1
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Hingorani S, Paniagua Soriano G, Sánchez Huertas C, Villalba Riquelme EM, López Mocholi E, Martínez Rojas B, Alastrué Agudo A, Dupraz S, Ferrer Montiel AV, Moreno Manzano V. Transplantation of dorsal root ganglia overexpressing the NaChBac sodium channel improves locomotion after complete SCI. Mol Ther 2024; 32:1739-1759. [PMID: 38556794 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.03.038] [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: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition currently lacking treatment. Severe SCI causes the loss of most supraspinal inputs and neuronal activity caudal to the injury, which, coupled with the limited endogenous capacity for spontaneous regeneration, can lead to complete functional loss even in anatomically incomplete lesions. We hypothesized that transplantation of mature dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) genetically modified to express the NaChBac sodium channel could serve as a therapeutic option for functionally complete SCI. We found that NaChBac expression increased the intrinsic excitability of DRG neurons and promoted cell survival and neurotrophic factor secretion in vitro. Transplantation of NaChBac-expressing dissociated DRGs improved voluntary locomotion 7 weeks after injury compared to control groups. Animals transplanted with NaChBac-expressing DRGs also possessed higher tubulin-positive neuronal fiber and myelin preservation, although serotonergic descending fibers remained unaffected. We observed early preservation of the corticospinal tract 14 days after injury and transplantation, which was lost 7 weeks after injury. Nevertheless, transplantation of NaChBac-expressing DRGs increased the neuronal excitatory input by an increased number of VGLUT2 contacts immediately caudal to the injury. Our work suggests that the transplantation of NaChBac-expressing dissociated DRGs can rescue significant motor function, retaining an excitatory neuronal relay activity immediately caudal to injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Hingorani
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Guillem Paniagua Soriano
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Sánchez Huertas
- Development and Assembly of Bilateral Neural Circuits Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida Santiago Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eva María Villalba Riquelme
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche-IDiBE, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, Edificio Torregaitán, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eric López Mocholi
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Martínez Rojas
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Alastrué Agudo
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sebastián Dupraz
- Laboratory for Axonal Growth and Regeneration, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Antonio Vicente Ferrer Montiel
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche-IDiBE, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, Edificio Torregaitán, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Victoria Moreno Manzano
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain.
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2
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Li Y, Kumamaru H, Vokes TJ, Tran AN, Shevinsky CA, Graham L, Archuleta K, Limon KR, Lu P, Blesch A, Tuszynski MH, Brock JH. An improved method for generating human spinal cord neural stem cells. Exp Neurol 2024; 376:114779. [PMID: 38621449 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2024.114779] [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: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Neural stem cells have exhibited efficacy in pre-clinical models of spinal cord injury (SCI) and are on a translational path to human testing. We recently reported that neural stem cells must be driven to a spinal cord fate to optimize host axonal regeneration into sites of implantation in the injured spinal cord, where they subsequently form neural relays across the lesion that support significant functional improvement. We also reported methods of deriving and culturing human spinal cord neural stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells that can be sustained over serial high passage numbers in vitro, providing a potentially optimized cell source for human clinical trials. We now report further optimization of methods for deriving and sustaining cultures of human spinal cord neural stem cell lines that result in improved karyotypic stability while retaining anatomical efficacy in vivo. This development improves prospects for safe human translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Li
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - H Kumamaru
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kyushu University, Oita, Japan
| | - T J Vokes
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - A N Tran
- Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - C A Shevinsky
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - L Graham
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - K Archuleta
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - K R Limon
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America
| | - P Lu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America; Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - A Blesch
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America; Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - M H Tuszynski
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America; Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - J H Brock
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States of America; Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States of America.
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3
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Tigner TJ, Dampf G, Tucker A, Huang YC, Jagrit V, Clevenger AJ, Mohapatra A, Raghavan SA, Dulin JN, Alge DL. Clickable Granular Hydrogel Scaffolds for Delivery of Neural Progenitor Cells to Sites of Spinal Cord Injury. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2303912. [PMID: 38470994 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202303912] [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: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious condition with limited treatment options. Neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation is a promising treatment option, and the identification of novel biomaterial scaffolds that support NPC engraftment and therapeutic activity is a top research priority. The objective of this study is to evaluate in situ assembled poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based granular hydrogels for NPC delivery in a murine model of SCI. Microgel precursors are synthesized by using thiol-norbornene click chemistry to react four-armed PEG-amide-norbornene with enzymatically degradable and cell adhesive peptides. Unreacted norbornene groups are utilized for in situ assembly into scaffolds using a PEG-di-tetrazine linker. The granular hydrogel scaffolds exhibit good biocompatibility and do not adversely affect the inflammatory response after SCI. Moreover, when used to deliver NPCs, the granular hydrogel scaffolds supported NPC engraftment, do not adversely affect the immune response to the NPC grafts, and successfully support graft differentiation toward neuronal or astrocytic lineages as well as axonal extension into the host tissue. Collectively, these data establish PEG-based granular hydrogel scaffolds as a suitable biomaterial platform for NPC delivery and justify further testing, particularly in the context of more severe SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Tigner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Gabrielle Dampf
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3258, USA
| | - Ashley Tucker
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3258, USA
| | - Yu-Chi Huang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Vipin Jagrit
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3258, USA
| | - Abigail J Clevenger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Arpita Mohapatra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Shreya A Raghavan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
| | - Jennifer N Dulin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3258, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3474, USA
| | - Daniel L Alge
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3120, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3003, USA
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4
