Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse clinical outcomes after ischemic stroke; nevertheless, the pathophysiological mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we characterized the molecular mechanisms of how vitamin D signaling modulated stroke progression in male mouse ischemia–reperfusion stroke models. We found that vitamin D receptor (VDR) exhibited a predominant upregulation in peri-infarct microglia/macrophages following cerebral ischemia. Conditional Vdr inactivation in microglia/macrophages markedly augmented infarct volumes and neurological deficits. VDR-deficient microglia/macrophages exhibited a more primed proinflammatory phenotype with substantial secretion of TNF-α and IFN-γ. These inflammatory cytokines further enhanced CXCL10 release from endothelial cells and blood–brain barrier disruption, and ultimately infiltration of peripheral T lymphocytes. Notably, blocking TNF-α and IFN-γ significantly ameliorated stroke phenotypes in Vdr conditional knockout mice. Collectively, VDR signaling in microglia/macrophages plays a crucial role in restraining ischemia-elicited neuroinflammation and stroke progression. Our findings delineate a novel mechanism underlying the association between vitamin D deficiency and poor stroke outcomes, and underline the significance of maintaining a functional vitamin D signaling in the management of acute ischemic stroke.

β-Catenin is a bifunctional protein participating in both cell adhesion and canonical Wnt signaling. In cell adhesion, it bridges the transmembrane cadherin and the actin-binding protein α-catenin and is essential for adherens junction formation, whereas in canonical Wnt signaling, it shuttles between the cytosol and nucleus and functions as an essential transcriptional activator. Schmidtea mediterranea β-catenin-1 was identified as a determinant of antero-posterior polarity during body regeneration by mediating Wnt signaling. Here we show that S. mediterranea β-catenin-2 is specifically expressed in epithelial cells in the gut and pharynx, where it has a putative role in mediating cell adhesion. We show evidence that planarian β-catenin-1 and -2 have distinct biochemical properties. β-Catenin-1 can interact with the components of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway but not with α-catenin, whereas β-catenin-2 interacts with cell adhesion molecules, including E-cadherin and α-catenin, but not with Wnt signaling components. Consistent with their specific function, β-catenin-1 is a potent transcriptional activator, whereas β-catenin-2 has no transcriptional activity. Protein sequence alignment also indicates that the planarian β-catenin-1 and -2 retain distinct critical residues and motifs, which are in agreement with the differences in their biochemical properties. At last, phylogenetic analysis reveals a probable Platyhelminthes- specific structural and functional segregation from which the monofunctional β-catenins evolved. Our results thus identify the first two monofunctional β-catenins in metazoans.

Sequential generation of neurons and glial cells during development is critical for the wiring and function of the cerebral cortex. This process requires accurate coordination of neural progenitor cell (NPC) fate decisions, by NPC-autonomous mechanisms as well as by negative feedback from neurons. Here, we show that neurogenesis is protracted and gliogenesis decreased in mice with mutations of genes Celsr3 and Fzd3. This phenotype is not due to gene inactivation in progenitors, but rather in immature cortical neurons. Mutant neurons are unable to upregulate expression of Jag1 in response to cortical Wnt7, resulting in blunted activation of Notch signalling in NPC. Thus, Celsr3 and Fzd3 enable immature neurons to respond to Wnt7, upregulate Jag1 and thereby facilitate feedback signals that tune the timing of NPC fate decisions via Notch activation.