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Ji Y, McLean JL, Xu R. Emerging Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Human-Animal Brain Chimeras for Advancing Disease Modeling and Cell Therapy for Neurological Disorders. Neurosci Bull 2024; 40:1315-1332. [PMID: 38466557 PMCID: PMC11365908 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-024-01189-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) models provide unprecedented opportunities to study human neurological disorders by recapitulating human-specific disease mechanisms. In particular, hPSC-based human-animal brain chimeras enable the study of human cell pathophysiology in vivo. In chimeric brains, human neural and immune cells can maintain human-specific features, undergo maturation, and functionally integrate into host brains, allowing scientists to study how human cells impact neural circuits and animal behaviors. The emerging human-animal brain chimeras hold promise for modeling human brain cells and their interactions in health and disease, elucidating the disease mechanism from molecular and cellular to circuit and behavioral levels, and testing the efficacy of cell therapy interventions. Here, we discuss recent advances in the generation and applications of using human-animal chimeric brain models for the study of neurological disorders, including disease modeling and cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanru Ji
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Jenna Lillie McLean
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Ranjie Xu
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
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2
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Tschuck J, Padmanabhan Nair V, Galhoz A, Zaratiegui C, Tai HM, Ciceri G, Rothenaigner I, Tchieu J, Stockwell BR, Studer L, Cabianca DS, Menden MP, Vincendeau M, Hadian K. Suppression of ferroptosis by vitamin A or radical-trapping antioxidants is essential for neuronal development. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7611. [PMID: 39218970 PMCID: PMC11366759 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51996-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The development of functional neurons is a complex orchestration of multiple signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Because the balance of antioxidants is important for neuronal survival and development, we hypothesized that ferroptosis must be suppressed to gain neurons. We find that removal of antioxidants diminishes neuronal development and laminar organization of cortical organoids, which is fully restored when ferroptosis is inhibited by ferrostatin-1 or when neuronal differentiation occurs in the presence of vitamin A. Furthermore, iron-overload-induced developmental growth defects in C. elegans are ameliorated by vitamin E and A. We determine that all-trans retinoic acid activates the Retinoic Acid Receptor, which orchestrates the expression of anti-ferroptotic genes. In contrast, retinal and retinol show radical-trapping antioxidant activity. Together, our study reveals an unexpected function of vitamin A in coordinating the expression of essential cellular gatekeepers of ferroptosis, and demonstrates that suppression of ferroptosis by radical-trapping antioxidants or by vitamin A is required to obtain mature neurons and proper laminar organization in cortical organoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Tschuck
- Research Unit Signaling and Translation, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Vidya Padmanabhan Nair
- Endogenous Retrovirus Group, Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ana Galhoz
- Computational Health Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Carole Zaratiegui
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Hin-Man Tai
- Endogenous Retrovirus Group, Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Gabriele Ciceri
- Developmental Biology and Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ina Rothenaigner
- Research Unit Signaling and Translation, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Jason Tchieu
- Developmental Biology and Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- UC Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Brent R Stockwell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorenz Studer
- Developmental Biology and Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daphne S Cabianca
- Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Michael P Menden
- Computational Health Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Parkville Victoria, Australia
| | - Michelle Vincendeau
- Endogenous Retrovirus Group, Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
- Technical University of Munich, Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany.
| | - Kamyar Hadian
- Research Unit Signaling and Translation, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
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3
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Schuster J, Lu X, Dang Y, Klar J, Wenz A, Dahl N, Chen X. Epigenetic insights into GABAergic development in Dravet Syndrome iPSC and therapeutic implications. eLife 2024; 12:RP92599. [PMID: 39190448 PMCID: PMC11349296 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dravet syndrome (DS) is a devastating early-onset refractory epilepsy syndrome caused by variants in the SCN1A gene. A disturbed GABAergic interneuron function is implicated in the progression to DS but the underlying developmental and pathophysiological mechanisms remain elusive, in particularly at the chromatin level. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from DS cases and healthy donors were used to model disease-associated epigenetic abnormalities of GABAergic development. Chromatin accessibility was assessed at multiple time points (Day 0, Day 19, Day 35, and Day 65) of GABAergic differentiation. Additionally, the effects of the commonly used anti-seizure drug valproic acid (VPA) on chromatin accessibility were elucidated in GABAergic cells. The distinct dynamics in the chromatin profile of DS iPSC predicted accelerated early GABAergic development, evident at D19, and diverged further from the pattern in control iPSC with continued differentiation, indicating a disrupted GABAergic maturation. Exposure to VPA at D65 reshaped the chromatin landscape at a variable extent in different iPSC-lines and rescued the observed dysfunctional development of some DS iPSC-GABA. The comprehensive investigation on the chromatin landscape of GABAergic differentiation in DS-patient iPSC offers valuable insights into the epigenetic dysregulations associated with interneuronal dysfunction in DS. Moreover, the detailed analysis of the chromatin changes induced by VPA in iPSC-GABA holds the potential to improve the development of personalized and targeted anti-epileptic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Schuster
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Xi Lu
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Yonglong Dang
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Joakim Klar
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Amelie Wenz
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Niklas Dahl
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
| | - Xingqi Chen
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University and Science for Life LaboratoryUppsalaSweden
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Kelley KW, Revah O, Gore F, Kaganovsky K, Chen X, Deisseroth K, Pașca SP. Host circuit engagement of human cortical organoids transplanted in rodents. Nat Protoc 2024:10.1038/s41596-024-01029-4. [PMID: 39075308 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-024-01029-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Human neural organoids represent promising models for studying neural function; however, organoids grown in vitro lack certain microenvironments and sensory inputs that are thought to be essential for maturation. The transplantation of patient-derived neural organoids into animal hosts helps overcome some of these limitations and offers an approach for neural organoid maturation and circuit integration. Here, we describe a method for transplanting human stem cell-derived cortical organoids (hCOs) into the somatosensory cortex of newborn rats. The differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into hCOs occurs over 30-60 days, and the transplantation procedure itself requires ~0.5-1 hours per animal. The use of neonatal hosts provides a developmentally appropriate stage for circuit integration and allows the generation and experimental manipulation of a unit of human neural tissue within the cortex of a living animal host. After transplantation, animals can be maintained for hundreds of days, and transplanted hCO growth can be monitored by using brain magnetic resonance imaging. We describe the assessment of human neural circuit function in vivo by monitoring genetically encoded calcium responses and extracellular activity. To demonstrate human neuron-host functional integration, we also describe a procedure for engaging host neural circuits and for modulating animal behavior by using an optogenetic behavioral training paradigm. The transplanted human neurons can then undergo ex vivo characterization across modalities including dendritic morphology reconstruction, single-nucleus transcriptomics, optogenetic manipulation and electrophysiology. This approach may enable the discovery of cellular phenotypes from patient-derived cells and uncover mechanisms that contribute to human brain evolution from previously inaccessible developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin W Kelley
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Omer Revah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Felicity Gore
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Konstantin Kaganovsky
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Karl Deisseroth
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sergiu P Pașca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Stanford Brain Organogenesis, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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5
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Jovanovic VM, Narisu N, Bonnycastle LL, Tharakan R, Mesch KT, Glover HJ, Yan T, Sinha N, Sen C, Castellano D, Yang S, Blivis D, Ryu S, Bennett DF, Rosales-Soto G, Inman J, Ormanoglu P, LeClair CA, Xia M, Schneider M, Hernandez-Ochoa EO, Erdos MR, Simeonov A, Chen S, Singeç I, Collins FS, Doege CA, Tristan CA. Scalable Hypothalamic Arcuate Neuron Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Suitable for Modeling Metabolic and Reproductive Disorders. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.27.601062. [PMID: 39005353 PMCID: PMC11244856 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.27.601062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
The hypothalamus, composed of several nuclei, is essential for maintaining our body's homeostasis. The arcuate nucleus (ARC), located in the mediobasal hypothalamus, contains neuronal populations with eminent roles in energy and glucose homeostasis as well as reproduction. These neuronal populations are of great interest for translational research. To fulfill this promise, we used a robotic cell culture platform to provide a scalable and chemically defined approach for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), somatostatin (SST), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neuronal subpopulations with an ARC-like signature. This robust approach is reproducible across several distinct hPSC lines and exhibits a stepwise induction of key ventral diencephalon and ARC markers in transcriptomic profiling experiments. This is further corroborated by direct comparison to human fetal hypothalamus, and the enriched expression of genes implicated in obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Genome-wide chromatin accessibility profiling by ATAC-seq identified accessible regulatory regions that can be utilized to predict candidate enhancers related to metabolic disorders and hypothalamic development. In depth molecular, cellular, and functional experiments unveiled the responsiveness of the hPSC-derived hypothalamic neurons to hormonal stimuli, such as insulin, neuropeptides including kisspeptin, and incretin mimetic drugs such as Exendin-4, highlighting their potential utility as physiologically relevant cellular models for disease studies. In addition, differential glucose and insulin treatments uncovered adaptability within the generated ARC neurons in the dynamic regulation of POMC and insulin receptors. In summary, the establishment of this model represents a novel, chemically defined, and scalable platform for manufacturing large numbers of hypothalamic arcuate neurons and serves as a valuable resource for modeling metabolic and reproductive disorders.
