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Chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) is primarily secreted by activated astrocytes in the brain and is known as a reliable biomarker for inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) conditions such as neurodegeneration and autoimmune disorders like neuromyelitis optica (NMO). NMO is an astrocyte disease caused by autoantibodies targeting the astroglial protein aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and leads to vision loss, motor deficits, and cognitive decline. In this study examining CHI3L1's biological function in neuroinflammation, we found that CHI3L1 expression correlates with cognitive impairment in our NMO patient cohort. Activated astrocytes secrete CHI3L1 in response to AQP4 autoantibodies, and this inhibits the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells. Mouse models showed decreased hippocampal neurogenesis and impaired learning behaviors, which could be rescued by depleting CHI3L1 in astrocytes. The molecular mechanism involves CHI3L1 engaging the CRTH2 receptor and dampening β-catenin signaling for neurogenesis. Blocking this CHI3L1/CRTH2/β-catenin cascade restores neurogenesis and improves cognitive deficits, suggesting the potential for therapeutic development in neuroinflammatory disorders.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg8148 | DOI Listing |
Pharmacol Biochem Behav
September 2025
Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento, Universidad de Málaga (UMA), Málaga, 29010, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga y Plataforma en Nanomedicina (IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND), Málaga, Spain. Electronic address:
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Funct
September 2025
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, Fujian Province 361021, PR China.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
September 2025
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Integr Neurosci
August 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, The First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 100853 Beijing, China.
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