2025-12-16 マックス・プランク研究所
Maturation of CRH-producing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells after brain injury. The cells in the middle are highly branched pre-myelinating oligodendrocytes, while the cell on the left has already matured into a myelinating oligodendrocyte. © MPI f. Psychiatry
<関連情報>
- https://www.mpg.de/25901163/stress-hormone-repairs-brain
- https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(25)01245-8
神経ペプチドCRHは中枢神経系損傷後および出生後早期の発達におけるOPCの早期分化を予防する Neuropeptide CRH prevents premature differentiation of OPCs following CNS injury and in early postnatal development
Clemens Ries ∙ Tibor Stark ∙ Benoit Boulat ∙ … ∙ Wiebke Möbius ∙ Leda Dimou ∙ Jan M. Deussing
Cell Reports Published:October 29, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116474
Highlights
- A subset of OPCs transiently produces the neuropeptide CRH in response to injury
- CRHR1+ OPCs are present in the murine brain under injury and non-injury conditions
- CRH+ and CRHR1+ OPCs exhibit distinct differentiation capacities
- Modulation of the CRH/CRHR1 system affects OPC differentiation and myelin structure
Summary
The role of neuropeptides and their receptors in oligodendrocyte (OL) progenitor cells (OPCs) has been largely overlooked so far. Here, we describe a new subpopulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-expressing OPCs. Brain injury rapidly induces transient CRH expression in OPCs that aggregate around injury sites and exhibit an elevated capacity to differentiate into myelinating OLs. As target cells, we identified CRH receptor type 1 (CRHR1)-expressing OPCs, which show a decreased differentiation velocity. CRH/CRHR1 system inactivation increases the speed of OL generation but compromises their long-term survival after acute injury. Under non-injury conditions, CRH/CRHR1 system deficiency leads to increased early postnatal oligodendrogenesis and alterations in adult myelination. Altogether, we show that OPC-derived CRH not only actively influences the injury environment through interaction with CRHR1-expressing OPCs but also identify the G-protein coupled receptor CRHR1 as a critical modulator of oligodendrogenesis during early postnatal development with lasting effects on adult myelination.