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Peterman EL, Ploessl DS, Galloway KE. Accelerating Diverse Cell-Based Therapies Through Scalable Design. Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng 2024; 15:267-292. [PMID: 38594944 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-100722-121610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Augmenting cells with novel, genetically encoded functions will support therapies that expand beyond natural capacity for immune surveillance and tissue regeneration. However, engineering cells at scale with transgenic cargoes remains a challenge in realizing the potential of cell-based therapies. In this review, we introduce a range of applications for engineering primary cells and stem cells for cell-based therapies. We highlight tools and advances that have launched mammalian cell engineering from bioproduction to precision editing of therapeutically relevant cells. Additionally, we examine how transgenesis methods and genetic cargo designs can be tailored for performance. Altogether, we offer a vision for accelerating the translation of innovative cell-based therapies by harnessing diverse cell types, integrating the expanding array of synthetic biology tools, and building cellular tools through advanced genome writing techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Peterman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Deon S Ploessl
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Kate E Galloway
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA;
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7
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García-López M, Jiménez-Vicente L, González-Jabardo R, Dorado H, Gómez-Manjón I, Martín MÁ, Ayuso C, Arenas J, Gallardo ME. Creation of an Isogenic Human iPSC-Based RGC Model of Dominant Optic Atrophy Harboring the Pathogenic Variant c.1861C>T (p.Gln621Ter) in the OPA1 Gene. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7240. [PMID: 39000346 PMCID: PMC11242102 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) is a rare progressive disease mainly caused by mutations in OPA1, a nuclear gene encoding for a mitochondrial protein that plays an essential role in mitochondrial dynamics, cell survival, oxidative phosphorylation, and mtDNA maintenance. ADOA is characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). This causes visual loss, which can lead to legal blindness in many cases. Nowadays, there is no effective treatment for ADOA. In this article, we have established an isogenic human RGC model for ADOA using iPSC technology and the genome editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 from a previously generated iPSC line of an ADOA plus patient harboring the pathogenic variant NM_015560.3: c.1861C>T (p.Gln621Ter) in heterozygosis in OPA1. To this end, a protocol based on supplementing the iPSC culture media with several small molecules and defined factors trying to mimic embryonic development has been employed. Subsequently, the created model was validated, confirming the presence of a defect of intergenomic communication, impaired mitochondrial respiration, and an increase in apoptosis and ROS generation. Finally, we propose the analysis of OPA1 expression by qPCR as an easy read-out method to carry out future drug screening studies using the created RGC model. In summary, this model provides a useful platform for further investigation of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of ADOA plus and for testing compounds with potential pharmacological action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta García-López
- Grupo de Investigación Traslacional con Células iPS, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Lydia Jiménez-Vicente
- Grupo de Investigación Traslacional con Células iPS, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel González-Jabardo
- Grupo de Investigación Traslacional con Células iPS, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Helena Dorado
- Grupo de Investigación Traslacional con Células iPS, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Gómez-Manjón
- Servicio de Genética, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Martín
- Servicio de Genética, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Mitocondriales y Neuromusculares, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Ayuso
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Genetics & Genomics, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Arenas
- Laboratorio de Enfermedades Mitocondriales y Neuromusculares, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - María Esther Gallardo
- Grupo de Investigación Traslacional con Células iPS, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
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Chapman G, Determan J, Jetter H, Kaushik K, Prakasam R, Kroll KL. Defining cis-regulatory elements and transcription factors that control human cortical interneuron development. iScience 2024; 27:109967. [PMID: 38827400 PMCID: PMC11140214 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Although human cortical interneurons (cINs) are a minority population in the cerebral cortex, disruption of interneuron development is a frequent contributor to neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we utilized a model for deriving cINs from human embryonic stem cells to profile chromatin state changes and generate an atlas of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) controlling human cIN development. We used these data to define candidate transcription factors (TFs) that may bind these CREs to regulate interneuron progenitor specification. Among these were RFX3 and RFX4, risk genes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with uncharacterized roles in human neuronal development. Using RFX3 and RFX4 knockdown models, we demonstrated new requirements for both genes in interneuron progenitor specification, with RFX3 deficiency causing precocious neuronal differentiation while RFX4 deficiency instead resulted in cessation of progenitor cell proliferation. Together, this work both defined central features of cis-regulatory control and identified new TF requirements for human interneuron development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gareth Chapman
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Julianna Determan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Haley Jetter
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Komal Kaushik
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ramachandran Prakasam
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Kristen L. Kroll
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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9
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Peter M, Shipman S, Heo J, Macklis JD. Limitations of fluorescent timer protein maturation kinetics to isolate transcriptionally synchronized human neural progenitor cells. iScience 2024; 27:109911. [PMID: 38784012 PMCID: PMC11111830 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into subtype-specific neurons holds substantial potential for disease modeling in vitro. For successful differentiation, a detailed understanding of the transcriptional networks regulating cell fate decisions is critical. The heterochronic nature of neurodevelopment, during which distinct cells in the brain and during in vitro differentiation acquire their fates in an unsynchronized manner, hinders pooled transcriptional comparisons. One approach is to "translate" chronologic time into linear developmental and maturational time. Simple binary promotor-driven fluorescent proteins (FPs) to pool similar cells are unable to achieve this goal, due to asynchronous promotor onset in individual cells. We tested five fluorescent timer (FT) molecules expressed from the endogenous paired box 6 (PAX6) promoter in 293T and human hPSCs. Each of these FT systems faithfully reported chronologic time in 293T cells, but none of the FT constructs followed the same fluorescence kinetics in human neural progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Peter
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seth Shipman
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jaewon Heo
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Macklis
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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10
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Bansal P, Banda EC, Glatt-Deeley HR, Stoddard CE, Linsley JW, Arora N, Deleschaux C, Ahern DT, Kondaveeti Y, Massey RE, Nicouleau M, Wang S, Sabariego-Navarro M, Dierssen M, Finkbeiner S, Pinter SF. A dynamic in vitro model of Down syndrome neurogenesis with trisomy 21 gene dosage correction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadj0385. [PMID: 38848354 PMCID: PMC11160455 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj0385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Excess gene dosage from chromosome 21 (chr21) causes Down syndrome (DS), spanning developmental and acute phenotypes in terminal cell types. Which phenotypes remain amenable to intervention after development is unknown. To address this question in a model of DS neurogenesis, we derived trisomy 21 (T21) human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) alongside, otherwise, isogenic euploid controls from mosaic DS fibroblasts and equipped one chr21 copy with an inducible XIST transgene. Monoallelic chr21 silencing by XIST is near-complete and irreversible in iPSCs. Differential expression reveals that T21 neural lineages and iPSCs share suppressed translation and mitochondrial pathways and activate cellular stress responses. When XIST is induced before the neural progenitor stage, T21 dosage correction suppresses a pronounced skew toward astrogenesis in neural differentiation. Because our transgene remains inducible in postmitotic T21 neurons and astrocytes, we demonstrate that XIST efficiently represses genes even after terminal differentiation, which will empower exploration of cell type-specific T21 phenotypes that remain responsive to chr21 dosage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakhar Bansal
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Developmental Biology, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Erin C. Banda
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Heather R. Glatt-Deeley
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Christopher E. Stoddard
- Cell and Genome Engineering Core, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Jeremy W. Linsley
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Taube/Koret Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Neha Arora
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cécile Deleschaux
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Darcy T. Ahern
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Developmental Biology, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Yuvabharath Kondaveeti
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Rachael E. Massey
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Developmental Biology, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Michael Nicouleau
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Shijie Wang
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Miguel Sabariego-Navarro
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mara Dierssen
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Human Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Neurosciences Research Program, Hospital Del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain
| | - Steven Finkbeiner
- Center for Systems and Therapeutics, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Taube/Koret Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Neuroscience and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stefan F. Pinter
- Graduate Program in Genetics and Developmental Biology, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, UCONN Health, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, USA
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Pottmeier P, Nikolantonaki D, Lanner F, Peuckert C, Jazin E. Sex-biased gene expression during neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1341373. [PMID: 38764741 PMCID: PMC11101176 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1341373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in the developing human brain are primarily attributed to hormonal influence. Recently however, genetic differences and their impact on the developing nervous system have attracted increased attention. To understand genetically driven sexual dimorphisms in neurodevelopment, we investigated genome-wide gene expression in an in vitro differentiation model of male and female human embryonic stem cell lines (hESC), independent of the effects of human sex hormones. Four male and four female-derived hESC lines were differentiated into a population of mixed neurons over 37 days. Differential gene expression and gene set enrichment analyses were conducted on bulk RNA sequencing data. While similar differentiation tendencies in all cell lines demonstrated the robustness and reproducibility of our differentiation protocol, we found sex-biased gene expression already in undifferentiated ESCs at day 0, but most profoundly after 37 days of differentiation. Male and female cell lines exhibited sex-biased expression of genes involved in neurodevelopment, suggesting that sex influences the differentiation trajectory. Interestingly, the highest contribution to sex differences was found to arise from the male transcriptome, involving both Y chromosome and autosomal genes. We propose 13 sex-biased candidate genes (10 upregulated in male cell lines and 3 in female lines) that are likely to affect neuronal development. Additionally, we confirmed gene dosage compensation of X/Y homologs escaping X chromosome inactivation through their Y homologs and identified a significant overexpression of the Y-linked demethylase UTY and KDM5D in male hESC during neuron development, confirming previous results in neural stem cells. Our results suggest that genetic sex differences affect neuronal differentiation trajectories, which could ultimately contribute to sex biases during human brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Pottmeier
