Single-cell profiling of human subventricular zone progenitors identifies SFRP1 as a target for stimulating progenitor activation

Following the decline of neurogenesis at birth, progenitors of the subventricular zone (SVZ) remain mostly in a quiescent state in the adult human brain. The mechanisms that regulate this quiescent state are still unclear. Here, we isolated CD271+ progenitors from the aged human SVZ for single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. Our transcriptome data revealed the identity of progenitors of the aged human SVZ as late oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. We identified the Wnt pathway antagonist SFRP1 as a possible signal that promotes quiescence of progenitors from the aged human SVZ. Administration of WAY-316606, a small molecule that inhibits SFRP1 function, stimulates activation of neural stem cells both in vitro and in vivo under homeostatic conditions. Our data unravel a possible mechanism through which progenitors of the adult human SVZ are maintained in a quiescent state and a potential target for stimulating progenitors to re-activate.

Downloaded and exported data is governed by the HCA Data Release Policy and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). For more information please see our Data Use Agreement.