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Martins-Macedo J, Araújo B, Anjo SI, Silveira-Rosa T, Patrício P, Alves ND, Silva JM, Teixeira FG, Manadas B, Rodrigues AJ, Lepore AC, Salgado AJ, Gomes ED, Pinto L. Glial-restricted precursors stimulate endogenous cytogenesis and effectively recover emotional deficits in a model of cytogenesis ablation. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02490-z. [PMID: 38454085 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02490-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Adult cytogenesis, the continuous generation of newly-born neurons (neurogenesis) and glial cells (gliogenesis) throughout life, is highly impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), impacting negatively on cognitive and emotional domains. Despite playing a critical role in brain homeostasis, the importance of gliogenesis has been overlooked, both in healthy and diseased states. To examine the role of newly formed glia, we transplanted Glial Restricted Precursors (GRPs) into the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), or injected their secreted factors (secretome), into a previously validated transgenic GFAP-tk rat line, in which cytogenesis is transiently compromised. We explored the long-term effects of both treatments on physiological and behavioral outcomes. Grafted GRPs reversed anxiety-like deficits and demonstrated an antidepressant-like effect, while the secretome promoted recovery of only anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, GRPs elicited a recovery of neurogenic and gliogenic levels in the ventral DG, highlighting the unique involvement of these cells in the regulation of brain cytogenesis. Both GRPs and their secretome induced significant alterations in the DG proteome, directly influencing proteins and pathways related to cytogenesis, regulation of neural plasticity and neuronal development. With this work, we demonstrate a valuable and specific contribution of glial progenitors to normalizing gliogenic levels, rescuing neurogenesis and, importantly, promoting recovery of emotional deficits characteristic of disorders such as MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Martins-Macedo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), School of Health (ESS), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bruna Araújo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), School of Health (ESS), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra I Anjo
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra (IIIUC), Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Tiago Silveira-Rosa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Patrício
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Nuno Dinis Alves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Joana M Silva
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Fábio G Teixeira
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), School of Health (ESS), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Bruno Manadas
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra (IIIUC), Coimbra, Portugal
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana J Rodrigues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Angelo C Lepore
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - António J Salgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Eduardo D Gomes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
- Center for Translational Health and Medical Biotechnology Research (TBIO), School of Health (ESS), Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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5
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Urban MW, Charsar BA, Heinsinger NM, Markandaiah SS, Sprimont L, Zhou W, Brown EV, Henderson NT, Thomas SJ, Ghosh B, Cain RE, Trotti D, Pasinelli P, Wright MC, Dalva MB, Lepore AC. EphrinB2 knockdown in cervical spinal cord preserves diaphragm innervation in a mutant SOD1 mouse model of ALS. eLife 2024; 12:RP89298. [PMID: 38224498 PMCID: PMC10945582 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89298] [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: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron loss. Importantly, non-neuronal cell types such as astrocytes also play significant roles in disease pathogenesis. However, mechanisms of astrocyte contribution to ALS remain incompletely understood. Astrocyte involvement suggests that transcellular signaling may play a role in disease. We examined contribution of transmembrane signaling molecule ephrinB2 to ALS pathogenesis, in particular its role in driving motor neuron damage by spinal cord astrocytes. In symptomatic SOD1G93A mice (a well-established ALS model), ephrinB2 expression was dramatically increased in ventral horn astrocytes. Reducing ephrinB2 in the cervical spinal cord ventral horn via viral-mediated shRNA delivery reduced motor neuron loss and preserved respiratory function by maintaining phrenic motor neuron innervation of diaphragm. EphrinB2 expression was also elevated in human ALS spinal cord. These findings implicate ephrinB2 upregulation as both a transcellular signaling mechanism in mutant SOD1-associated ALS and a promising therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark W Urban
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Brittany A Charsar
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Nicolette M Heinsinger
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Shashirekha S Markandaiah
- Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center, Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Lindsay Sprimont
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Wei Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Eric V Brown
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Nathan T Henderson
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Samantha J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Biswarup Ghosh
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Rachel E Cain
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Davide Trotti
- Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center, Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Piera Pasinelli
- Jefferson Weinberg ALS Center, Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Megan C Wright
- Department of Biology, Arcadia UniversityGlensideUnited States
| | - Matthew B Dalva
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane Brain Institute, Tulane UniversityNew OrleansUnited States
| | - Angelo C Lepore
- Department of Neuroscience, Jefferson Synaptic Biology Center, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphiaUnited States
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6
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Roman A, Huntemer-Silveira A, Waldron MA, Khalid Z, Blake J, Parr AM, Low WC. Cell Transplantation for Repair of the Spinal Cord and Prospects for Generating Region-Specific Exogenic Neuronal Cells. Cell Transplant 2024; 33:9636897241241998. [PMID: 38590295 PMCID: PMC11005494 DOI: 10.1177/09636897241241998] [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: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with currently irreversible consequences in several functional components of the central nervous system. Despite the severity of injury, there remains no approved treatment to restore function. However, with a growing number of preclinical studies and clinical trials, cell transplantation has gained significant potential as a treatment for SCI. Researchers have identified several cell types as potential candidates for transplantation. To optimize successful functional outcomes after transplantation, one key factor concerns generating neuronal cells with regional and subtype specificity, thus calling on the developmental transcriptome patterning of spinal cord cells. A potential source of spinal cord cells for transplantation is the generation of exogenic neuronal progenitor cells via the emerging technologies of gene editing and blastocyst complementation. This review highlights the use of cell transplantation to treat SCI in the context of relevant developmental gene expression patterns useful for producing regionally specific exogenic spinal cells via in vitro differentiation and blastocyst complementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Roman
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Anne Huntemer-Silveira
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Madison A. Waldron
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Zainab Khalid
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jeffrey Blake
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ann M. Parr
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walter C. Low
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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7
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Urban MW, Charsar BA, Heinsinger NM, Markandaiah SS, Sprimont L, Zhou W, Brown EV, Henderson NT, Thomas SJ, Ghosh B, Cain RE, Trotti D, Pasinelli P, Wright MC, Dalva MB, Lepore AC. EphrinB2 knockdown in cervical spinal cord preserves diaphragm innervation in a mutant SOD1 mouse model of ALS. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.10.538887. [PMID: 37215009 PMCID: PMC10197713 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.10.538887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron loss. Importantly, non-neuronal cell types such as astrocytes also play significant roles in disease pathogenesis. However, mechanisms of astrocyte contribution to ALS remain incompletely understood. Astrocyte involvement suggests that transcellular signaling may play a role in disease. We examined contribution of transmembrane signaling molecule ephrinB2 to ALS pathogenesis, in particular its role in driving motor neuron damage by spinal cord astrocytes. In symptomatic SOD1-G93A mice (a well-established ALS model), ephrinB2 expression was dramatically increased in ventral horn astrocytes. Reducing ephrinB2 in the cervical spinal cord ventral horn via viral-mediated shRNA delivery reduced motor neuron loss and preserved respiratory function by maintaining phrenic motor neuron innervation of diaphragm. EphrinB2 expression was also elevated in human ALS spinal cord. These findings implicate ephrinB2 upregulation as both a transcellular signaling mechanism in mutant SOD1-associated ALS and a promising therapeutic target.