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Danai Nikolantonaki
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Lanner
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christiane Peuckert
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- The Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elena Jazin
- Department of Organismal Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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12
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Choe MS, Yeo HC, Kim JS, Lee J, Lee HJ, Kim HR, Baek KM, Jung NY, Choi M, Lee MY. Simple modeling of familial Alzheimer's disease using human pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoid technology. Stem Cell Res Ther 2024; 15:118. [PMID: 38659053 PMCID: PMC11040922 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03732-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cerebral organoids (COs) are the most advanced in vitro models that resemble the human brain. The use of COs as a model for Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as other brain diseases, has recently gained attention. This study aimed to develop a human AD CO model using normal human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that recapitulates the pathological phenotypes of AD and to determine the usefulness of this model for drug screening. METHODS We established AD hPSC lines from normal hPSCs by introducing genes that harbor familial AD mutations, and the COs were generated using these hPSC lines. The pathological features of AD, including extensive amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, tauopathy, and neurodegeneration, were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Amylo-Glo staining, thioflavin-S staining, immunohistochemistry, Bielschowsky's staining, and western blot analysis. RESULTS The AD COs exhibited extensive Aβ accumulation. The levels of paired helical filament tau and neurofibrillary tangle-like silver deposits were highly increased in the AD COs. The number of cells immunoreactive for cleaved caspase-3 was significantly increased in the AD COs. In addition, treatment of AD COs with BACE1 inhibitor IV, a β-secretase inhibitor, and compound E, a γ-secretase inhibitor, significantly attenuated the AD pathological features. CONCLUSION Our model effectively recapitulates AD pathology. Hence, it is a valuable platform for understanding the mechanisms underlying AD pathogenesis and can be used to test the efficacy of anti-AD drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu Seog Choe
- Department of Molecular Physiology, College of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vessel-Organ Interaction Research Center (VOICE, MRC), Kyungpook National University, 41566, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Han Cheol Yeo
- Department of Molecular Physiology, College of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vessel-Organ Interaction Research Center (VOICE, MRC), Kyungpook National University, 41566, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Joong Sun Kim
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, 61186, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jean Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae Jun Lee
- Division of Radiation Biomedical Research, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences (KIRAMS), 01812, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung-Ryong Kim
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Dentistry, Jeonbuk National University, 54896, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Min Baek
- Department of Cardiovascular and Neurologic Disease, College of Oriental Medicine, Daegu Haany University, 42158, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Na-Yeon Jung
- Department of Neurology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, 50612, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Murim Choi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Min Young Lee
- Department of Molecular Physiology, College of Pharmacy, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vessel-Organ Interaction Research Center (VOICE, MRC), Kyungpook National University, 41566, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
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13
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Christiansen JR, Kirkeby A. Clinical translation of pluripotent stem cell-based therapies: successes and challenges. Development 2024; 151:dev202067. [PMID: 38564308 PMCID: PMC11057818 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The translational stem cell research field has progressed immensely in the past decade. Development and refinement of differentiation protocols now allows the generation of a range of cell types, such as pancreatic β-cells and dopaminergic neurons, from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in an efficient and good manufacturing practice-compliant fashion. This has led to the initiation of several clinical trials using hPSC-derived cells to replace lost or dysfunctional cells, demonstrating evidence of both safety and efficacy. Here, we highlight successes from some of the hPSC-based trials reporting early signs of efficacy and discuss common challenges in clinical translation of cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Rågård Christiansen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Agnete Kirkeby
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
- Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
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14
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Damiani D, Baggiani M, Della Vecchia S, Naef V, Santorelli FM. Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Preclinical Cellular Model for Studying Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2615. [PMID: 38473862 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25052615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) comprise a family of degenerative diseases mostly hitting descending axons of corticospinal neurons. Depending on the gene and mutation involved, the disease could present as a pure form with limb spasticity, or a complex form associated with cerebellar and/or cortical signs such as ataxia, dysarthria, epilepsy, and intellectual disability. The progressive nature of HSPs invariably leads patients to require walking canes or wheelchairs over time. Despite several attempts to ameliorate the life quality of patients that have been tested, current therapeutical approaches are just symptomatic, as no cure is available. Progress in research in the last two decades has identified a vast number of genes involved in HSP etiology, using cellular and animal models generated on purpose. Although unanimously considered invaluable tools for basic research, those systems are rarely predictive for the establishment of a therapeutic approach. The advent of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells allowed instead the direct study of morphological and molecular properties of the patient's affected neurons generated upon in vitro differentiation. In this review, we revisited all the present literature recently published regarding the use of iPS cells to differentiate HSP patient-specific neurons. Most studies have defined patient-derived neurons as a reliable model to faithfully mimic HSP in vitro, discovering original findings through immunological and -omics approaches, and providing a platform to screen novel or repurposed drugs. Thereby, one of the biggest hopes of current HSP research regards the use of patient-derived iPS cells to expand basic knowledge on the disease, while simultaneously establishing new therapeutic treatments for both generalized and personalized approaches in daily medical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devid Damiani
- Molecular Medicine for Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56128 Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Baggiani
- Molecular Medicine for Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56128 Pisa, Italy
| | - Stefania Della Vecchia
- Molecular Medicine for Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56128 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Valentina Naef
- Molecular Medicine for Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56128 Pisa, Italy
| | - Filippo Maria Santorelli
- Molecular Medicine for Neurodegenerative and Neuromuscular Diseases Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Via dei Giacinti 2, 56128 Pisa, Italy
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15
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Vacharasin JM, Ward JA, McCord MM, Cox K, Imitola J, Lizarraga SB. Neuroimmune mechanisms in autism etiology - untangling a complex problem using human cellular models. OXFORD OPEN NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 3:kvae003. [PMID: 38665176 PMCID: PMC11044813 DOI: 10.1093/oons/kvae003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 36 people and is more often diagnosed in males than in females. Core features of ASD are impaired social interactions, repetitive behaviors and deficits in verbal communication. ASD is a highly heterogeneous and heritable disorder, yet its underlying genetic causes account only for up to 80% of the cases. Hence, a subset of ASD cases could be influenced by environmental risk factors. Maternal immune activation (MIA) is a response to inflammation during pregnancy, which can lead to increased inflammatory signals to the fetus. Inflammatory signals can cross the placenta and blood brain barriers affecting fetal brain development. Epidemiological and animal studies suggest that MIA could contribute to ASD etiology. However, human mechanistic studies have been hindered by a lack of experimental systems that could replicate the impact of MIA during fetal development. Therefore, mechanisms altered by inflammation during human pre-natal brain development, and that could underlie ASD pathogenesis have been largely understudied. The advent of human cellular models with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and organoid technology is closing this gap in knowledge by providing both access to molecular manipulations and culturing capability of tissue that would be otherwise inaccessible. We present an overview of multiple levels of evidence from clinical, epidemiological, and cellular studies that provide a potential link between higher ASD risk and inflammation. More importantly, we discuss how stem cell-derived models may constitute an ideal experimental system to mechanistically interrogate the effect of inflammation during the early stages of brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janay M Vacharasin
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Center for Childhood Neurotherapeutics, Univ. of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Francis Marion University, 4822 East Palmetto Street, Florence, S.C. 29506, USA
| | - Joseph A Ward
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, & Biochemistry, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Carney Institute of Brain Science, Brown University, 70 Ship Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Mikayla M McCord
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Center for Childhood Neurotherapeutics, Univ. of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Kaitlin Cox
- Department of Biological Sciences, and Center for Childhood Neurotherapeutics, Univ. of South Carolina, 715 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Jaime Imitola
- Laboratory of Neural Stem Cells and Functional Neurogenetics, UConn Health, Departments of Neuroscience, Neurology, Genetics and Genome Sciences, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-5357, USA
| | - Sofia B Lizarraga
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, & Biochemistry, Brown University, 185 Meeting Street, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Center for Translational Neuroscience, Carney Institute of Brain Science, Brown University, 70 Ship Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA
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16
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Ciceri G, Baggiolini A, Cho HS, Kshirsagar M, Benito-Kwiecinski S, Walsh RM, Aromolaran KA, Gonzalez-Hernandez AJ, Munguba H, Koo SY, Xu N, Sevilla KJ, Goldstein PA, Levitz J, Leslie CS, Koche RP, Studer L. An epigenetic barrier sets the timing of human neuronal maturation. Nature 2024; 626:881-890. [PMID: 38297124 PMCID: PMC10881400 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06984-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
The pace of human brain development is highly protracted compared with most other species1-7. The maturation of cortical neurons is particularly slow, taking months to years to develop adult functions3-5. Remarkably, such protracted timing is retained in cortical neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) during in vitro differentiation or upon transplantation into the mouse brain4,8,9. Those findings suggest the presence of a cell-intrinsic clock setting the pace of neuronal maturation, although the molecular nature of this clock remains unknown. Here we identify an epigenetic developmental programme that sets the timing of human neuronal maturation. First, we developed a hPSC-based approach to synchronize the birth of cortical neurons in vitro which enabled us to define an atlas of morphological, functional and molecular maturation. We observed a slow unfolding of maturation programmes, limited by the retention of specific epigenetic factors. Loss of function of several of those factors in cortical neurons enables precocious maturation. Transient inhibition of EZH2, EHMT1 and EHMT2 or DOT1L, at progenitor stage primes newly born neurons to rapidly acquire mature properties upon differentiation. Thus our findings reveal that the rate at which human neurons mature is set well before neurogenesis through the establishment of an epigenetic barrier in progenitor cells. Mechanistically, this barrier holds transcriptional maturation programmes in a poised state that is gradually released to ensure the prolonged timeline of human cortical neuron maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Ciceri
