sFRP3 inhibition improves age-related cellular changes in BubR1 progeroid mice

Abstract

Wnt signaling is a well-known molecular pathway in age-related pathogenesis and therapy of disease. While prior studies have mainly focused on Wnt ligands or Wnt activators, the in vivo functions of naturally secreted Wnt inhibitors are not clear, especially in brain aging. Using BubR1 H/H mice as a novel mouse model of accelerated aging, we report that genetic inhibition of sFRP3 restores the reduced body and brain size observed in BubR1 H/H mice. Furthermore, sFRP3 inhibition ameliorates hypomyelination in the corpus callosum and rescues neural progenitor proliferation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of BubR1 H/H mice. Taken together, our study identifies sFRP3 as a new molecular factor that cooperates with BubR1 function to regulate brain development, myelination, and hippocampal neurogenesis.