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Li M, Sun H, Hou Z, Hao S, Jin L, Wang B. Engineering the Physical Microenvironment into Neural Organoids for Neurogenesis and Neurodevelopment. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2306451. [PMID: 37771182 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the signals from the physical microenvironment is critical for deciphering the processes of neurogenesis and neurodevelopment. The discovery of how surrounding physical signals shape human developing neurons is hindered by the bottleneck of conventional cell culture and animal models. Notwithstanding neural organoids provide a promising platform for recapitulating human neurogenesis and neurodevelopment, building neuronal physical microenvironment that accurately mimics the native neurophysical features is largely ignored in current organoid technologies. Here, it is discussed how the physical microenvironment modulates critical events during the periods of neurogenesis and neurodevelopment, such as neural stem cell fates, neural tube closure, neuronal migration, axonal guidance, optic cup formation, and cortical folding. Although animal models are widely used to investigate the impacts of physical factors on neurodevelopment and neuropathy, the important roles of human stem cell-derived neural organoids in this field are particularly highlighted. Considering the great promise of human organoids, building neural organoid microenvironments with mechanical forces, electrophysiological microsystems, and light manipulation will help to fully understand the physical cues in neurodevelopmental processes. Neural organoids combined with cutting-edge techniques, such as advanced atomic force microscopes, microrobots, and structural color biomaterials might promote the development of neural organoid-based research and neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Li
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
- Southwest Hospital/Southwest Eye Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Heng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Zongkun Hou
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Immune and Antibody Engineering of Guizhou Province, Engineering Research Center of Cellular Immunotherapy of Guizhou Province, School of Biology and Engineering/School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Shilei Hao
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Liang Jin
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Bochu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
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Koch K, Bartmann K, Hartmann J, Kapr J, Klose J, Kuchovská E, Pahl M, Schlüppmann K, Zühr E, Fritsche E. Scientific Validation of Human Neurosphere Assays for Developmental Neurotoxicity Evaluation. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2022; 4:816370. [PMID: 35295221 PMCID: PMC8915868 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.816370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a call for a paradigm shift in developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) evaluation, which demands the implementation of faster, more cost-efficient, and human-relevant test systems than current in vivo guideline studies. Under the umbrella of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a guidance document is currently being prepared that instructs on the regulatory use of a DNT in vitro battery (DNT IVB) for fit-for-purpose applications. One crucial issue for OECD application of methods is validation, which for new approach methods (NAMs) requires novel approaches. Here, mechanistic information previously identified in vivo, as well as reported neurodevelopmental adversities in response to disturbances on the cellular and tissue level, are of central importance. In this study, we scientifically validate the Neurosphere Assay, which is based on human primary neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) and an integral part of the DNT IVB. It assesses neurodevelopmental key events (KEs) like NPC proliferation (NPC1ab), radial glia cell migration (NPC2a), neuronal differentiation (NPC3), neurite outgrowth (NPC4), oligodendrocyte differentiation (NPC5), and thyroid hormone-dependent oligodendrocyte maturation (NPC6). In addition, we extend our work from the hNPCs to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NPCs (hiNPCs) for the NPC proliferation (iNPC1ab) and radial glia assays (iNPC2a). The validation process we report for the endpoints studied with the Neurosphere Assays is based on 1) describing the relevance of the respective endpoints for brain development, 2) the confirmation of the cell type-specific morphologies observed in vitro, 3) expressions of cell type-specific markers consistent with those morphologies, 4) appropriate anticipated responses to physiological pertinent signaling stimuli and 5) alterations in specific in vitro endpoints upon challenges with confirmed DNT compounds. With these strong mechanistic underpinnings, we posit that the Neurosphere Assay as an integral part of the DNT in vitro screening battery is well poised for DNT evaluation for regulatory purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Koch
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kristina Bartmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Hartmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Julia Kapr
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Jördis Klose
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Eliška Kuchovská
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Melanie Pahl
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kevin Schlüppmann
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Etta Zühr
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Ellen Fritsche
- IUF—Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Duesseldorf, Germany
- Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany
- *Correspondence: Ellen Fritsche,
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Kothapalli C, Mahajan G, Farrell K. Substrate stiffness induced mechanotransduction regulates temporal evolution of human fetal neural progenitor cell phenotype, differentiation, and biomechanics. Biomater Sci 2020; 8:5452-5464. [PMID: 32996962 PMCID: PMC8500671 DOI: 10.1039/d0bm01349h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
While the mechanotransduction-induced fate of adult neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) is relatively known, how substrate stiffness regulates the temporal evolution of the biomechanics and phenotype of developmentally relevant human fetal NPCs (hNPCs) and their mechanosensing pathways remain unknown. Here, we primed hNPCs on tissue-culture plastic (TCPS) for 3 days in non-differentiating medium before transferring to TCPS or Geltrex™ gels (<1 kPa) for 9-day cultures post-priming, and regularly assessed stemness, differentiation, and cell mechanics (Young's modulus, tether forces, apparent membrane tension, tether radius). hNPCs maintained stemness on TCPS while those on gels co-expressed stemness and neural/glial markers, 3-days post-priming. Biomechanical characteristics remained unchanged in cells on TCPS but were significantly altered in those on gels, 3-days post-priming. However, 9-days post-priming, hNPCs on gels differentiated, with significantly more neurons on softer gels and glia on stiffer gels, while those on TCPS maintained their native stemness. Withdrawal of bFGF and EGF in 9-day cultures induced hNPC differentiation and influenced cell mechanics. Cells on stiffer gels had higher biomechanical properties than those on softer gels throughout the culture period, with NPC-like > neural > glia subtypes. Higher stress fiber density in cells on stiffer gels explains their significantly different biomechanical properties on these gels. Blebbistatin treatment caused cell polarization, lowered elastic modulus, and enhanced tether forces, implicating the role of non-muscle myosin-II in hNPC mechanosensing, adaptability, and thereby mechanics. Such substrate-mediated temporal evolution of hNPCs guide design of smart scaffolds to investigate morphogenesis, disease modeling, stem cell biology, and biomaterials for tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrasekhar Kothapalli
