Comparison of proteome alterations during aging in the temporal lobe of humans and rhesus macaques

Exploring the properties and potential of the neural extracellular matrix for next-generation regenerative therapies

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic and complex network of proteins and molecules that surrounds cells and tissues in the nervous system and orchestrates a myriad of biological functions. This review carefully examines the diverse interactions between cells and the ECM, as well as the transformative chemical and physical changes that the ECM undergoes during neural development, aging, and disease. These transformations play a pivotal role in shaping tissue morphogenesis and neural activity, thereby influencing the functionality of the central nervous system (CNS). In our comprehensive review, we describe the diverse behaviors of the CNS ECM in different physiological and pathological scenarios and explore the unique properties that make ECM-based strategies attractive for CNS repair and regeneration. Addressing the challenges of scalability, variability, and integration with host tissues, we review how advanced natural, synthetic, and combinatorial matrix approaches enhance biocompatibility, mechanical properties, and functional recovery. Overall, this review highlights the potential of decellularized ECM as a powerful tool for CNS modeling and regenerative purposes and sets the stage for future research in this exciting field. This article is categorized under: Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Neurological Disease Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants.

Similarities of developmental gene expression changes in the brain between human and experimental animals: rhesus monkey, mouse, Zebrafish, and Drosophila

AIM

Experimental animals, such as non-human primates (NHPs), mice, Zebrafish, and Drosophila, are frequently employed as models to gain insights into human physiology and pathology. In developmental neuroscience and related research fields, information about the similarities of developmental gene expression patterns between animal models and humans is vital to choose what animal models to employ. Here, we aimed to statistically compare the similarities of developmental changes of gene expression patterns in the brains of humans with those of animal models frequently used in the neuroscience field.

METHODS

The developmental gene expression datasets that we analyzed consist of the fold-changes and P values of gene expression in the brains of animals of various ages compared with those of the youngest postnatal animals available in the dataset. By employing the running Fisher algorithm in a bioinformatics platform, BaseSpace, we assessed similarities between the developmental changes of gene expression patterns in the human (Homo sapiens) hippocampus with those in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), the DG of the mouse (Mus musculus), the whole brain of Zebrafish (Danio rerio), and the whole brain of Drosophila (D. melanogaster).

RESULTS

Among all possible comparisons of different ages and animals in developmental changes in gene expression patterns within the datasets, those between rhesus monkeys and mice were highly similar to those of humans with significant overlap P-value as assessed by the running Fisher algorithm. There was the highest degree of gene expression similarity between 40-59-year-old humans and 6-12-year-old rhesus monkeys (overlap P-value = 2.1 × 10^- 72). The gene expression similarity between 20-39-year-old humans and 29-day-old mice was also significant (overlap P = 1.1 × 10^- 44). Moreover, there was a similarity in developmental changes of gene expression patterns between 1-2-year-old Zebrafish and 40-59-year-old humans (Overlap P-value = 1.4 × 10^- 6). The overlap P-value of developmental gene expression patterns between Drosophila and humans failed to reach significance (30 days Drosophila and 6-11-year-old humans; overlap P-value = 0.0614).

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the developmental gene expression changes in the brains of the rhesus monkey, mouse, and Zebrafish recapitulate, to a certain degree, those in humans. Our findings support the idea that these animal models are a valid tool for investigating the development of the brain in neurophysiological and neuropsychiatric studies.