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8
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She HQ, Sun YF, Chen L, Xiao QX, Luo BY, Zhou HS, Zhou D, Chang QY, Xiong LL. Current analysis of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy research issues and future treatment modalities. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1136500. [PMID: 37360183 PMCID: PMC10288156 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1136500] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is the leading cause of long-term neurological disability in neonates and adults. Through bibliometric analysis, we analyzed the current research on HIE in various countries, institutions, and authors. At the same time, we extensively summarized the animal HIE models and modeling methods. There are various opinions on the neuroprotective treatment of HIE, and the main therapy in clinical is therapeutic hypothermia, although its efficacy remains to be investigated. Therefore, in this study, we discussed the progress of neural circuits, injured brain tissue, and neural circuits-related technologies, providing new ideas for the treatment and prognosis management of HIE with the combination of neuroendocrine and neuroprotection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Qing She
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- Translational Neurology Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- WANG TINGHUA Translation Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Yi-Fei Sun
- Institute of Neurological Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Chen
- Institute of Neurological Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiu-Xia Xiao
- Institute of Neurological Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo-Yan Luo
- WANG TINGHUA Translation Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Hong-Su Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- Translational Neurology Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- WANG TINGHUA Translation Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Di Zhou
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Quan-Yuan Chang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Liu-Lin Xiong
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- Translational Neurology Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- WANG TINGHUA Translation Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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9
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Aceves M, Tucker A, Chen J, Vo K, Moses J, Amar Kumar P, Thomas H, Miranda D, Dampf G, Dietz V, Chang M, Lukose A, Jang J, Nadella S, Gillespie T, Trevino C, Buxton A, Pritchard AL, Green P, McCreedy DA, Dulin JN. Developmental stage of transplanted neural progenitor cells influences anatomical and functional outcomes after spinal cord injury in mice. Commun Biol 2023; 6:544. [PMID: 37208439 PMCID: PMC10199026 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04893-0] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy for replacing lost neurons following spinal cord injury (SCI). However, how graft cellular composition influences regeneration and synaptogenesis of host axon populations, or recovery of motor and sensory functions after SCI, is poorly understood. We transplanted developmentally-restricted spinal cord NPCs, isolated from E11.5-E13.5 mouse embryos, into sites of adult mouse SCI and analyzed graft axon outgrowth, cellular composition, host axon regeneration, and behavior. Earlier-stage grafts exhibited greater axon outgrowth, enrichment for ventral spinal cord interneurons and Group-Z spinal interneurons, and enhanced host 5-HT+ axon regeneration. Later-stage grafts were enriched for late-born dorsal horn interneuronal subtypes and Group-N spinal interneurons, supported more extensive host CGRP+ axon ingrowth, and exacerbated thermal hypersensitivity. Locomotor function was not affected by any type of NPC graft. These findings showcase the role of spinal cord graft cellular composition in determining anatomical and functional outcomes following SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Aceves
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Ashley Tucker
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Joseph Chen
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Katie Vo
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Joshua Moses
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | | | - Hannah Thomas
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Diego Miranda
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Gabrielle Dampf
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Valerie Dietz
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Matthew Chang
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Aleena Lukose
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Julius Jang
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Sneha Nadella
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Tucker Gillespie
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Christian Trevino
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Andrew Buxton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Anna L Pritchard
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | | | - Dylan A McCreedy
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jennifer N Dulin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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10
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Georgelou K, Saridaki EA, Karali K, Papagiannaki A, Charalampopoulos I, Gravanis A, Tzeranis DS. Microneurotrophin BNN27 Reduces Astrogliosis and Increases Density of Neurons and Implanted Neural Stem Cell-Derived Cells after Spinal Cord Injury. Biomedicines 2023; 11:biomedicines11041170. [PMID: 37189788 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11041170] [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: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Microneurotrophins, small-molecule mimetics of endogenous neurotrophins, have demonstrated significant therapeutic effects on various animal models of neurological diseases. Nevertheless, their effects on central nervous system injuries remain unknown. Herein, we evaluate the effects of microneurotrophin BNN27, an NGF analog, in the mouse dorsal column crush spinal cord injury (SCI) model. BNN27 was delivered systemically either by itself or combined with neural stem cell (NSC)-seeded collagen-based scaffold grafts, demonstrated recently to improve locomotion performance in the same SCI model. Data validate the ability of NSC-seeded grafts to enhance locomotion recovery, neuronal cell integration with surrounding tissues, axonal elongation and angiogenesis. Our findings also show that systemic administration of BNN27 significantly reduced astrogliosis and increased neuron density in mice SCI lesion sites at 12 weeks post injury. Furthermore, when BNN27 administration was combined with NSC-seeded PCS grafts, BNN27 increased the density of survived implanted NSC-derived cells, possibly addressing a major challenge of NSC-based SCI treatments. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that small-molecule mimetics of endogenous neurotrophins can contribute to effective combinatorial treatments for SCI, by simultaneously regulating key events of SCI and supporting grafted cell therapies in the lesion site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantina Georgelou
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | | | - Kanelina Karali
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Argyri Papagiannaki
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Ioannis Charalampopoulos
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Achille Gravanis
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitrios S Tzeranis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus
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11
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Pinto L, Macedo J, Araújo B, Anjo S, Silveira-Rosa T, Patrício P, Teixeira F, Manadas B, Rodrigues AJ, Lepore A, Salgado A, Gomes E. Glial-Restricted Precursors stimulate endogenous cytogenesis and effectively recover emotional deficits in a model of cytogenesis ablation. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2747462. [PMID: 37034743 PMCID: PMC10081440 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2747462/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Adult cytogenesis, the continuous generation of newly-born neurons (neurogenesis) and glial cells (gliogenesis) throughout life, is highly impaired in several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), impacting negatively on cognitive and emotional domains. Despite playing a critical role in brain homeostasis, the importance of gliogenesis has been overlooked, both in healthy and diseased states. To examine the role of newly formed glia, we transplanted Glial Restricted Precursors (GRPs) into the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG), or injected their secreted factors (secretome), into a previously validated transgenic GFAP-tk rat line, in which cytogenesis is transiently compromised. We explored the long-term effects of both treatments on physiological and behavioral outcomes. Grafted GRPs reversed anxiety-like and depressive-like deficits, while the secretome promoted recovery of only anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, GRPs elicited a recovery of neurogenic and gliogenic levels in the ventral DG, highlighting the unique involvement of these cells in the regulation of brain cytogenesis. Both GRPs and their secretome induced significant alterations in the DG proteome, directly influencing proteins and pathways related to cytogenesis, regulation of neural plasticity and neuronal development. With this work, we demonstrate a valuable and specific contribution of glial progenitors to normalizing gliogenic levels, rescueing neurogenesis and, importantly, promoting recovery of emotional deficits characteristic of disorders such as MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sandra Anjo
- CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra
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12
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Zheng B, Tuszynski MH. Regulation of axonal regeneration after mammalian spinal cord injury. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:396-413. [PMID: 36604586 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00562-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
One hundred years ago, Ramón y Cajal, considered by many as the founder of modern neuroscience, stated that neurons of the adult central nervous system (CNS) are incapable of regenerating. Yet, recent years have seen a tremendous expansion of knowledge in the molecular control of axon regeneration after CNS injury. We now understand that regeneration in the adult CNS is limited by (1) a failure to form cellular or molecular substrates for axon attachment and elongation through the lesion site; (2) environmental factors, including inhibitors of axon growth associated with myelin and the extracellular matrix; (3) astrocyte responses, which can both limit and support axon growth; and (4) intraneuronal mechanisms controlling the establishment of an active cellular growth programme. We discuss these topics together with newly emerging hypotheses, including the surprising finding from transcriptomic analyses of the corticospinal system in mice that neurons revert to an embryonic state after spinal cord injury, which can be sustained to promote regeneration with neural stem cell transplantation. These gains in knowledge are steadily advancing efforts to develop effective treatment strategies for spinal cord injury in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binhai Zheng
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. .,VA San Diego Research Service, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Mark H Tuszynski
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. .,VA San Diego Research Service, San Diego, CA, USA.