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Arianna Baggiolini
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), Bellinzona Institutes of Science (BIOS+), Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Hyein S Cho
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Meghana Kshirsagar
- Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Microsoft AI for Good Research, Redmond, WA, USA
| | - Silvia Benito-Kwiecinski
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ryan M Walsh
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Hermany Munguba
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - So Yeon Koo
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Neuroscience PhD Program, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nan Xu
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Louis V. Gerstner Jr Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kaylin J Sevilla
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter A Goldstein
- Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joshua Levitz
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christina S Leslie
- Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard P Koche
- Center for Epigenetics Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorenz Studer
- The Center for Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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17
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Beltran AS. Novel Approaches to Studying SLC13A5 Disease. Metabolites 2024; 14:84. [PMID: 38392976 PMCID: PMC10890222 DOI: 10.3390/metabo14020084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of the sodium citrate transporter (NaCT) SLC13A5 is multifaceted and context-dependent. While aberrant dysfunction leads to neonatal epilepsy, its therapeutic inhibition protects against metabolic disease. Notably, insights regarding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena are limited due to the intricacy and complexity of the latent human physiology, which is poorly captured by existing animal models. This review explores innovative technologies aimed at bridging such a knowledge gap. First, I provide an overview of SLC13A5 variants in the context of human disease and the specific cell types where the expression of the transporter has been observed. Next, I discuss current technologies for generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their inherent advantages and limitations, followed by a summary of the methods for differentiating iPSCs into neurons, hepatocytes, and organoids. Finally, I explore the relevance of these cellular models as platforms for delving into the intricate molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying SLC13A5-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana S Beltran
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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18
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Wallace JL, Pollen AA. Human neuronal maturation comes of age: cellular mechanisms and species differences. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:7-29. [PMID: 37996703 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00760-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
The delayed and prolonged postmitotic maturation of human neurons, compared with neurons from other species, may contribute to human-specific cognitive abilities and neurological disorders. Here we review the mechanisms of neuronal maturation, applying lessons from model systems to understand the specific features of protracted human cortical maturation and species differences. We cover cell-intrinsic features of neuronal maturation, including transcriptional, epigenetic and metabolic mechanisms, as well as cell-extrinsic features, including the roles of activity and synapses, the actions of glial cells and the contribution of the extracellular matrix. We discuss evidence for species differences in biochemical reaction rates, the proposed existence of an epigenetic maturation clock and the contributions of both general and modular mechanisms to species-specific maturation timing. Finally, we suggest approaches to measure, improve and accelerate the maturation of human neurons in culture, examine crosstalk and interactions among these different aspects of maturation and propose conceptual models to guide future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenelle L Wallace
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Alex A Pollen
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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19
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Southwell DG. Interneuron Transplantation for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy. Neurosurg Clin N Am 2024; 35:151-160. [PMID: 38000838 DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2023.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Current epilepsy surgical techniques, such as brain resection, laser ablation, and neurostimulation, target seizure networks macroscopically, and they may yield an unfavorable balance between seizure reduction, procedural invasiveness, and neurologic morbidity. The transplantation of GABAergic interneurons is a regenerative technique for altering neural inhibition in cortical circuits, with potential as an alternative and minimally invasive approach to epilepsy treatment. This article (1) reviews some of the preclinical evidence supporting interneuron transplantation as an epilepsy therapy, (2) describes a first-in-human study of interneuron transplantation for epilepsy, and (3) considers knowledge gaps that stand before the effective clinical application of this novel treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek G Southwell
- Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate Program in Neurobiology, Duke University, DUMC 3807, 200 Trent Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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20
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Royston HN, Hampton AB, Bhagat D, Pinto EF, Emerson MD, Funato K. A human embryonic stem cell-based model reveals the cell of origin of FOXR2-activated CNS neuroblastoma. Neurooncol Adv 2024; 6:vdae144. [PMID: 39220247 PMCID: PMC11364937 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdae144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background FOXR2-activated central nervous system (CNS) neuroblastoma (CNS NB-FOXR2) is a recently identified subtype of brain tumor characterized by the elevated expression of the transcription factor FOXR2 mainly due to genomic rearrangements. However, the precise pathogenic mechanisms, including the cell type of origin, remain elusive. Methods A gene expression analysis of patient tumors was performed to identify putative cell types of origin. Based on this prediction, a new human embryonic stem cell-based model was developed to validate the origin and to examine the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the formation of CNS NB-FOXR2. Results Our data showed that CNS NB-FOXR2 tumors express a high level of lineage marker genes associated with the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE), a transient structure located in the developing ventral forebrain. Our model confirmed the cell-type-specific effect of FOXR2 on the proliferation and in vivo tumorigenicity. Additionally, we found that FOXR2 overexpression activated the MEK/ERK signaling pathway through a suppression of the endogenous RAS inhibitor DIRAS3. The MEK inhibitor trametinib suppressed the proliferation of FOXR2-expressing MGE progenitors more than nonexpressing cells. Conclusions Our study collectively demonstrates that MGE progenitors are the cell of origin of CNS NB-FOXR2 and that FOXR2 activates the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, providing a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitomi N Royston
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Autumn B Hampton
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Dhruv Bhagat
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Evonne F Pinto
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Miriam D Emerson
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kosuke Funato
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
- Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
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21
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Ni P, Fan L, Jiang Y, Zhou C, Chung S. From cells to insights: the power of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical interneurons in psychiatric disorder modeling. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1336085. [PMID: 38188058 PMCID: PMC10768008 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1336085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), represent a global health challenge with their poorly understood and complex etiologies. Cortical interneurons (cINs) are the primary inhibitory neurons in the cortex and their subtypes, especially those that are generated from the medial ganglionic emission (MGE) region, have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of these psychiatric disorders. Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies provide exciting opportunities to model and study these disorders using human iPSC-derived cINs. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of various methods employed to generate MGE-type cINs from human iPSCs, which are mainly categorized into induction by signaling molecules vs. direct genetic manipulation. We discuss their advantages, limitations, and potential applications in psychiatric disorder modeling to aid researchers in choosing the appropriate methods based on their research goals. We also provide examples of how these methods have been applied to study the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. In addition, we discuss ongoing challenges and future directions in the field. Overall, iPSC-derived cINs provide a powerful tool to model the developmental pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, thus aiding in uncovering disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. This review article will provide valuable resources for researchers seeking to navigate the complexities of cIN generation methods and their applications in the study of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyan Ni
- Department of Neurobiology, Affiliated Mental Health Center and Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingyi Fan
- The Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Youhui Jiang
- The Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chuqing Zhou
- The Mental Health Center and Psychiatric Laboratory, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Sangmi Chung
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, United States
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22
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Bershteyn M, Bröer S, Parekh M, Maury Y, Havlicek S, Kriks S, Fuentealba L, Lee S, Zhou R, Subramanyam G, Sezan M, Sevilla ES, Blankenberger W, Spatazza J, Zhou L, Nethercott H, Traver D, Hampel P, Kim H, Watson M, Salter N, Nesterova A, Au W, Kriegstein A, Alvarez-Buylla A, Rubenstein J, Banik G, Bulfone A, Priest C, Nicholas CR. Human pallial MGE-type GABAergic interneuron cell therapy for chronic focal epilepsy. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:1331-1350.e11. [PMID: 37802038 PMCID: PMC10993865 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is the most common focal epilepsy. One-third of patients have drug-refractory seizures and are left with suboptimal therapeutic options such as brain tissue-destructive surgery. Here, we report the development and characterization of a cell therapy alternative for drug-resistant MTLE, which is derived from a human embryonic stem cell line and comprises cryopreserved, post-mitotic, medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) pallial-type GABAergic interneurons. Single-dose intrahippocampal delivery of the interneurons in a mouse model of chronic MTLE resulted in consistent mesiotemporal seizure suppression, with most animals becoming seizure-free and surviving longer. The grafted interneurons dispersed locally, functionally integrated, persisted long term, and significantly reduced dentate granule cell dispersion, a pathological hallmark of MTLE. These disease-modifying effects were dose-dependent, with a broad therapeutic range. No adverse effects were observed. These findings support an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT05135091) for drug-resistant MTLE.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sonja Bröer
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Mansi Parekh
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Yves Maury
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Steven Havlicek
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Sonja Kriks
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Luis Fuentealba
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Seonok Lee
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Robin Zhou
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Meliz Sezan
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | | | - Julien Spatazza
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Li Zhou
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | | | - David Traver
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Philip Hampel
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Hannah Kim
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Michael Watson
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Naomi Salter
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | - Wai Au
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Arnold Kriegstein
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Arturo Alvarez-Buylla
