Bolte, A. C. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2022

The meningeal transcriptional response to traumatic brain injury and aging

Emerging evidence suggests that the meningeal compartment plays instrumental roles in various neurological disorders and can modulate neurodevelopment and behavior. While this has sparked great interest in the meninges, we still lack fundamental knowledge about meningeal biology. Here, we utilized high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) techniques to investigate the transcriptional response of the meninges to traumatic brain injury (TBI) and aging in the sub-acute and chronic time frames. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we first explored how mild TBI affects the cellular and transcriptional landscape in the meninges in young mice at one week post-injury. Then, using bulk RNA sequencing, we assessed the differential long-term outcomes between young and aged mice following a TBI. In our scRNA-seq studies, we found that mild head trauma leads to an activation of type I interferon (IFN) signature genes in meningeal macrophages as well as the mobilization of multiple distinct sub-populations of meningeal macrophages expressing hallmarks of either classically activated or wound healing macrophages. We also revealed that dural fibroblasts in the meningeal compartment are highly responsive to TBI, and pathway analysis identified differential expression of genes linked to various neurodegenerative diseases. For reasons that remain poorly understood, the elderly are especially vulnerable to head trauma, where even mild injuries can lead to rapid cognitive decline and devastating neuropathology. To better understand the differential outcomes between the young and the elderly following brain injury, we performed bulk RNA-seq on young and aged meninges from mice that had received a mild TBI or Sham treatment 1.5 months prior. Notably, we found that aging alone induced massive upregulation of meningeal genes involved in antibody production by B cells and type I IFN signaling. Following injury, the meningeal transcriptome had largely returned to its pre-injury signature in young mice. In stark contrast, aged TBI mice still exhibited massive upregulation of immune-related genes and markedly reduced expression of genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling and maintenance of cellular junctions. Overall, these findings illustrate the dynamic and complex transcriptional response of the meninges to mild head trauma. Moreover, we also reveal how aging modulates the meningeal response to TBI. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=113 SRC="FIGDIR/small/496485v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (38K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14fe137org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14afa25org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16ca643org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17a8a0_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Meningeal lymphatic dysfunction exacerbates traumatic brain injury pathogenesis

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has emerged as a leading cause of death and disability. Despite being a growing medical issue, the biological factors that promote central nervous system (CNS) pathology and neurological dysfunction following TBI remain poorly characterized. Recently, the meningeal lymphatic system was identified as a critical mediator of drainage from the CNS. In comparison to other peripheral organs, our understanding of how defects in lymphatic drainage from the CNS contribute to disease is limited. It is still unknown how TBI impacts meningeal lymphatic function and whether disruptions in this drainage pathway are involved in driving TBI pathogenesis. Here we demonstrate that even mild forms of brain trauma cause severe deficits in meningeal lymphatic drainage that can last out to at least two weeks post-injury. To investigate a mechanism behind impaired lymphatic function in TBI, we examined how increased intracranial pressure (ICP) influences the meningeal lymphatics, as increased ICP commonly occurs in TBI. We demonstrate that increased ICP is capable of provoking meningeal lymphatic dysfunction. Moreover, we show that pre-existing lymphatic dysfunction mediated by targeted photoablation before TBI leads to increased neuroinflammation and cognitive deficits. These findings provide new insights into both the causes and consequences of meningeal lymphatic dysfunction in TBI and suggest that therapeutics targeting the meningeal lymphatic system may offer strategies to treat TBI.

neuroscience↗