中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2025, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (2): 557-573.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-23-01130

• 原著:脊髓损伤修复保护与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

Gas6抑制脊髓损伤后小胶质细胞与星形胶质细胞的相互调控作用

  

  • 出版日期:2025-02-15 发布日期:2024-06-18
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金项目(81971151,8210252882102583),广东省自然科学基金委员会(2020A1515010265,2020A15151106792021A1515010358)

Mutual regulation of microglia and astrocytes after Gas6 inhibits spinal cord injury

Jiewen Chen1, 2, #, Xiaolin Zeng1, 2, #, Le Wang1, 2, #, Wenwu Zhang1, 2, Gang Li1, 2, Xing Cheng1, 2, Peiqiang Su1, 2, Yong Wan1, 2, *, Xiang Li1, 2, *   

  1. 1Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China; 2Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • Online:2025-02-15 Published:2024-06-18
  • Contact: Xiang Li, MD, PhD, lixiang257@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Yong Wan, MD, PhD, wanyong@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Nos. 81971151 (to YW), 82102528 (to XL), 82102583 (to LW) and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China, Nos. 2020A1515010265 (to YW), 2020A1515110679 (to XL), and 2021A1515010358 (to XL).

摘要:

侵袭性炎症和过度瘢痕形成是脊髓损伤后神经组织修复困难的主要原因。小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞在脊髓损伤微环境中起着重要的作用,且两种细胞间存在着紧密的相互作用。然而其所涉及的机制仍不明确。此次实验发现,脊髓损伤后,静息态小胶质细胞M0极化为促炎型小胶质状态的MG1MG3;静息态星形胶质细胞则极化为反应性和瘢痕形成性星形胶质细胞。生长停滞特异性蛋白6(Gas6)及其受体Axl在脊髓损伤后在上述细胞中的表达水平均明显下降。在体外实验中,Gas6对反应性星形胶质细胞和促炎型小胶质细胞的极化有负面影响,甚至抑制反应性星形胶质细胞和促炎型小胶质细胞之间的交叉调控。进一步的机制研究表明,Gas6可通过抑制YAP信号通路的激活从而抑制反应性星形胶质细胞的极化,并通过抑制NF-κB/p65JAK/Stat3信号通路的激活从而抑制促炎型小胶质细胞的极化。在体内实验中,Gas6可抑制脊髓损伤部位中的促炎型小胶质细胞和反应性星形胶质细胞极化,从而促进组织修复和运动功能恢复。实验提出Gas6可通过抑制小胶质细胞的炎症通路及星形胶质细胞的极化,减弱炎症微环境中小胶质细胞与星形胶质细胞的相互作用,从而缓解脊髓局部炎症并减少胶质瘢痕的形成,发挥治疗脊髓损伤的作用。

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4869-7041 (Xiang Li)

关键词: Gas6, Axl, 小胶质细胞, 星形胶质细胞, 炎症, 微环境, 脊髓损伤, 单细胞测序, 细胞间相互作用, 细胞极化, Hippo

Abstract: Invasive inflammation and excessive scar formation are the main reasons for the difficulty in repairing nervous tissue after spinal cord injury. Microglia and astrocytes play key roles in the spinal cord injury micro-environment and share a close interaction. However, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. In this study, we found that after spinal cord injury, resting microglia (M0) were polarized into pro-inflammatory phenotypes (MG1 and MG3), while resting astrocytes were polarized into reactive and scar-forming phenotypes. The expression of growth arrest-specific 6 (Gas6) and its receptor Axl were significantly down-regulated in microglia and astrocytes after spinal cord injury. In vitro experiments showed that Gas6 had negative effects on the polarization of reactive astrocytes and pro-inflammatory microglia, and even inhibited the cross-regulation between them. We further demonstrated that Gas6 can inhibit the polarization of reactive astrocytes by suppressing the activation of the Yes-associated protein signaling pathway. This, in turn, inhibited the polarization of pro-inflammatory microglia by suppressing the activation of the nuclear factor-κB/p65 and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathways. In vivo experiments showed that Gas6 inhibited the polarization of pro-inflammatory microglia and reactive astrocytes in the injured spinal cord, thereby promoting tissue repair and motor function recovery. Overall, Gas6 may play a role in the treatment of spinal cord injury. It can inhibit the inflammatory pathway of microglia and polarization of astrocytes, attenuate the interaction between microglia and astrocytes in the inflammatory microenvironment, and thereby alleviate local inflammation and reduce scar formation in the spinal cord.

Key words: astrocytes, Axl, cell polarization, Gas6, Hippo signal, inflammatory micro-environment, intercellular interaction, microglia, single-cell sequencing, spinal cord injury