- The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - John Rubenstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Gautam Banik
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | | | | | - Cory R Nicholas
- Neurona Therapeutics Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
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23
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Peter M, Shipman S, Macklis JD. Limitations of fluorescent timer protein maturation kinetics to isolate transcriptionally synchronized cortically differentiating human pluripotent stem cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.04.552012. [PMID: 37609140 PMCID: PMC10441295 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.04.552012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) into distinct neuronal populations holds substantial potential for disease modeling in vitro, toward both elucidation of pathobiological mechanisms and screening of potential therapeutic agents. For successful differentiation of hPSCs into subtype-specific neurons using in vitro protocols, detailed understanding of the transcriptional networks and their dynamic programs regulating endogenous cell fate decisions is critical. One major roadblock is the heterochronic nature of neurodevelopment, during which distinct cells and cell types in the brain and during in vitro differentiation mature and acquire their fates in an unsynchronized manner, hindering pooled transcriptional comparisons. One potential approach is to "translate" chronologic time into linear developmental and maturational time. Attempts to partially achieve this using simple binary promotor-driven fluorescent proteins (FPs) to pool similar cells have not been able to achieve this goal, due to asynchrony of promotor onset in individual cells. Toward solving this, we generated and tested a range of knock-in hPSC lines that express five distinct dual FP timer systems or single time-resolved fluorescent timer (FT) molecules, either in 293T cells or in human hPSCs driving expression from the endogenous paired box 6 (PAX6) promoter of cerebral cortex progenitors. While each of these dual FP or FT systems faithfully reported chronologic time when expressed from a strong inducible promoter in 293T cells, none of the tested FP/FT constructs followed the same fluorescence kinetics in developing human neural progenitor cells, and were unsuccessful in identification and isolation of distinct, developmentally synchronized cortical progenitor populations based on ratiometric fluorescence. This work highlights unique and often surprising expression kinetics and regulation in specific cell types differentiating from hPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Peter
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seth Shipman
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Current Address: Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, and Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Macklis
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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24
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Hong H, Yoon SB, Park JE, Lee JI, Kim HY, Nam HJ, Cho H. MeCP2 dysfunction prevents proper BMP signaling and neural progenitor expansion in brain organoid. Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2023. [PMID: 37302988 DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Sporadic mutations in MeCP2 are a hallmark of Rett syndrome (RTT). Many RTT brain organoid models have exhibited pathogenic phenotypes such as decreased spine density and small size of soma with altered electrophysiological signals. However, previous models are mainly focused on the phenotypes observed in the late phase and rarely provide clues for the defect of neural progenitors which generate different types of neurons and glial cells. METHODS We newly established the RTT brain organoid model derived from MeCP2-truncated iPS cells which were genetically engineered by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. By immunofluorescence imaging, we studied the development of NPC pool and its fate specification into glutamatergic neurons or astrocytes in RTT organoids. By total RNA sequencing, we investigated which signaling pathways were altered during the early brain development in RTT organoids. RESULTS Dysfunction of MeCP2 caused the defect of neural rosette formation in the early phase of cortical development. In total transcriptome analysis, BMP pathway-related genes are highly associated with MeCP2 depletion. Moreover, levels of pSMAD1/5 and BMP target genes are excessively increased, and treatment of BMP inhibitors partially rescues the cell cycle progression of neural progenitors. Subsequently, MeCP2 dysfunction reduced the glutamatergic neurogenesis and induced overproduction of astrocytes. Nevertheless, early inhibition of BMP pathway rescued VGLUT1 expression and suppressed astrocyte maturation. INTERPRETATION Our results demonstrate that MeCP2 is required for the expansion of neural progenitor cells by modulating BMP pathway at early stages of development, and this influence persists during neurogenesis and gliogenesis at later stages of brain organoid development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyowon Hong
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sae-Bom Yoon
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Eun Park
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung In Lee
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Young Kim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Jin Nam
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Heeyeong Cho
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
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25
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Cao SY, Tao MD, Lou SN, Yang D, Lin YH, Wu HY, Chang L, Luo CX, Xu Y, Liu Y, Zhu DY. Functional reconstruction of the impaired cortex and motor function by hMGEOs transplantation in stroke. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 671:87-95. [PMID: 37300945 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Stroke is the leading cause of death and long-term disability worldwide. But treatments are not available to promote functional recovery, and efficient therapies need to be investigated. Stem cell-based therapies hold great promise as potential technologies to restore function in brain disorders. Loss of GABAergic interneurons after stroke may result in sensorimotor defects. Here, by transplanting human brain organoids resembling the MGE domain (human MGE organoids, hMGEOs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into the infarcted cortex of stroke mice, we found that grafted hMGEOs survived well and primarily differentiated into GABAergic interneurons and significantly restored the sensorimotor deficits of stroke mice for a long time. Our study offers the feasibility of stem cell replacement therapeutics strategy for stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Ying Cao
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Meng-Dan Tao
- Institution of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Shu-Ning Lou
- Institution of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Di Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yu-Hui Lin
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Hai-Yin Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Lei Chang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Chun-Xia Luo
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
| | - Yun Xu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University, Medical School, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Institution of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
| | - Dong-Ya Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China; Institution of Stem Cells and Neuroregeneration, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China.
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26
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Amin ND, Kelley KW, Hao J, Miura Y, Narazaki G, Li T, McQueen P, Kulkarni S, Pavlov S, Paşca SP. Generating human neural diversity with a multiplexed morphogen screen in organoids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.31.541819. [PMID: 37398073 PMCID: PMC10312596 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.31.541819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Morphogens choreograph the generation of remarkable cellular diversity in the developing nervous system. Differentiation of stem cells toward particular neural cell fates in vitro often relies upon combinatorial modulation of these signaling pathways. However, the lack of a systematic approach to understand morphogen-directed differentiation has precluded the generation of many neural cell populations, and knowledge of the general principles of regional specification remain in-complete. Here, we developed an arrayed screen of 14 morphogen modulators in human neural organoids cultured for over 70 days. Leveraging advances in multiplexed RNA sequencing technology and annotated single cell references of the human fetal brain we discovered that this screening approach generated considerable regional and cell type diversity across the neural axis. By deconvoluting morphogen-cell type relationships, we extracted design principles of brain region specification, including critical morphogen timing windows and combinatorics yielding an array of neurons with distinct neuro-transmitter identities. Tuning GABAergic neural subtype diversity unexpectedly led to the derivation of primate-specific interneurons. Taken together, this serves as a platform towards an in vitro morphogen atlas of human neural cell differentiation that will bring insights into human development, evolution, and disease.
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27
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Chen HJC, Mazzaferro S, Tian T, Mali I, Merkle FT. Differentiation, Transcriptomic Profiling, and Calcium Imaging of Human Hypothalamic Neurons. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e786. [PMID: 37272700 PMCID: PMC7614736 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the hypothalamus orchestrate homeostatic physiological processes and behaviors essential for life. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can be differentiated into many types of hypothalamic neurons, progenitors, and glia. This updated unit includes published studies and protocols with new advances in the differentiation, maturation, and interrogation by transcriptomic profiling and calcium imaging of human hypothalamic cell populations. Specifically, new methods to freeze and thaw hypothalamic progenitors after they have been patterned and before substantial neurogenesis has occurred are provided that will facilitate experimental flexibility and planning. Also included are updated recipes and protocols for neuronal maturation, with details on the equipment and methods for examining their transcriptomic response and cell-autonomous properties in culture in the presence of synaptic blockers. Together, these protocols facilitate the adoption and use of this model system for fundamental biological discovery and therapeutic translation to human diseases such as obesity, diabetes, sleep disorders, infertility, and chronic stress. © 2023 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: hPSC maintenance Basic Protocol 2: Hypothalamic neuron differentiation Support Protocol 1: Cortical neuron (control) differentiation Basic Protocol 3: Neuronal maturation Support Protocol 2: Cryopreservation and thawing of neuronal progenitors Support Protocol 3: Quality control: Confirmation of hypothalamic patterning and neurogenesis Support Protocol 4: Bulk RNA sequencing of hypothalamic cultures Basic Protocol 4: Calcium imaging of hypothalamic neurons using Fura-2 AM Alternate Protocol: Calcium imaging of green fluorescent hypothalamic neurons using Rhod-3 AM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Jou Cortina Chen
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simone Mazzaferro
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tian Tian
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Iman Mali
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Florian T. Merkle
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust–Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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28
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Watson LA, Meharena HS. From neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration: utilizing human stem cell models to gain insight into Down syndrome. Front Genet 2023; 14:1198129. [PMID: 37323671 PMCID: PMC10267712 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1198129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome (DS), caused by triplication of chromosome 21, is the most frequent aneuploidy observed in the human population and represents the most common genetic form of intellectual disability and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). Individuals with DS exhibit a wide spectrum of clinical presentation, with a number of organs implicated including the neurological, immune, musculoskeletal, cardiac, and gastrointestinal systems. Decades of DS research have illuminated our understanding of the disorder, however many of the features that limit quality of life and independence of individuals with DS, including intellectual disability and early-onset dementia, remain poorly understood. This lack of knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to neurological features of DS has caused significant roadblocks in developing effective therapeutic strategies to improve quality of life for individuals with DS. Recent technological advances in human stem cell culture methods, genome editing approaches, and single-cell transcriptomics have provided paradigm-shifting insights into complex neurological diseases such as DS. Here, we review novel neurological disease modeling approaches, how they have been used to study DS, and what questions might be addressed in the future using these innovative tools.
