Hydrocephalus can be triggered by viruses

Scientists from Duke University have determined that the development of hydrocephalus can be provoked by viruses that attack brain cells. The research project was led by professors Kadar Abdi and Chai Kuo.

Ependymal cells are epithelial cells of neuroglia that line the ventricles of the brain. Thanks to them - or rather, thanks to the cilia located on these cells - the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid is maintained. In addition, the cells interact with neural stem cells, determining the key role in preventing the formation of hydrocephalus - a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid accumulates inside the brain. This condition is otherwise called dropsy: it accompanies various neurological diseases of congenital and acquired types. Today, there is only one way to correct hydrocephalus - shunting to create an outlet for the accumulated fluid. But such treatment is far from always successful. Thus, scientists have set themselves the goal of finding a new, more effective method of therapy.

At the very beginning of the experiment, the scientists were growing ependymal cells in order to study their importance for the creation of neural stem cells. In the course of the work, it was discovered that mature ependymal cells in rodents require continuous synthesis of the transcription factor Foxj1 to maintain their own shape and functionality. Without this factor, the cells lose their cilia: they degrade before the early period of development.

As scientists have discovered, the synthesis of the transcription factor stops under the influence of viruses, which are capable of causing many serious pathologies of the brain, including hydrocephalus. Subsequent studies have shown that the introduction of cells with a medicinal substance stimulating the synthesis of the factor into brain structures leads to the restoration of the function and number of ependymal cells.

After a full analysis of the work done, scientists suggested that medicinal substances capable of normalizing the synthesis of transcription factor can be successfully used to treat hydrocephalus. However, clinical trials have not yet been conducted by specialists.

At the moment, specialists are completely confident in the importance of their research: for example, no one has previously been able to determine that the protein substance Foxj1 decomposes within two hours. This means that ependymal cells, under the influence of the enzyme substance IKK2, activate the production of the transcription factor. And certain types of viruses (in particular, the herpes virus) have a mechanism for blocking this enzyme substance, so their effect on the brain is much greater than previously assumed.

The full results of the study were published in Nature Communications (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03812-w).

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