PLX221259

GSE77988: BET Bromodomain inhibition promotes neurogenesis while inhibiting gliogenesis in neural progenitor cells

• Organsim mouse
• Type RNASEQ
• Target gene
• Project ARCHS4

Neural stem cells (NSCs) and progenitor cells (NPCs) are increasingly appreciated to hold great promise for regenerative medicine to treat CNS injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. However, evidence for effective stimulation of neuronal production from endogenous or transplanted NPCs for cell replacement with small molecules remains limited. To identify novel chemical entities/targets for neurogenesis, we had established a NPC phenotypic screen assay and validated it using known small-molecule neurogenesis inducers. Through screening small molecule libraries with annotated targets, we identified BET bromodomain inhibition as a novel mechanism for enhancing neurogenesis. BET bromodomain proteins, Brd2, Brd3, and Brd4 were found to be downregulated in NPCs upon differentiation, while their levels remain unaltered in proliferating NPCs. Consistent with the pharmacological study using bromodomain selective inhibitor (+)-JQ-1, knockdown of each BET protein resulted in an increase in the number of neurons with simultaneous reduction in both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Gene expression profiling analysis demonstrated that BET bromodomain inhibition induced a broad but specific transcription program enhancing directed differentiation of NPCs into neurons while suppressing cell cycle progression and gliogenesis. Together, these results highlight a crucial role of BET proteins as promising epigenetic regulators in NPC development and suggest a therapeutic potential of BET inhibitors in treating CNS injury and neurodegenerative diseases. SOURCE: Guofeng Meng (guofeng.g.meng@gsk.com) - GSK