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29
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Temple S. Advancing cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:512-529. [PMID: 37084729 PMCID: PMC10201979 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies are being developed for various neurodegenerative diseases that affect the central nervous system (CNS). Concomitantly, the roles of individual cell types in neurodegenerative pathology are being uncovered by genetic and single-cell studies. With a greater understanding of cellular contributions to health and disease and with the arrival of promising approaches to modulate them, effective therapeutic cell products are now emerging. This review examines how the ability to generate diverse CNS cell types from stem cells, along with a deeper understanding of cell-type-specific functions and pathology, is advancing preclinical development of cell products for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally Temple
- Neural Stem Cell Institute, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
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30
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Keefe F, Monzón-Sandoval J, Rosser AE, Webber C, Li M. Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals Conserved Regulatory Networks in Human and Mouse Interneuron Development. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:8122. [PMID: 37175835 PMCID: PMC10179417 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory GABAergic interneurons originate in the embryonic medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) and control network activity in the neocortex. Dysfunction of these cells is believed to lead to runaway excitation underlying seizure-based neurological disorders such as epilepsy, autism, and schizophrenia. Despite their importance in heath and disease, our knowledge about the development of this diverse neuronal population remains incomplete. Here we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of human foetal MGE from 10 to 15 weeks post conception. These MGE tissues are composed of largely cycling progenitors and immature post-mitotic interneurons with characteristic regional marker expression. Analysis of integrated human and mouse MGE data revealed species-conserved transcriptomic profiles and regulatory programs. Moreover, we identified novel candidate transcription regulators for human interneuron differentiation. These findings provide a framework for in vitro modelling of interneuron development and a strategy for potentially enhancing interneuron production from human pluripotent stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Keefe
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | | | - Anne E. Rosser
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Caleb Webber
- UK Dementia Research Institute Cardiff, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Meng Li
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Division of Neuroscience, School of Bioscience, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
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31
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Righes Marafiga J, Baraban SC. Cell therapy for neurological disorders: Progress towards an embryonic medial ganglionic eminence progenitor-based treatment. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1177678. [PMID: 37123353 PMCID: PMC10140420 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1177678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Impairment of development, migration, or function of inhibitory interneurons are key features of numerous circuit-based neurological disorders, such as epilepsy. From a therapeutic perspective, symptomatic treatment of these disorders often relies upon drugs or deep brain stimulation approaches to provide a general enhancement of GABA-mediated inhibition. A more effective strategy to target these pathological circuits and potentially provide true disease-modifying therapy, would be to selectively add new inhibitory interneurons into these circuits. One such strategy, using embryonic medial ganglionic (MGE) progenitor cells as a source of a unique sub-population of interneurons, has already proven effective as a cell transplantation therapy in a variety of preclinical models of neurological disorders, especially in mouse models of acquired epilepsy. Here we will discuss the evolution of this interneuron-based transplantation therapy in acquired epilepsy models, with an emphasis on the recent adaptation of MGE progenitor cells for xenotransplantation into larger mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseane Righes Marafiga
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Scott C. Baraban
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Helen Wills Institute for Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
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32
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Hong Y, Yang Q, Song H, Ming GL. Opportunities and limitations for studying neuropsychiatric disorders using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1430-1439. [PMID: 36782062 PMCID: PMC10213114 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01990-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric disorders affect a large proportion of the global population and there is an urgent need to understand the pathogenesis and to develop novel and improved treatments of these devastating disorders. However, the diverse symptomatology combined with complex polygenic etiology, and the limited access to disorder-relevant cell types in human brains represent a major obstacle for mechanistic disease research. Conventional animal models, such as rodents, are limited by inherent species differences in brain development, architecture, and function. Advances in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) technologies have provided platforms for new discoveries in neuropsychiatric disorders. First, hiPSC-based disease models enable unprecedented investigation of psychiatric disorders at the molecular, cellular, and structural levels. Second, hiPSCs derived from patients with known genetics, symptoms, and drug response profiles offer an opportunity to recapitulate pathogenesis in relevant cell types and provide novel approaches for understanding disease mechanisms and for developing effective treatments. Third, genome-editing technologies have extended the potential of hiPSCs for generating models to elucidate the genetic basis of rare monogenetic and complex polygenic psychiatric disorders and to establish the causality between genotype and phenotype. Here we review opportunities and limitations for studying psychiatric disorders using various hiPSC-derived model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Hong
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Qian Yang
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hongjun Song
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- The Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Guo-Li Ming
- Department of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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33
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Berg LJ, Brüstle O. Stem cell programming - prospects for perinatal medicine. J Perinat Med 2023:jpm-2022-0575. [PMID: 36809086 DOI: 10.1515/jpm-2022-0575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
Recreating human cell and organ systems in vitro has tremendous potential for disease modeling, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. The aim of this short overview is to recapitulate the impressive progress that has been made in the fast-developing field of cell programming during the past years, to illuminate the advantages and limitations of the various cell programming technologies for addressing nervous system disorders and to gauge their impact for perinatal medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea J Berg
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn Medical Faculty and University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Oliver Brüstle
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn Medical Faculty and University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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34
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Vanderhaeghen P, Polleux F. Developmental mechanisms underlying the evolution of human cortical circuits. Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:213-232. [PMID: 36792753 PMCID: PMC10064077 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00675-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
The brain of modern humans has evolved remarkable computational abilities that enable higher cognitive functions. These capacities are tightly linked to an increase in the size and connectivity of the cerebral cortex, which is thought to have resulted from evolutionary changes in the mechanisms of cortical development. Convergent progress in evolutionary genomics, developmental biology and neuroscience has recently enabled the identification of genomic changes that act as human-specific modifiers of cortical development. These modifiers influence most aspects of corticogenesis, from the timing and complexity of cortical neurogenesis to synaptogenesis and the assembly of cortical circuits. Mutations of human-specific genetic modifiers of corticogenesis have started to be linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, providing evidence for their physiological relevance and suggesting potential relationships between the evolution of the human brain and its sensitivity to specific diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Vanderhaeghen
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Franck Polleux
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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35
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Shah PP, Keough KC, Gjoni K, Santini GT, Abdill RJ, Wickramasinghe NM, Dundes CE, Karnay A, Chen A, Salomon REA, Walsh PJ, Nguyen SC, Whalen S, Joyce EF, Loh KM, Dubois N, Pollard KS, Jain R. An atlas of lamina-associated chromatin across twelve human cell types reveals an intermediate chromatin subtype. Genome Biol 2023; 24:16. [PMID: 36691074 PMCID: PMC9869549 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02849-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Association of chromatin with lamin proteins at the nuclear periphery has emerged as a potential mechanism to coordinate cell type-specific gene expression and maintain cellular identity via gene silencing. Unlike many histone modifications and chromatin-associated proteins, lamina-associated domains (LADs) are mapped genome-wide in relatively few genetically normal human cell types, which limits our understanding of the role peripheral chromatin plays in development and disease. RESULTS To address this gap, we map LAMIN B1 occupancy across twelve human cell types encompassing pluripotent stem cells, intermediate progenitors, and differentiated cells from all three germ layers. Integrative analyses of this atlas with gene expression and repressive histone modification maps reveal that lamina-associated chromatin in all twelve cell types is organized into at least two subtypes defined by differences in LAMIN B1 occupancy, gene expression, chromatin accessibility, transposable elements, replication timing, and radial positioning. Imaging of fluorescently labeled DNA in single cells validates these subtypes and shows radial positioning of LADs with higher LAMIN B1 occupancy and heterochromatic histone modifications primarily embedded within the lamina. In contrast, the second subtype of lamina-associated chromatin is relatively gene dense, accessible, dynamic across development, and positioned adjacent to the lamina. Most genes gain or lose LAMIN B1 occupancy consistent with cell types along developmental trajectories; however, we also identify examples where the enhancer, but not the gene body and promoter, changes LAD state. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, this atlas represents the largest resource to date for peripheral chromatin organization studies and reveals an intermediate chromatin subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisha P Shah
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn CVI, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kathleen C Keough
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Ketrin Gjoni
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Garrett T Santini
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn CVI, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Richard J Abdill
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn CVI, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nadeera M Wickramasinghe
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Carolyn E Dundes
- Department of Developmental Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ashley Karnay
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn CVI, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Angela Chen
- Department of Developmental Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Rachel E A Salomon
- Department of Developmental Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Patrick J Walsh
- Department of Genetics, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Son C Nguyen
- Department of Genetics, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sean Whalen
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Eric F Joyce
- Department of Genetics, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kyle M Loh
- Department of Developmental Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Nicole Dubois
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Katherine S Pollard
- University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA.
