Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38509377/)

These scientists wanted to understand more about a specific type of brain cell called astrocytes and how they are involved in diseases like multiple sclerosis. They found that some astrocytes can remember past events and become more harmful when triggered again. To study this, the scientists looked at the genes and molecules inside these astrocytes using special techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation. They discovered that a metabolic enzyme called ATP-citrate lyase (ACLY) plays a key role in controlling the memory of these astrocytes.

By using advanced genetic tools, the scientists were able to show that when they deactivated ACLY in these memory astrocytes, the symptoms of the disease improved in their experimental model. They also found similar memory astrocytes in human cells from people with multiple sclerosis. This research helps us understand how these memory astrocytes contribute to the disease and could lead to new treatments in the future.

Lee HG., Rone JM., Li Z., Akl CF., Shin SW., Lee JH., Flausino LE., Pernin F., Chao CC., Kleemann KL., Srun L., Illouz T., Giovannoni F., Charabati M., Sanmarco LM., Kenison JE., Piester G., Zandee SEJ., Antel JP., Rothhammer V., Wheeler MA., Prat A., Clark IC., Quintana FJ. Disease-associated astrocyte epigenetic memory promotes CNS pathology. Nature. 2024 Mar 20. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07187-5.