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13
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Pitonak M, Aceves M, Kumar PA, Dampf G, Green P, Tucker A, Dietz V, Miranda D, Letchuman S, Jonika MM, Bautista D, Blackmon H, Dulin JN. Effects of biological sex mismatch on neural progenitor cell transplantation for spinal cord injury in mice. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5380. [PMID: 36104357 PMCID: PMC9474813 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33134-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite advancement of neural progenitor cell transplantation to spinal cord injury clinical trials, there remains a lack of understanding of how biological sex of transplanted cells influences outcomes after transplantation. To address this, we transplanted GFP-expressing sex-matched, sex-mismatched, or mixed donor cells into sites of spinal cord injury in adult male and female mice. Biological sex of the donor cells does not influence graft neuron density, glial differentiation, formation of the reactive glial cell border, or graft axon outgrowth. However, male grafts in female hosts feature extensive hypervascularization accompanied by increased vascular diameter and perivascular cell density. We show greater T-cell infiltration within male-to-female grafts than other graft types. Together, these findings indicate a biological sex-specific immune response of female mice to male donor cells. Our work suggests that biological sex should be considered in the design of future clinical trials for cell transplantation in human injury. In this study, Pitonak et al. report that transplantation of neural progenitor cells derived from male donors trigger an immune rejection response following transplantation into sites of spinal cord injury in female mice.
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14
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Lu P, Freria CM, Graham L, Tran AN, Villarta A, Yassin D, Huie JR, Ferguson AR, Tuszynski MH. Rehabilitation combined with neural progenitor cell grafts enables functional recovery in chronic spinal cord injury. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e158000. [PMID: 35993363 PMCID: PMC9462483 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.158000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We reported previously that neural progenitor cell (NPC) grafts form neural relays across sites of subacute spinal cord injury (SCI) and support functional recovery. Here, we examine whether NPC grafts after chronic delays also support recovery and whether intensive rehabilitation further enhances recovery. One month after severe bilateral cervical contusion, rats received daily intensive rehabilitation, NPC grafts, or both rehabilitation and grafts. Notably, only the combination of rehabilitation and grafting significantly improved functional recovery. Moreover, improved functional outcomes were associated with a rehabilitation-induced increase in host corticospinal axon regeneration into grafts. These findings identify a critical and synergistic role of rehabilitation and neural stem cell therapy in driving neural plasticity to support functional recovery after chronic and severe SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Lu
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Camila M. Freria
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Lori Graham
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Amanda N. Tran
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ashley Villarta
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Dena Yassin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - J. Russell Huie
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Adam R. Ferguson
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Mark H. Tuszynski
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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15
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NPC transplantation rescues sci-driven cAMP/EPAC2 alterations, leading to neuroprotection and microglial modulation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:455. [PMID: 35904607 PMCID: PMC9338125 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04494-w] [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: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation represents a promising treatment strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI); however, the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We demonstrate that severe spinal contusion in adult rats causes transcriptional dysregulation, which persists from early subacute to chronic stages of SCI and affects nearly 20,000 genes in total tissue extracts. Functional analysis of this dysregulated transcriptome reveals the significant downregulation of cAMP signalling components immediately after SCI, involving genes such as EPAC2 (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP), PKA, BDNF, and CAMKK2. The ectopic transplantation of spinal cord-derived NPCs at acute or subacute stages of SCI induces a significant transcriptional impact in spinal tissue, as evidenced by the normalized expression of a large proportion of SCI-affected genes. The transcriptional modulation pattern driven by NPC transplantation includes the rescued expression of cAMP signalling genes, including EPAC2. We also explore how the sustained in vivo inhibition of EPAC2 downstream signalling via the intrathecal administration of ESI-05 for 1 week impacts therapeutic mechanisms involved in the NPC-mediated treatment of SCI. NPC transplantation in SCI rats in the presence and absence of ESI-05 administration prompts increased rostral cAMP levels; however, NPC and ESI-05 treated animals exhibit a significant reduction in EPAC2 mRNA levels compared to animals receiving only NPCs treatment. Compared with transplanted animals, NPCs + ESI-05 treatment increases the scar area (as shown by GFAP staining), polarizes microglia into an inflammatory phenotype, and increases the magnitude of the gap between NeuN + cells across the lesion. Overall, our results indicate that the NPC-associated therapeutic mechanisms in the context of SCI involve the cAMP pathway, which reduces inflammation and provides a more neuropermissive environment through an EPAC2-dependent mechanism.
