mitochondrial Damage in Offspring via MAM Remodeling and Calcium Overload.","authors":"Yu-Jie Li, Li-Ping Yang, Yun-Yu Wang, Tian-Ning Gu, Yi-Chi Zhang, Lan Zhang, Shan Cao, Jun-Lin Hou","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01780-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-026-01780-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mitochondrial dysfunction has been recognized as one of the three hallmark biological features of autism spectrum disorder. This study is intended to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying prenatal psychological fear stress‑induced hippocampal mitochondrial damage in offspring. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the calcium signaling pathway, particularly the phospholipase C beta 1(PLCβ1)- inositol 1,4,5‑trisphosphate receptor (IP3R)- voltage‑dependent anion channel 1(VDAC1) pathway, may play a key role in prenatal stress‑induced hippocampal mitochondrial damage in offspring. To validate this, we examined pathway activation in the offspring hippocampus of prenatal fear stressed rats and in corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH; also known as CRF in rodents) overexposed SH‑SY5Y cells, along with mitochondrial calcium levels in the cells. Prenatal fear stress induced depressive-like behavior and HPA axis activation in pregnant dams, and reduced survival and growth in offspring. Placental and neonatal brain CRF levels were elevated. At the early socialization stage (Postnatal day 21-30), model offspring showed normal basal but exaggerated stress-induced HPA responses. Their hippocampus exhibited expanded MAM coverage, reduced ER-mitochondria distance, and upregulated PLCβ1, IP3R1, VDAC1 expression, along with increased GRP75‑VDAC1 co‑localization, confirming MAM remodeling at the molecular level. In vitro, CRH (20 µM for 48 h or 5-20 µM for 96 h) inhibited SH-SY5Y cell proliferation, upregulated CRH receptor 1(CRHR1), PLCβ1, VDAC1, and increased mitochondrial calcium; these effects were reversed by the CRHR1 antagonist CP376395 or PLCβ1 knockdown. Furthermore, the MCU inhibitor DS16570511 partially reversed CRH‑induced mitochondrial calcium elevation and proliferation inhibition, suggesting that mitochondrial calcium overload contributes to the proliferation inhibition. Collectively, these results suggest that prenatal fear stress may, via the CRF-CRFR1 axis, influence the PLCβ1-IP3R-VDAC1 pathway, inducing MAM remodeling and mitochondrial calcium overload, thereby contributing to offspring hippocampal neuronal damage.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148497276","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal Isocaloric Monosaccharide Diets Reorganize Dorsal-Ventral Hippocampal Maturation and Ventral Plasticity in Rat Offspring.","authors":"Kacper Witek, Karolina Wydra, Luca Bonfanti, Małgorzata Filip","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01781-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10571-026-01781-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early-life nutrition is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of brain developmental trajectories. Because the dorsal (dHIP) and ventral (vHIP) hippocampus regulate distinct cognitive and emotional functions, understanding how maternal diet shapes maturation along this axis may provide insight into later behavioral vulnerability. However, the impact of maternal diet on the spatial organization of hippocampal maturation along the dorsal-ventral axis remains unclear. Here, we tested whether maternal isocaloric monosaccharide diets containing glucose (GLU) or fructose (FRU) are associated with age-, sex-, and region-dependent molecular remodeling along the dorsal-ventral axis of the hippocampus. In an established Wistar rat cohort, we quantified mRNA expression of genes associated with neuronal maturation and plasticity (Bdnf, Dcx, Gfap, Nes, Rbfox3) and protein levels of DCX, GFAP, and NeuN in the dHIP and vHIP of dams and male and female offspring during adolescence (PND28) and young adulthood (PND63). In dams, FRU exposure was associated with modestly increased Bdnf expression, and both GLU and FRU diets were associated with region-dependent differences in DCX, GFAP, and NeuN protein levels. In offspring, perinatal exposure to GLU or FRU diets induced sex-dependent patterns of hippocampal gene expression. Diet-related molecular differences were more prominent in the dHIP during adolescence, whereas additional vHIP-associated alterations emerged in young adulthood. Several proteins exhibited region-dependent differences, with the vHIP generally displaying higher protein abundance, although diet-induced alterations differed between hippocampal subregions. Guided by PCA and a composite RNA-protein molecular index highlighting persistent molecular remodeling within the vHIP, subsequent analyses focused on the vHIP in male offspring. Targeted analysis of the male vHIP at PND63 revealed that maternal FRU exposure was associated with increased Mc4r expression and elevated MC4R protein levels, whereas both maternal GLU and FRU exposure were associated with increased ARC protein levels. In contrast, maternal monosaccharide exposure was associated with reduced Npas4 expression, and maternal FRU exposure was additionally associated with reduced NPAS4 protein levels. Collectively, maternal monosaccharide diets were associated with age-, sex-, and region-dependent remodeling of hippocampal maturation- and plasticity-related molecular profiles. Subsequent analyses identified persistent alterations in MC4R-, ARC-, and NPAS4-related molecular profiles in the young adult male vHIP.