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
| | - Gautam Mahajan
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
| | - Kurt Farrell
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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Baumann HJ, Mahajan G, Ham TR, Betonio P, Kothapalli CR, Shriver LP, Leipzig ND. Softening of the chronic hemi-section spinal cord injury scar parallels dysregulation of cellular and extracellular matrix content. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020; 110:103953. [PMID: 32957245 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Regeneration following spinal cord injury (SCI) is challenging in part due to the modified tissue composition and organization of the resulting glial and fibrotic scar regions. Inhibitory cell types and biochemical cues present in the scar have received attention as therapeutic targets to promote regeneration. However, altered Young's modulus of the scar as a readout for potential impeding factors for regeneration are not as well-defined, especially in vivo. Although the decreased Young's modulus of surrounding tissue at acute stages post-injury is known, the causation and outcomes at chronic time points remain largely understudied and controversial, which motivates this work. This study assessed the glial and fibrotic scar tissue's Young's modulus and composition (scar morphometry, cell identity, extracellular matrix (ECM) makeup) that contribute to the tissue's stiffness. The spatial Young's modulus of a chronic (~18-wks, post-injury) hemi-section, including the glial and fibrotic regions, were significantly less than naïve tissue (~200 Pa; p < 0.0001). The chronic scar contained cystic cavities dispersed in areas of dense nuclei packing. Abundant CNS cell types such as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons were dysregulated in the scar, while epithelial markers such as vimentin were upregulated. The key ECM components in the CNS, namely sulfated proteoglycans (sPGs), were significantly downregulated following injury with concomitant upregulation of unsulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and hyaluronic acid (HA), likely altering the foundational ECM network that contributes to tissue stiffness. Our results reveal the Young's modulus of the chronic SCI scar as well as quantification of contributing elastic components that can provide a foundation for future study into their role in tissue repair and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Baumann
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Gautam Mahajan
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA
| | - Trevor R Ham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Patricia Betonio
- School of Nursing, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Chandrasekhar R Kothapalli
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA
| | - Leah P Shriver
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Biology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA
| | - Nic D Leipzig
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA; Department of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325, USA.
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Soares J, Araujo GRDS, Santana C, Matias D, Moura-Neto V, Farina M, Frases S, Viana NB, Romão L, Nussenzveig HM, Pontes B. Membrane Elastic Properties During Neural Precursor Cell Differentiation. Cells 2020; 9:E1323. [PMID: 32466390 PMCID: PMC7349228 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural precursor cells differentiate into several cell types that display distinct functions. However, little is known about how cell surface mechanics vary during the differentiation process. Here, by precisely measuring membrane tension and bending modulus, we map their variations and correlate them with changes in neural precursor cell morphology along their distinct differentiation fates. Both cells maintained in culture as neural precursors as well as those plated in neurobasal medium reveal a decrease in membrane tension over the first hours of culture followed by stabilization, with no change in bending modulus. During astrocyte differentiation, membrane tension initially decreases and then increases after 72 h, accompanied by consolidation of glial fibrillary acidic protein expression and striking actin reorganization, while bending modulus increases following observed alterations. For oligodendrocytes, the changes in membrane tension are less abrupt over the first hours, but their values subsequently decrease, correlating with a shift from oligodendrocyte marker O4 to myelin basic protein expressions and a remarkable actin reorganization, while bending modulus remains constant. Oligodendrocytes at later differentiation stages show membrane vesicles with similar membrane tension but higher bending modulus as compared to the cell surface. Altogether, our results display an entire spectrum of how membrane elastic properties are varying, thus contributing to a better understanding of neural differentiation from a mechanobiological perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Soares
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil;
| | - Glauber R. de S. Araujo
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (G.R.d.S.A.); (S.F.)
| | - Cintia Santana
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
| | - Diana Matias
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
- Instituto Estadual do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer, Secretaria de Estado de Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20231-092, Brazil
| | - Vivaldo Moura-Neto
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
- Instituto Estadual do Cérebro Paulo Niemeyer, Secretaria de Estado de Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20231-092, Brazil
| | - Marcos Farina
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
| | - Susana Frases
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (G.R.d.S.A.); (S.F.)
| | - Nathan B. Viana
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil;
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-942, Brazil
| | - Luciana Romão
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
| | - H. Moysés Nussenzveig
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil;
- Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-942, Brazil
| | - Bruno Pontes
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil; (J.S.); (C.S.); (D.M.); (V.M.-N.); (M.F.); (L.R.)
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem (CENABIO), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil;
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