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16
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Lavoie NS, Truong V, Malone D, Pengo T, Patil N, Dutton JR, Parr AM. Human induced pluripotent stem cells integrate, create synapses and extend long axons after spinal cord injury. J Cell Mol Med 2022; 26:1932-1942. [PMID: 35257489 PMCID: PMC8980929 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous interventions have been explored in animal models using cells differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the context of neural injury with some success. Our work seeks to transplant cells that are generated from hiPSCs into regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs) utilizing a novel accelerated differentiation protocol designed for clinical translation. We chose a xenotransplantation model because our laboratory is focused on the behaviour of human cells in order to bring this potential therapy to translation. Cells were transplanted into adult immunodeficient rats after moderate contusion spinal cord injury (SCI). Twelve weeks later, cells derived from the transplanted sNPCs survived and differentiated into neurons and glia that filled the lesion cavity and produced a thoracic spinal cord transcriptional program in vivo. Furthermore, neurogenesis and ionic channel expression were promoted within the adjacent host spinal cord tissue. Transplanted cells displayed robust integration properties including synapse formation and myelination by host oligodendrocytes. Axons from transplanted hiPSC sNPC‐derived cells extended both rostrally and caudally from the SCI transplant site, rostrally approximately 6 cm into supraspinal structures. Thus, iPSC‐derived sNPCs may provide a patient‐specific cell source for patients with SCI that could provide a relay system across the site of injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Stoflet Lavoie
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vincent Truong
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Dane Malone
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Thomas Pengo
- University of Minnesota Imaging Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nandadevi Patil
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - James R Dutton
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ann M Parr
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Zheng
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases of Chinese Ministry of Education, the School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
- Wei Wang, Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China. Tel: +86-27-83663657, E-mail:
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18
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Cell transplantation to repair the injured spinal cord. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 166:79-158. [PMID: 36424097 PMCID: PMC10008620 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2022.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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19
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Zholudeva LV, Jin Y, Qiang L, Lane MA, Fischer I. Preparation of Neural Stem Cells and Progenitors: Neuronal Production and Grafting Applications. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2311:73-108. [PMID: 34033079 PMCID: PMC10074836 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1437-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neural stem cells (NSCs) are a valuable tool for the study of neural development and function as well as an important source of cell transplantation strategies for neural disease. NSCs can be used to study how neurons acquire distinct phenotypes and how the interactions between neurons and glial cells in the developing nervous system shape the structure and function of the CNS. NSCs can also be used for cell replacement therapies following CNS injury targeting astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. With the availability of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), neurons prepared from NSCs can be used to elucidate the molecular basis of neurological disorders leading to potential treatments. Although NSCs can be derived from different species and many sources, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs), iPSCs, adult CNS, and direct reprogramming of nonneural cells, isolating primary NSCs directly from fetal tissue is still the most common technique for preparation and study of neurons. Regardless of the source of tissue, similar techniques are used to maintain NSCs in culture and to differentiate NSCs toward mature neural lineages. This chapter will describe specific methods for isolating and characterizing multipotent NSCs and neural precursor cells (NPCs) from embryonic rat CNS tissue (mostly spinal cord) and from human ESCs and iPSCs as well as NPCs prepared by reprogramming. NPCs can be separated into neuronal and glial restricted progenitors (NRP and GRP, respectively) and used to reliably produce neurons or glial cells both in vitro and following transplantation into the adult CNS. This chapter will describe in detail the methods required for the isolation, propagation, storage, and differentiation of NSCs and NPCs isolated from rat and mouse spinal cords for subsequent in vitro or in vivo studies as well as new methods associated with ESCs, iPSCs, and reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyandysha V Zholudeva
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ying Jin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Liang Qiang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael A Lane
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Itzhak Fischer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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20
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Xu N, Xu T, Mirasol R, Holmberg L, Vincent PH, Li X, Falk A, Benedikz E, Rotstein E, Seiger Å, Åkesson E, Falci S, Sundström E. Transplantation of Human Neural Precursor Cells Reverses Syrinx Growth in a Rat Model of Post-Traumatic Syringomyelia. Neurotherapeutics 2021; 18:1257-1272. [PMID: 33469829 PMCID: PMC8423938 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-020-00987-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS) is a serious condition of progressive expansion of spinal cord cysts, affecting patients with spinal cord injury years after injury. To evaluate neural cell therapy to prevent cyst expansion and potentially replace lost neurons, we developed a rat model of PTS. We combined contusive trauma with subarachnoid injections of blood, causing tethering of the spinal cord to the surrounding vertebrae, resulting in chronically expanding cysts. The cysts were usually located rostral to the injury, extracanalicular, lined by astrocytes. T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed hyperintense fluid-filled cysts but also hypointense signals from debris and iron-laden macrophages/microglia. Two types of human neural stem/progenitor cells-fetal neural precursor cells (hNPCs) and neuroepithelial-like stem cells (hNESCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells-were transplanted to PTS cysts. Cells transplanted into cysts 10 weeks after injury survived at least 10 weeks, migrated into the surrounding parenchyma, but did not differentiate during this period. The cysts were partially obliterated by the cells, and cyst walls often merged with thin layers of cells in between. Cyst volume measurements with MRI showed that the volumes continued to expand in sham-transplanted rats by 102%, while the cyst expansion was effectively prevented by hNPCs and hNESCs transplantation, reducing the cyst volumes by 18.8% and 46.8%, respectively. The volume reductions far exceeded the volume of the added human cells. Thus, in an animal model closely mimicking the clinical situation, we provide proof-of-principle that transplantation of human neural stem/progenitor cells can be used as treatment for PTS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Xu
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, and Henan Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Tingting Xu
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, BioClinicum J10:30, Karolinska University Hospital, S17164, Solna, Sweden
| | - Raymond Mirasol
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Stroke Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lena Holmberg
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per Henrik Vincent
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xiaofei Li
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Falk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eirikur Benedikz
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- TEK-Innovation, Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark, DK-5000, Odense, Denmark
| | - Emilia Rotstein
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, S-14186, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Åke Seiger
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Åkesson
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Box 12230, S-10226, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Scott Falci
- Department of Neurosurgery, Craig Hospital, 3425 S. Clarkson St, Englewood, CO, 80110, USA
| | - Erik Sundström
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Karolinska Institutet, BioClinicum J9:20, Karolinska University Hospital, S17164, Solna, Sweden.
