Our brains are made up of many different cells, and for the brain to work well, these cells need to grow up and become mature. Sometimes, brain cells don’t mature properly, and this can lead to problems like brain tumors.

Scientists studied a protein called CIC, which helps brain cells grow and mature the right way. When the gene for CIC is changed or missing, brain cells can stay immature, and this can cause problems, including a type of brain cancer called oligodendroglioma.

In experiments with mice, scientists found that without CIC, the brain doesn’t grow as big as it should, and brain cells called neurons don’t finish growing up properly. Instead, they stay stuck in an immature state.

The researchers discovered that CIC helps control another protein called VGF. When CIC is missing, VGF levels go up too much, and that stops brain cells from growing up. Lowering VGF helped brain cells mature again, even when CIC was missing.

This tells us that CIC is very important for brain cells to become mature and healthy. Because VGF plays a big part in this process, it might be a target for new treatments to help with brain cancers or other brain problems caused by immature cells.

Understanding how CIC and VGF work together gives hope for better treatments in the future for families affected by brain disorders.

Reference:

Hwang I. et al. CIC is a critical regulator of neuronal differentiation. JCI Insight. 5(9), 2020. Link to the full text article.