Choroid plexus apocrine secretion shapes CSF proteome during mouse brain development.
Nature neuroscience July 1, 2025 Ya'El Courtney, Joshua P Head, Neil Dani et al. 10 citations
The choroid plexus (ChP) regulates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition, providing essential molecular cues for brain development. Apocrine secretion by embryonic ChP epithelial cells is a key regulator of the CSF proteome and neurodevelopment in male and female mice. Activation of serotonergic 5-HT2C receptors triggers sustained calcium signaling, driving high-volume apocrine secretion in mouse and human ChP. This secretion alters the CSF proteome, stimulating neural progenitors and shifting their developmental trajectory. Inducing ChP secretion in utero disrupts neural progenitor dynamics, cerebral cortical architecture, and offspring behavior. Illness or lysergic acid diethylamide exposure during pregnancy provokes coordinated ChP secretion in mouse embryos. The findings reveal a fundamental secretory pathway in the ChP that shapes brain development, and its disruption can have lasting consequences for brain health.