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21
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Intra-arterial transplantation of stem cells in large animals as a minimally-invasive strategy for the treatment of disseminated neurodegeneration. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6581. [PMID: 33753789 PMCID: PMC7985204 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85820-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cell transplantation proved promising in animal models of neurological diseases; however, in conditions with disseminated pathology such as ALS, delivery of cells and their broad distribution is challenging. To address this problem, we explored intra-arterial (IA) delivery route, of stem cells. The goal of this study was to investigate the feasibility and safety of MRI-guided transplantation of glial restricted precursors (GRPs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in dogs suffering from ALS-like disease, degenerative myelopathy (DM). Canine GRP transplantation in dogs resulted in rather poor retention in the brain, so MSCs were used in subsequent experiments. To evaluate the safety of MSC intraarterial transplantation, naïve pigs (n = 3) were used as a pre-treatment control before transplantation in dogs. Cells were labeled with iron oxide nanoparticles. For IA transplantation a 1.2-French microcatheter was advanced into the middle cerebral artery under roadmap guidance. Then, the cells were transplanted under real-time MRI with the acquisition of dynamic T2*-weighted images. The procedure in pigs has proven to be safe and histopathology has demonstrated the successful and predictable placement of transplanted porcine MSCs. Transplantation of canine MSCs in DM dogs resulted in their accumulation in the brain. Interventional and follow-up MRI proved the procedure was feasible and safe. Analysis of gene expression after transplantation revealed a reduction of inflammatory factors, which may indicate a promising therapeutic strategy in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Jevans B, James ND, Burnside E, McCann CJ, Thapar N, Bradbury EJ, Burns AJ. Combined treatment with enteric neural stem cells and chondroitinase ABC reduces spinal cord lesion pathology. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:10. [PMID: 33407795 PMCID: PMC7789480 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-02031-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents a significant challenge for the field of neurotherapeutics. Stem cells have shown promise in replenishing the cells lost to the injury process, but the release of axon growth-inhibitory molecules such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) by activated cells within the injury site hinders the integration of transplanted cells. We hypothesised that simultaneous application of enteric neural stem cells (ENSCs) isolated from the gastrointestinal tract, with a lentivirus (LV) containing the enzyme chondroitinase ABC (ChABC), would enhance the regenerative potential of ENSCs after transplantation into the injured spinal cord. METHODS ENSCs were harvested from the GI tract of p7 rats, expanded in vitro and characterised. Adult rats bearing a contusion injury were randomly assigned to one of four groups: no treatment, LV-ChABC injection only, ENSC transplantation only or ENSC transplantation+LV-ChABC injection. After 16 weeks, rats were sacrificed and the harvested spinal cords examined for evidence of repair. RESULTS ENSC cultures contained a variety of neuronal subtypes suitable for replenishing cells lost through SCI. Following injury, transplanted ENSC-derived cells survived and ChABC successfully degraded CSPGs. We observed significant reductions in the injured tissue and cavity area, with the greatest improvements seen in the combined treatment group. ENSC-derived cells extended projections across the injury site into both the rostral and caudal host spinal cord, and ENSC transplantation significantly increased the number of cells extending axons across the injury site. Furthermore, the combined treatment resulted in a modest, but significant functional improvement by week 16, and we found no evidence of the spread of transplanted cells to ectopic locations or formation of tumours. CONCLUSIONS Regenerative effects of a combined treatment with ENSCs and ChABC surpassed either treatment alone, highlighting the importance of further research into combinatorial therapies for SCI. Our work provides evidence that stem cells taken from the adult gastrointestinal tract, an easily accessible source for autologous transplantation, could be strongly considered for the repair of central nervous system disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Jevans
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Present Address: German Centre for Neurodegenerative diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicholas D James
- Regeneration Group, The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Emily Burnside
- Regeneration Group, The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Conor J McCann
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Nikhil Thapar
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
- Neurogastroenterology and Motility Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK
- Present Address: Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplant, Queensland Children's Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Elizabeth J Bradbury
- Regeneration Group, The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, Guy's Campus, London, UK
| | - Alan J Burns
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Present Address: Gastrointestinal Drug Discovery Unit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International, Cambridge, USA.
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Martins-Macedo J, Lepore AC, Domingues HS, Salgado AJ, Gomes ED, Pinto L. Glial restricted precursor cells in central nervous system disorders: Current applications and future perspectives. Glia 2020; 69:513-531. [PMID: 33052610 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The crosstalk between glial cells and neurons represents an exceptional feature for maintaining the normal function of the central nervous system (CNS). Increasing evidence has revealed the importance of glial progenitor cells in adult neurogenesis, reestablishment of cellular pools, neuroregeneration, and axonal (re)myelination. Several types of glial progenitors have been described, as well as their potentialities for recovering the CNS from certain traumas or pathologies. Among these precursors, glial-restricted precursor cells (GRPs) are considered the earliest glial progenitors and exhibit tripotency for both Type I/II astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. GRPs have been derived from embryos and embryonic stem cells in animal models and have maintained their capacity for self-renewal. Despite the relatively limited knowledge regarding the isolation, characterization, and function of these progenitors, GRPs are promising candidates for transplantation therapy and reestablishment/repair of CNS functions in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as in traumatic injuries. Herein, we review the definition, isolation, characterization and potentialities of GRPs as cell-based therapies in different neurological conditions. We briefly discuss the implications of using GRPs in CNS regenerative medicine and their possible application in a clinical setting. MAIN POINTS: GRPs are progenitors present in the CNS with differentiation potential restricted to the glial lineage. These cells have been employed in the treatment of a myriad of neurodegenerative and traumatic pathologies, accompanied by promising results, herein reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Martins-Macedo
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Angelo C Lepore
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Helena S Domingues
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - António J Salgado
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Eduardo D Gomes
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Luísa Pinto
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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Fischer I, Dulin JN, Lane MA. Transplanting neural progenitor cells to restore connectivity after spinal cord injury. Nat Rev Neurosci 2020; 21:366-383. [PMID: 32518349 PMCID: PMC8384139 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-020-0314-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury remains a scientific and therapeutic challenge with great cost to individuals and society. The goal of research in this field is to find a means of restoring lost function. Recently we have seen considerable progress in understanding the injury process and the capacity of CNS neurons to regenerate, as well as innovations in stem cell biology. This presents an opportunity to develop effective transplantation strategies to provide new neural cells to promote the formation of new neuronal networks and functional connectivity. Past and ongoing clinical studies have demonstrated the safety of cell therapy, and preclinical research has used models of spinal cord injury to better elucidate the underlying mechanisms through which donor cells interact with the host and thus increase long-term efficacy. While a variety of cell therapies have been explored, we focus here on the use of neural progenitor cells obtained or derived from different sources to promote connectivity in sensory, motor and autonomic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itzhak Fischer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Jennifer N Dulin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Michael A Lane
