Next-Generation Proteomics of Brain Extracellular Vesicles in Schizophrenia Provide New Clues on the Altered Molecular Connectome

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny membranous structures that mediate intercellular communication. The role(s) of these vesicles have been widely investigated in the context of neurological diseases; however, their potential implications in the neuropathology subjacent to human psychiatric disorders remain mostly unknown. Here, by using next-generation discovery-driven proteomics, we investigate the potential role(s) of brain EVs (bEVs) in schizophrenia (SZ) by analyzing these vesicles from the three post-mortem anatomical brain regions: the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HC), and caudate (CAU). The results obtained indicate that bEVs from SZ-affected brains contain region-specific proteins that are associated with abnormal GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission. Similarly, these vesicles from the analyzed regions were implicated in synaptic decay, abnormal brain immunity, neuron structural imbalances, and impaired cell homeostasis. Our findings also provide evidence, for the first time, that networks of molecular exchange (involving the PFC, HC, and CAU) are potentially active and mediated by EVs in non-diseased brains. Additionally, these bEV-mediated networks seem to have become partially reversed and largely disrupted in the brains of subjects affected by SZ. Taken as a whole, these results open the door to the uncovering of new biological markers and therapeutic targets, based on the compositions of bEVs, for the benefit of patients affected by SZ and related psychotic disorders.