- Gladstone Institute of Data Science and Biotechnology, 1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
| | - Rajan Jain
- Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology, Penn CVI, Penn Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Smilow TRC, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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36
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Neaverson A, Andersson MHL, Arshad OA, Foulser L, Goodwin-Trotman M, Hunter A, Newman B, Patel M, Roth C, Thwaites T, Kilpinen H, Hurles ME, Day A, Gerety SS. Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into cortical neural stem cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 10:1023340. [PMID: 36684426 PMCID: PMC9849742 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1023340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient and effective methods for converting human induced pluripotent stem cells into differentiated derivatives are critical for performing robust, large-scale studies of development and disease modelling, and for providing a source of cells for regenerative medicine. Here, we describe a 14-day neural differentiation protocol which allows for the scalable, simultaneous differentiation of multiple iPSC lines into cortical neural stem cells We currently employ this protocol to differentiate and compare sets of engineered iPSC lines carrying loss of function alleles in developmental disorder associated genes, alongside isogenic wildtype controls. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), we can examine the changes in gene expression brought about by each disease gene knockout, to determine its impact on neural development and explore mechanisms of disease. The 10-day Neural Induction period uses the well established dual-SMAD inhibition approach combined with Wnt/β-Catenin inhibition to selectively induce formation of cortical NSCs. This is followed by a 4-day Neural Maintenance period facilitating NSC expansion and rosette formation, and NSC cryopreservation. We also describe methods for thawing and passaging the cryopreserved NSCs, which are useful in confirming their viability for further culture. Routine implementation of immunocytochemistry Quality Control confirms the presence of PAX6-positive and/or FOXG1-positive NSCs and the absence of OCT4-positive iPSCs after differentiation. RNA-Seq, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry (ICC) and RT-qPCR provide additional confirmation of robust presence of NSC markers in the differentiated cells. The broader utility and application of our protocol is demonstrated by the successful differentiation of wildtype iPSC lines from five additional independent donors. This paper thereby describes an efficient method for the production of large numbers of high purity cortical NSCs, which are widely applicable for downstream research into developmental mechanisms, further differentiation into postmitotic cortical neurons, or other applications such as large-scale drug screening experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Neaverson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Luke Foulser
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Adam Hunter
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ben Newman
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Minal Patel
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Charlotte Roth
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Helena Kilpinen
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew E Hurles
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Day
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian S Gerety
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
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37
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Whye D, Wood D, Saber WA, Norabuena EM, Makhortova NR, Sahin M, Buttermore ED. A Robust Pipeline for the Multi-Stage Accelerated Differentiation of Functional 3D Cortical Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e641. [PMID: 36633423 PMCID: PMC9839317 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Disordered cellular development, abnormal neuroanatomical formations, and dysfunction of neuronal circuitry are among the pathological manifestations of cortical regions in the brain that are often implicated in complex neurodevelopmental disorders. With the advancement of stem cell methodologies such as cerebral organoid generation, it is possible to study these processes in vitro using 3D cellular platforms that mirror key developmental stages occurring throughout embryonic neurogenesis. Patterning-based stem cell models of directed neuronal development offer one approach to accomplish this, but these protocols often require protracted periods of cell culture to generate diverse cell types and current methods are plagued by a lack of specificity, reproducibility, and temporal control over cell derivation. Although ectopic expression of transcription factors offers another avenue to rapidly generate neurons, this process of direct lineage conversion bypasses critical junctures of neurodevelopment during which disease-relevant manifestations may occur. Here, we present a directed differentiation approach for generating human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cortical organoids with accelerated lineage specification to generate functionally mature cortical neurons in a shorter timeline than previously established protocols. This novel protocol provides precise guidance for the specification of neuronal cell type identity as well as temporal control over the pace at which cortical lineage trajectories are established. Furthermore, we present assays that can be used as tools to interrogate stage-specific developmental signaling mechanisms. By recapitulating major components of embryonic neurogenesis, this protocol allows for improved in vitro modeling of cortical development while providing a platform that can be utilized to uncover disease-specific mechanisms of disordered development at various stages across the differentiation timeline. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: 3D hPSC neural induction Support Protocol 1: Neural rosette formation assay Support Protocol 2: Neurosphere generation Support Protocol 3: Enzymatic dissociation, NSC expansion, and cryopreservation Basic Protocol 2: 3D neural progenitor expansion Basic Protocol 3: 3D accelerated cortical lineage patterning and terminal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dosh Whye
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Delaney Wood
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Wardiya Afshar Saber
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Erika M. Norabuena
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Nina R. Makhortova
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Elizabeth D. Buttermore
- Human Neuron Core, Rosamund Stone Zander Translational Neuroscience Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
- F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Department, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
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38
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Ahmed M, Muffat J, Li Y. Understanding neural development and diseases using CRISPR screens in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cultures. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1158373. [PMID: 37101616 PMCID: PMC10123288 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1158373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is arguably the most complex part of the human body in form and function. Much remains unclear about the molecular mechanisms that regulate its normal and pathological physiology. This lack of knowledge largely stems from the inaccessible nature of the human brain, and the limitation of animal models. As a result, brain disorders are difficult to understand and even more difficult to treat. Recent advances in generating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)-derived 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) neural cultures have provided an accessible system to model the human brain. Breakthroughs in gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 further elevate the hPSCs into a genetically tractable experimental system. Powerful genetic screens, previously reserved for model organisms and transformed cell lines, can now be performed in human neural cells. Combined with the rapidly expanding single-cell genomics toolkit, these technological advances culminate to create an unprecedented opportunity to study the human brain using functional genomics. This review will summarize the current progress of applying CRISPR-based genetic screens in hPSCs-derived 2D neural cultures and 3D brain organoids. We will also evaluate the key technologies involved and discuss their related experimental considerations and future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Ahmed
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julien Muffat
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yun Li
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Yun Li,
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39
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Zhu W, Xu L, Li X, Hu H, Lou S, Liu Y. iPSCs-Derived Neurons and Brain Organoids from Patients. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2023; 281:59-81. [PMID: 37306818 DOI: 10.1007/164_2023_657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into specific neurons and brain organoids by adding induction factors and small molecules in vitro, which carry human genetic information and recapitulate the development process of human brain as well as physiological, pathological, and pharmacological characteristics. Hence, iPSC-derived neurons and organoids hold great promise for studying human brain development and related nervous system diseases in vitro, and provide a platform for drug screening. In this chapter, we summarize the development of the differentiation techniques for neurons and brain organoids from iPSCs, and their applications in studying brain disease, drug screening, and transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanying Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lei Xu
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinrui Li
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shuning Lou
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yan Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
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40
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Young JE, Goldstein LSB. Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (hiPSC)-Derived Neurons and Glia for the Elucidation of Pathogenic Mechanisms in Alzheimer's Disease. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2561:105-133. [PMID: 36399267 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2655-9_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder and a mechanistically complex disease. For the last decade, human models of AD using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a powerful way to understand disease pathogenesis in relevant human cell types. In this review, we summarize the state of the field and how this technology can apply to studies of both familial and sporadic studies of AD. We discuss patient-derived iPSCs, genome editing, differentiation of neural cell types, and three-dimensional organoids, and speculate on the future of this type of work for increasing our understanding of, and improving therapeutic development for, this devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Young
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Lawrence S B Goldstein
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Department of Neurosciences, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
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41
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Ni P, Fan L, Zinski A, Chung S. Generation of Homogeneous Populations of Cortical Interneurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2683:13-20. [PMID: 37300763 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3287-1_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cortical interneurons (cINs), especially those that are derived from the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) during early development, are associated with various neuropsychiatric disorders. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cINs can provide unlimited cell sources for studying disease mechanisms and developing novel therapeutics. Here, we describe an optimized method to generate homogeneous cIN populations based on three-dimensional (3D) cIN sphere generation. This optimized differentiation system could sustain generated cINs relatively long term without compromising their survival or phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyan Ni
- Psychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, The State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Lingyi Fan
- Psychiatric Laboratory and Mental Health Center, The State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Amy Zinski
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Sangmi Chung
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
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42
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Aversano S, Caiazza C, Caiazzo M. Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived and directly reprogrammed neurons to study neurodegenerative diseases: The impact of aging signatures. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1069482. [PMID: 36620769 PMCID: PMC9810544 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1069482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many diseases of the central nervous system are age-associated and do not directly result from genetic mutations. These include late-onset neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), which represent a challenge for biomedical research and drug development due to the impossibility to access to viable human brain specimens. Advancements in reprogramming technologies have allowed to obtain neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or directly from somatic cells (iNs), leading to the generation of better models to understand the molecular mechanisms and design of new drugs. Nevertheless, iPSC technology faces some limitations due to reprogramming-associated cellular rejuvenation which resets the aging hallmarks of donor cells. Given the prominent role of aging for the development and manifestation of late-onset NDDs, this suggests that this approach is not the most suitable to accurately model age-related diseases. Direct neuronal reprogramming, by which a neuron is formed via direct conversion from a somatic cell without going through a pluripotent intermediate stage, allows the possibility to generate patient-derived neurons that maintain aging and epigenetic signatures of the donor. This aspect may be advantageous for investigating the role of aging in neurodegeneration and for finely dissecting underlying pathological mechanisms. Here, we will compare iPSC and iN models as regards the aging status and explore how this difference is reported to affect the phenotype of NDD in vitro models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Aversano
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Caiazza
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Caiazzo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy,Department of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Massimiliano Caiazzo,
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43
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Qu J, Zhou L, Zhang H, Han D, Luo Y, Chen J, Li L, Zou Z, He Z, Zhang M, Ye J. Efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy in cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1006845. [PMID: 36588957 PMCID: PMC9794999 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1006845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim: Although the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy has been demonstrated in previous studies, the number of studies is limited and the treatment protocols of these studies lack consistency. Therefore, we included all relevant studies to date to explore factors that might influence the effectiveness of treatment based on the determination of safety and efficacy. Methods: The data source includes PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, from inception to 2 January 2022. Literature was screened according to the PICOS principle, followed by literature quality evaluation to assess the risk of bias. Finally, the outcome indicators of each study were extracted for combined analysis. Results: 9 studies were included in the current analysis. The results of the pooled analysis showed that the improvements in both primary and secondary indicators except for Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development were more skewed towards stem cell therapy than the control group. In the subgroup analysis, the results showed that stem cell therapy significantly increased Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) scores of 3, 6, and 12 months. Besides, improvements in GMFM scores were more skewed toward umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, low dose, and intrathecal injection. Importantly, there was no significant difference in the adverse events (RR = 1.13; 95% CI = [0.90, 1.42]) between the stem cell group and the control group. Conclusion: The results suggested that stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy was safe and effective. Although the subgroup analysis results presented guiding significance in the selection of clinical protocols for stem cell therapy, high-quality RCTs validations are still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayang Qu
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,School of Rehabilitation Medicine Gannan Medical University, GanZhou City, Jiangxi, China,The First Clinical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Lin Zhou
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- The First Clinical College of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Dongmiao Han
- School of Rehabilitation Medicine Gannan Medical University, GanZhou City, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yaolin Luo
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Clinical Medicine Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Junming Chen
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,School of Rehabilitation Medicine Gannan Medical University, GanZhou City, Jiangxi, China
| | - Lincai Li
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhengwei Zou
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhengyi He
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Clinical Medicine Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Minhong Zhang
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Clinical Medicine Research Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China
| | - Junsong Ye
- Subcenter for Stem Cell Clinical Translation, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Ministry of Education, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Key Laboratory of Biomaterials and Biofabrication in Tissue Engineering of Jiangxi Province, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,Ganzhou Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China,*Correspondence: Junsong Ye,
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44
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Human In Vitro Models of Epilepsy Using Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11243957. [PMID: 36552721 PMCID: PMC9776452 DOI: 10.3390/cells11243957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The challenges in making animal models of complex human epilepsy phenotypes with varied aetiology highlights the need to develop alternative disease models that can address the limitations of animal models by effectively recapitulating human pathophysiology. The advances in stem cell technology provide an opportunity to use human iPSCs to make disease-in-a-dish models. The focus of this review is to report the current information and progress in the generation of epileptic patient-specific iPSCs lines, isogenic control cell lines, and neuronal models. These in vitro models can be used to study the underlying pathological mechanisms of epilepsies, anti-seizure medication resistance, and can also be used for drug testing and drug screening with their isogenic control cell lines.