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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25
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Zavvarian MM, Toossi A, Khazaei M, Hong J, Fehlings M. Novel innovations in cell and gene therapies for spinal cord injury. F1000Res 2020; 9. [PMID: 32399196 PMCID: PMC7194487 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.21989.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to chronic and multifaceted disability, which severely impacts the physical and mental health as well as the socio-economic status of affected individuals. Permanent disabilities following SCI result from the failure of injured neurons to regenerate and rebuild functional connections with their original targets. Inhibitory factors present in the SCI microenvironment and the poor intrinsic regenerative capacity of adult spinal cord neurons are obstacles for regeneration and functional recovery. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in developing cell and molecular approaches to enable the regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissue. In this review, we highlight several potent cell-based approaches and genetic manipulation strategies (gene therapy) that are being investigated to reconstruct damaged or lost spinal neural circuits and explore emerging novel combinatorial approaches for enhancing recovery from SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad-Masoud Zavvarian
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Amirali Toossi
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mohamad Khazaei
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - James Hong
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Michael Fehlings
- Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Spinal Program, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
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26
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Zhou P, Guan J, Xu P, Zhao J, Zhang C, Zhang B, Mao Y, Cui W. Cell Therapeutic Strategies for Spinal Cord Injury. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle) 2019; 8:585-605. [PMID: 31637103 PMCID: PMC6798812 DOI: 10.1089/wound.2019.1046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Significance: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a neurological disorder that resulted from destroyed long axis of spinal cord, affecting thousands of people every year. With the occurrence of SCI, the lesions can form cystic cavities and produce glial scar, myelin inhibitor, and inflammation that negatively impact repair of spinal cord. Therefore, SCI remains a difficult problem to overcome with present therapeutics. This review of cell therapeutics in SCI provides a systematic review of combinatory therapeutics of SCI and helps the realization of regeneration of spinal cord in the future. Recent Advances: With major breakthroughs in neurobiology in recent years, present therapeutic strategies for SCI mainly aim at nerve regeneration or neuroprotection. For nerve regeneration, the application approaches are tissue engineering and cell transplantation, while drug therapeutics is applied for neuroprotection. Cell therapeutics is a new approach that treats SCI by cell transplantation. Cell therapeutics possesses advantages of neuroprotection, immune regulation, axonal regeneration, neuron relay formation, and remyelination. Critical Issues: Neurons cannot regenerate at the site of injury. Therefore, it is essential to find a repair strategy for remyelination, axon regeneration, and functional recovery. Cell therapeutics is emerging as the most promising approach for treating SCI. Future Directions: The future application of SCI therapy in clinical practice may require a combination of multiple strategies. A comprehensive treatment of injury of spinal cord is the focus of the present research. With the combination of different cell therapy strategies, future experiments will achieve more dramatic success in spinal cord repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinghui Zhou
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Tissue Transplantation, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Jingjing Guan
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Panpan Xu
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Jingwen Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Changchun Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Yingji Mao
- Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
- School of Life Science, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, P.R. China
| | - Wenguo Cui
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Prevention and Treatment of Bone and Joint Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China
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Trawczynski M, Liu G, David BT, Fessler RG. Restoring Motor Neurons in Spinal Cord Injury With Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:369. [PMID: 31474833 PMCID: PMC6707336 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder that damages motor, sensory, and autonomic pathways. Recent advances in stem cell therapy have allowed for the in vitro generation of motor neurons (MNs) showing electrophysiological and synaptic activity, expression of canonical MN biomarkers, and the ability to graft into spinal lesions. Clinical translation, especially the transplantation of MN precursors in spinal lesions, has thus far been elusive because of stem cell heterogeneity and protocol variability, as well as a hostile microenvironment such as inflammation and scarring, which yield inconsistent pre-clinical results without a consensus best-practice therapeutic strategy. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in particular have lower ethical and immunogenic concerns than other stem cells, which could make them more clinically applicable. In this review, we focus on the differentiation of iPSCs into neural precursors, MN progenitors, mature MNs, and MN subtype fates. Previous reviews have summarized MN development and differentiation, but an up-to-date summary of technological and experimental advances holding promise for bench-to-bedside translation, especially those targeting individual MN subtypes in SCI, is currently lacking. We discuss biological mechanisms of MN lineage, recent experimental protocols and techniques for MN differentiation from iPSCs, and transplantation of neural precursors and MN lineage cells in spinal cord lesions to restore motor function. We emphasize efficient, clinically safe, and personalized strategies for the application of MN and their subtypes as therapy in spinal lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Trawczynski
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Gele Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Brian T David
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Richard G Fessler
- Department of Neurosurgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
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28
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Abstract
Cellular transplantation for repair of the injured spinal cord has a rich history with strategies focused on neuroprotection, immunomodulation, and neural reconstruction. The goal of the present review is to provide a concise overview and discussion of five key themes that have become important considerations for rebuilding functional neural networks. The questions raised include: (i) who are the donor cells selected for transplantation, (ii) what is the intended target for repair, (iii) when is the optimal time for transplantation, (iv) where should the cells be delivered, and lastly (v) why does cell transplantation remain an attractive candidate for promoting neural repair after injury? Recent developments in neurobiology and engineering now enable us to start addressing these questions with multidisciplinary expertise and methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyandysha V Zholudeva
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,2 The Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael A Lane
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,2 The Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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29