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148435354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Causal Relationship Between Circulating Leukocyte Characteristics and Immune Cell Traits With Multiple Sclerosis Risk: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Study.","authors":"Jia-Jia Yun, Ya-Lei Li, Jing-Man Qiu, Yu Yang, Dan-Tong Han, Xiao-Han Yang, Chao Lv, Chao Ren","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01777-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10571-026-01777-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study aimed to investigate MR-based evidence for potential causal relationships between circulating leukocytes, immune cell traits, and multiple sclerosis (MS) using a two-sample, bidirectional Mendelian randomisation (MR) approach. We analysed summary-level data from large-scale genome-wide association studies conducted by the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium, the Blood Cell Consortium, and Immune Cell traits. Using inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted mode, weighted median, simple mode, and MR-Egger methods, we estimated genetically predicted associations. The MR-Egger intercept assessed horizontal pleiotropy, Cochran's Q test examined genetic heterogeneity, and leave-one-out procedures evaluated the sensitivity of the results. We adjusted for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate (FDR). Forward MR analysis using IVW as the primary method revealed associations between increased white blood cell count (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.05-1.29, P = 0.004, P_FDR = 0.031) and lymphocyte count (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.06-1.31, P = 0.003, P_FDR = 0.035) with a higher risk of developing MS. Conversely, the CD25hi CD45RA-CD4 not Treg %CD4+ (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.808-0.942, P = 0.0005, P_FDR = 0.075) and the CD16-CD56 on HLA DR+ NK (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.780-0.935, P = 0.0007, P_FDR = 0.093) were associated with a reduced risk of MS. In reverse MR analyses, MS showed no robust evidence of a causal effect on white blood cell or lymphocyte counts. Although an FDR-significant reverse association was observed for the IgD+ CD38 + B-cell absolute count subtype, leave-one-out sensitivity analysis indicated instability. Therefore, this finding was not considered reliable evidence of reverse causality. Genetic predisposition to increased white blood cell and lymphocyte counts elevates the risk of MS, while certain immune cell traits may reduce this risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148429894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Human iPSC-Derived Spinal Neurons Carrying the ALS FUS (P525L) Mutation Exhibit Lower Response to Inhibitory Neurotransmitters.","authors":"Tiziano D'Andrea, Maria Cristina Benedetti, Michela Mochi, Valeria De Turris, Alessandro Rosa, Sergio Fucile","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01773-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-026-01773-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disorder characterized by motoneurons degeneration. Functional studies have linked ALS to hyperexcitability and excitotoxicity, but the cause of the disease is unknown, though familial ALS cases are linked to pathogenic variants in several genes, including SOD1, TARDBP and FUS. Here we focused on the effect of the severe FUS (P525L) mutation on the functional properties of human spinal neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This mutation delayed functional maturation, as revealed by the observation that mutated neurons showed alterations of membrane potential, reduced spontaneous synaptic activity, and altered action potentials at early differentiation stages. FUS (P525L) mutation was associated with a significant alteration of inhibitory signalling transmission: mutated neurons showed a significantly lower current response to GABA and glycine compared to control isogenic WT neurons of the same age. Also, glutamatergic currents exhibited a different temporal evolution in control and mutated neurons, but at a lower extent in comparison to inhibitory neurotransmitters. The decrease in the glycine-evoked currents was confirmed by the reduction of the expression of the α1 subunit of glycine receptor, measured by immunofluorescence assay. Similar functional alterations were measured in spinal neurons differentiated form a second hiPSC line, confirming the causative role of the FUS (P525L) mutation. Our data indicate that the FUS (P525L) mutation reduces the maturation rates and the function of hiPSC-derived spinal neurons, with a strong decrease of inhibitory transmission, which may affect the excitatory/inhibitory balance, possibly predisposing to excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148419190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Glial Cysteine Cathepsins: From Homeostasis to Neurodegeneration.","authors":"Anja Suhadolc, Selena Horvat, Janko Kos, Anja Pišlar","doi":"10.1007/s10571-026-01776-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-026-01776-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glial cells, namely microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, play crucial roles in maintaining homeostasis in the central nervous system and orchestrating responses to injury, infection, and disease. Among the molecular regulators of glial function, cysteine cathepsins have emerged as key modulators of both physiological and pathological processes. These lysosomal peptidases are traditionally known for their housekeeping roles in protein degradation; however, accumulating evidence highlights their broader involvement in antigen presentation, microglial and astrocyte reactivity, inflammatory signalling, apoptosis, and myelination. Under normal conditions, cysteine cathepsins support essential functions in the central nervous system, including immune surveillance and tissue remodelling. Conversely, their dysregulation, characterized by overexpression, increased enzymatic activity, or mislocalization, can promote neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, contributing to the pathogenesis of disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis specifically focused on the diverse roles of cysteine cathepsins across major glial cell types, systematically summarizing current knowledge in microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. We emphasize their cell type-specific, context-dependent, protective, and deleterious functions. Furthermore, we discuss mechanistic links between cysteine cathepsin activity and neurodegenerative processes and evaluate the therapeutic potential and current limitations of selectively targeting glial cysteine cathepsins. A deeper understanding of the context-dependent dual roles of these enzymes in brain physiology and pathology is critical for designing targeted interventions that could mitigate neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":9742,"journal":{"name":"Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148419174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}