A choroid plexus apocrine secretion mechanism shapes CSF proteome and embryonic brain development.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology January 16, 2024 Ya'El Courtney, Joshua P Head, Elizabeth D Yimer et al. 9 citations preprint
Apocrine secretion by embryonic choroid plexus (ChP) epithelial cells contributes to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome and influences brain development in mice. This process depends on sustained intracellular calcium signaling and calpain-mediated cytoskeletal remodeling, rapidly altering the CSF proteome and activating neural progenitors lining the brain's ventricles. Overactivation of this secretion—triggered by maternal administration of a serotonergic 5HT2C receptor agonist, maternal illness, or the psychedelic drug LSD during pregnancy—dysregulates cerebral cortical development, alters the fate of CSF-contacting neural progenitors, and changes adult social behaviors. These findings demonstrate a mechanism by which diverse maternal stressors disrupt in utero brain development.