Exosomes, a new astrocyte-neuron communication pathway with potential implications in Alzheimer’s disease – Astrocom

Regulation of neuronal communication by astrocytes relies on gliotransmitter release. Among others, another intriguing pathway would be the release of extracellular vesicles (among which a sub-catgeory called exosomes). Exosomes are endosomal vesicles used by many cells, including neurons, to communicate and exchange proteins, lipids and miRNAs. Neuronal-exosome release is known to regulate glutamatergic transporter GLT1 expression. Importantly, the expression of miR-26 present in astrocytic exosomes is modified in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. While some works report that astrocytes release exosomes, we still don’t know if 1) astrocytic exosomes are crucial for synaptic functions and if 2) this communication is altered in neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. To go further in the understanding of brain processing, we propose to investigate if exosome secretion is an another way for astrocytes to support and regulate neurons during basal synaptic transmission, long-term synaptic potentiation and associated behavior.