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Samara A, Spildrejorde M, Sharma A, Falck M, Leithaug M, Modafferi S, Bjørnstad PM, Acharya G, Gervin K, Lyle R, Eskeland R. A multi-omics approach to visualize early neuronal differentiation from hESCs in 4D. iScience 2022; 25:105279. [PMID: 36304110 PMCID: PMC9593815 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuronal differentiation of pluripotent stem cells is an established method to study physiology, disease, and medication safety. However, the sequence of events in human neuronal differentiation and the ability of in vitro models to recapitulate early brain development are poorly understood. We developed a protocol optimized for the study of early human brain development and neuropharmacological applications. We comprehensively characterized gene expression and epigenetic profiles at four timepoints, because the cells differentiate from embryonic stem cells towards a heterogeneous population of progenitors, immature and mature neurons bearing telencephalic signatures. A multi-omics roadmap of neuronal differentiation, combined with searchable interactive gene analysis tools, allows for extensive exploration of early neuronal development and the effect of medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athina Samara
- Division of Clinical Paediatrics, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Astrid Lindgren Children′s Hospital Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mari Spildrejorde
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ankush Sharma
- Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Martin Falck
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Magnus Leithaug
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stefania Modafferi
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Marius Bjørnstad
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ganesh Acharya
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels Allé 8, SE-14152 Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Fetal Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, SE-14186 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristina Gervin
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Research and Innovation, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert Lyle
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ragnhild Eskeland
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Limone F, Klim JR, Mordes DA. Pluripotent stem cell strategies for rebuilding the human brain. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1017299. [PMID: 36408113 PMCID: PMC9667068 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1017299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders have been extremely challenging to treat with traditional drug-based approaches and curative therapies are lacking. Given continued progress in stem cell technologies, cell replacement strategies have emerged as concrete and potentially viable therapeutic options. In this review, we cover advances in methods used to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into several highly specialized types of neurons, including cholinergic, dopaminergic, and motor neurons, and the potential clinical applications of stem cell-derived neurons for common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, ataxia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, we summarize cellular differentiation techniques for generating glial cell populations, including oligodendrocytes and microglia, and their conceivable translational roles in supporting neural function. Clinical trials of specific cell replacement therapies in the nervous system are already underway, and several attractive avenues in regenerative medicine warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Limone
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Daniel A. Mordes
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Brain Regional Identity and Cell Type Specificity Landscape of Human Cortical Organoid Models. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113159. [PMID: 36361956 PMCID: PMC9654943 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In vitro models of corticogenesis from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have greatly improved our understanding of human brain development and disease. Among these, 3D cortical organoid systems are able to recapitulate some aspects of in vivo cytoarchitecture of the developing cortex. Here, we tested three cortical organoid protocols for brain regional identity, cell type specificity and neuronal maturation. Overall, all protocols gave rise to organoids that displayed a time-dependent expression of neuronal maturation genes such as those involved in the establishment of synapses and neuronal function. Comparatively, guided differentiation methods without WNT activation generated the highest degree of cortical regional identity, whereas default conditions produced the broadest range of cell types such as neurons, astrocytes and hematopoietic-lineage-derived microglia cells. These results suggest that cortical organoid models produce diverse outcomes of brain regional identity and cell type specificity and emphasize the importance of selecting the correct model for the right application.
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Liu D, Zinski A, Mishra A, Noh H, Park GH, Qin Y, Olorife O, Park JM, Abani CP, Park JS, Fung J, Sawaqed F, Coyle JT, Stahl E, Bendl J, Fullard JF, Roussos P, Zhang X, Stanton PK, Yin C, Huang W, Kim HY, Won H, Cho JH, Chung S. Impact of schizophrenia GWAS loci converge onto distinct pathways in cortical interneurons vs glutamatergic neurons during development. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4218-4233. [PMID: 35701597 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01654-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Remarkable advances have been made in schizophrenia (SCZ) GWAS, but gleaning biological insight from these loci is challenging. Genetic influences on gene expression (e.g., eQTLs) are cell type-specific, but most studies that attempt to clarify GWAS loci's influence on gene expression have employed tissues with mixed cell compositions that can obscure cell-specific effects. Furthermore, enriched SCZ heritability in the fetal brain underscores the need to study the impact of SCZ risk loci in specific developing neurons. MGE-derived cortical interneurons (cINs) are consistently affected in SCZ brains and show enriched SCZ heritability in human fetal brains. We identified SCZ GWAS risk genes that are dysregulated in iPSC-derived homogeneous populations of developing SCZ cINs. These SCZ GWAS loci differential expression (DE) genes converge on the PKC pathway. Their disruption results in PKC hyperactivity in developing cINs, leading to arborization deficits. We show that the fine-mapped GWAS locus in the ATP2A2 gene of the PKC pathway harbors enhancer marks by ATACseq and ChIPseq, and regulates ATP2A2 expression. We also generated developing glutamatergic neurons (GNs), another population with enriched SCZ heritability, and confirmed their functionality after transplantation into the mouse brain. Then, we identified SCZ GWAS risk genes that are dysregulated in developing SCZ GNs. GN-specific SCZ GWAS loci DE genes converge on the ion transporter pathway, distinct from those for cINs. Disruption of the pathway gene CACNA1D resulted in deficits of Ca2+ currents in developing GNs, suggesting compromised neuronal function by GWAS loci pathway deficits during development. This study allows us to identify cell type-specific and developmental stage-specific mechanisms of SCZ risk gene function, and may aid in identifying mechanism-based novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxin Liu
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
- Department of Developmental Cell Biology, Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Ministry of Public Health, and Key Laboratory of Medical Cell Biology, Ministry of Education, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Amy Zinski
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Akanksha Mishra
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Haneul Noh
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Gun-Hoo Park
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Yiren Qin
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Oshoname Olorife
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - James M Park
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Chiderah P Abani
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Joy S Park
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Janice Fung
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Farah Sawaqed
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Joseph T Coyle
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA
| | - Eli Stahl
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jaroslav Bendl
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - John F Fullard
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Icahn Institute for Data Science and Genomic Technology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1470 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (VISN 2 South), James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Xiaolei Zhang
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Patric K Stanton
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Changhong Yin
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Weihua Huang
- Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA
| | - Hae-Young Kim
- Department of Public Health, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA
| | - Hyejung Won
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jun-Hyeong Cho
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Sangmi Chung
- Department of Cell biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.
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Contato A, Gagliano O, Magnussen M, Giomo M, Elvassore N. Timely delivery of cardiac mmRNAs in microfluidics enhances cardiogenic programming of human pluripotent stem cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:871867. [PMID: 36032711 PMCID: PMC9399928 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.871867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last two decades lab-on-chip models, specifically heart-on-chip, have been developed as promising technologies for recapitulating physiological environments suitable for studies of drug and environmental effects on either human physiological or patho-physiological conditions. Most human heart-on-chip systems are based on integration and adaptation of terminally differentiated cells within microfluidic context. This process requires prolonged procedures, multiple steps, and is associated with an intrinsic variability of cardiac differentiation. In this view, we developed a method for cardiac differentiation-on-a-chip based on combining the stage-specific regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling with the forced expression of transcription factors (TFs) that timely recapitulate hallmarks of the cardiac development. We performed the overall cardiac differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to cardiomyocytes (CMs) within a microfluidic environment. Sequential forced expression of cardiac TFs was achieved by a sequential mmRNAs delivery of first MESP1, GATA4 followed by GATA4, NKX2.5, MEF2C, TBX3, and TBX5. We showed that this optimized protocol led to a robust and reproducible approach to obtain a cost-effective hiPSC-derived heart-on-chip. The results showed higher distribution of cTNT positive CMs along the channel and a higher expression of functional cardiac markers (TNNT2 and MYH7). The combination of stage-specific regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling with mmRNAs encoding cardiac transcription factors will be suitable to obtain heart-on-chip model in a cost-effective manner, enabling to perform combinatorial, multiparametric, parallelized and high-throughput experiments on functional cardiomyocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Contato
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
| | - Onelia Gagliano
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
| | - Michael Magnussen
- GOSICH Zayed Centre for Research Into Rare Disease in Children, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Monica Giomo
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Nicola Elvassore
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
- GOSICH Zayed Centre for Research Into Rare Disease in Children, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Nicola Elvassore,
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50
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Zhang SY, Zhao J, Ni JJ, Li H, Quan ZZ, Qing H. Application and prospects of high-throughput screening for in vitro neurogenesis. World J Stem Cells 2022; 14:393-419. [PMID: 35949394 PMCID: PMC9244953 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v14.i6.393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past few decades, high-throughput screening (HTS) has made great contributions to new drug discovery. HTS technology is equipped with higher throughput, minimized platforms, more automated and computerized operating systems, more efficient and sensitive detection devices, and rapid data processing systems. At the same time, in vitro neurogenesis is gradually becoming important in establishing models to investigate the mechanisms of neural disease or developmental processes. However, challenges remain in generating more mature and functional neurons with specific subtypes and in establishing robust and standardized three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models with neural cells cultured in 3D matrices or organoids representing specific brain regions. Here, we review the applications of HTS technologies on in vitro neurogenesis, especially aiming at identifying the essential genes, chemical small molecules and adaptive microenvironments that hold great prospects for generating functional neurons or more reproductive and homogeneous 3D organoids. We also discuss the developmental tendency of HTS technology, e.g., so-called next-generation screening, which utilizes 3D organoid-based screening combined with microfluidic devices to narrow the gap between in vitro models and in vivo situations both physiologically and pathologically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yuan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Juan Zhao
- Aerospace Medical Center, Aerospace Center Hospital, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jun-Jun Ni
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hui Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Quan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hong Qing
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Biotherapy in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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