scRNA-sequence of NeuroD1-astrocyte therapy post-TBI mouse
Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS), play a critical role in brain injury responses. While NeuroD1 overexpression in astrocytes has been shown to reverse glial scar formation and promote tissue repair in mouse models of traumatic brain injury (TBI), the underlying molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. To address this, we performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis on a controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated astrocyte-specific NeuroD1 overexpression.Our findings demonstrate that NeuroD1 overexpression suppresses microglial activation and mitigates brain damage post-TBI. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed significant shifts in astrocyte subtypes, with upregulated neuroinflammatory pathways and downregulated oxygen metabolism in TBI mice. Conversely, NeuroD1 overexpression reshaped astrocyte subpopulation dynamics, enhanced oxygen metabolism-related gene expression, and attenuated neuroinflammatory signaling. This study provides a comprehensive transcriptomic dataset detailing cellular and astrocyte subtype-specific changes following NeuroD1-mediated brain repair. These insights advance our understanding of cell fate modulation in TBI and support the development of NeuroD1-based gene therapies, offering a valuable resource for future TBI research and therapeutic strategies.