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Goulão M, Ghosh B, Urban MW, Sahu M, Mercogliano C, Charsar BA, Komaravolu S, Block CG, Smith GM, Wright MC, Lepore AC. Astrocyte progenitor transplantation promotes regeneration of bulbospinal respiratory axons, recovery of diaphragm function, and a reduced macrophage response following cervical spinal cord injury. Glia 2018; 67:452-466. [PMID: 30548313 DOI: 10.1002/glia.23555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Stem/progenitor cell transplantation delivery of astrocytes is a potentially powerful strategy for spinal cord injury (SCI). Axon extension into SCI lesions that occur spontaneously or in response to experimental manipulations is often observed along endogenous astrocyte "bridges," suggesting that augmenting this response via astrocyte lineage transplantation can enhance axon regrowth. Given the importance of respiratory dysfunction post-SCI, we transplanted glial-restricted precursors (GRPs)-a class of lineage-restricted astrocyte progenitors-into the C2 hemisection model and evaluated effects on diaphragm function and the growth response of descending rostral ventral respiratory group (rVRG) axons that innervate phrenic motor neurons (PhMNs). GRPs survived long term and efficiently differentiated into astrocytes in injured spinal cord. GRPs promoted significant recovery of diaphragm electromyography amplitudes and stimulated robust regeneration of injured rVRG axons. Although rVRG fibers extended across the lesion, no regrowing axons re-entered caudal spinal cord to reinnervate PhMNs, suggesting that this regeneration response-although impressive-was not responsible for recovery. Within ipsilateral C3-5 ventral horn (PhMN location), GRPs induced substantial sprouting of spared fibers originating in contralateral rVRG and 5-HT axons that are important for regulating PhMN excitability; this sprouting was likely involved in functional effects of GRPs. Finally, GRPs reduced the macrophage response (which plays a key role in inducing axon retraction and limiting regrowth) both within the hemisection and at intact caudal spinal cord surrounding PhMNs. These findings demonstrate that astrocyte progenitor transplantation promotes significant plasticity of rVRG-PhMN circuitry and restoration of diaphragm function and suggest that these effects may be in part through immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Goulão
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laborator, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Biswarup Ghosh
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark W Urban
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Malya Sahu
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Christina Mercogliano
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Brittany A Charsar
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sreeya Komaravolu
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Cole G Block
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - George M Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, Shriners Hospitals Pediatric Research Center, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Megan C Wright
- Department of Biology, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania
| | - Angelo C Lepore
- Department of Neuroscience, Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Zholudeva LV, Iyer N, Qiang L, Spruance VM, Randelman ML, White NW, Bezdudnaya T, Fischer I, Sakiyama-Elbert SE, Lane MA. Transplantation of Neural Progenitors and V2a Interneurons after Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurotrauma 2018; 35:2883-2903. [PMID: 29873284 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing interest in the use of neural precursor cells to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite extensive pre-clinical research, it remains unclear as to which donor neuron phenotypes are available for transplantation, whether the same populations exist across different sources of donor tissue (e.g., developing tissue vs. cultured cells), and whether donor cells retain their phenotype once transplanted into the hostile internal milieu of the injured adult spinal cord. In addition, while functional improvements have been reported after neural precursor transplantation post-SCI, the extent of recovery is limited and variable. The present work begins to address these issues by harnessing ventrally derived excitatory pre-motor V2a spinal interneurons (SpINs) to repair the phrenic motor circuit after cervical SCI. Recent studies have demonstrated that Chx10-positive V2a SpINs contribute to anatomical plasticity within the phrenic circuitry after cervical SCI, thus identifying them as a therapeutic candidate. Building upon this discovery, the present work tests the hypothesis that transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) enriched with V2a INs can contribute to neural networks that promote repair and enhance respiratory plasticity after cervical SCI. Cultured NPCs (neuronal and glial restricted progenitor cells) isolated from E13.5 Green fluorescent protein rats were aggregated with TdTomato-mouse embryonic stem cell-derived V2a INs in vitro, then transplanted into the injured cervical (C3-4) spinal cord. Donor cells survive, differentiate and integrate with the host spinal cord. Functional diaphragm electromyography indicated recovery 1 month following treatment in transplant recipients. Animals that received donor cells enriched with V2a INs showed significantly greater functional improvement than animals that received NPCs alone. The results from this study offer insight into the neuronal phenotypes that might be effective for (re)establishing neuronal circuits in the injured adult central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyandysha V Zholudeva
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nisha Iyer
- 3 Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Liang Qiang
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Victoria M Spruance
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Margo L Randelman
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nicholas W White
- 4 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
| | - Tatiana Bezdudnaya
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Itzhak Fischer
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Michael A Lane
- 1 Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.,2 Spinal Cord Research Center, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Spruance VM, Zholudeva LV, Hormigo KM, Randelman ML, Bezdudnaya T, Marchenko V, Lane MA. Integration of Transplanted Neural Precursors with the Injured Cervical Spinal Cord. J Neurotrauma 2018; 35:1781-1799. [PMID: 29295654 PMCID: PMC6033309 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2017.5451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cervical spinal cord injuries (SCI) result in devastating functional consequences, including respiratory dysfunction. This is largely attributed to the disruption of phrenic pathways, which control the diaphragm. Recent work has identified spinal interneurons as possible contributors to respiratory neuroplasticity. The present work investigated whether transplantation of developing spinal cord tissue, inherently rich in interneuronal progenitors, could provide a population of new neurons and growth-permissive substrate to facilitate plasticity and formation of novel relay circuits to restore input to the partially denervated phrenic motor circuit. One week after a lateralized, C3/4 contusion injury, adult Sprague-Dawley rats received allografts of dissociated, developing spinal cord tissue (from rats at gestational days 13-14). Neuroanatomical tracing and terminal electrophysiology was performed on the graft recipients 1 month later. Experiments using pseudorabies virus (a retrograde, transynaptic tracer) revealed connections from donor neurons onto host phrenic circuitry and from host, cervical interneurons onto donor neurons. Anatomical characterization of donor neurons revealed phenotypic heterogeneity, though donor-host connectivity appeared selective. Despite the consistent presence of cholinergic interneurons within donor tissue, transneuronal tracing revealed minimal connectivity with host phrenic circuitry. Phrenic nerve recordings revealed changes in burst amplitude after application of a glutamatergic, but not serotonergic antagonist to the transplant, suggesting a degree of functional connectivity between donor neurons and host phrenic circuitry that is regulated by glutamatergic input. Importantly, however, anatomical and functional results were variable across animals, and future studies will explore ways to refine donor cell populations and entrain consistent connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Spruance
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Lyandysha V Zholudeva
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kristiina M Hormigo
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Margo L Randelman
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Tatiana Bezdudnaya
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Vitaliy Marchenko
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michael A Lane
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Spinal Cord Research Center, Drexel University College of Medicine , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Dulin JN, Adler AF, Kumamaru H, Poplawski GHD, Lee-Kubli C, Strobl H, Gibbs D, Kadoya K, Fawcett JW, Lu P, Tuszynski MH. Injured adult motor and sensory axons regenerate into appropriate organotypic domains of neural progenitor grafts. Nat Commun 2018; 9:84. [PMID: 29311559 PMCID: PMC5758751 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02613-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation has high therapeutic potential in neurological disorders. Functional restoration may depend on the formation of reciprocal connections between host and graft. While it has been reported that axons extending out of neural grafts in the brain form contacts onto phenotypically appropriate host target regions, it is not known whether adult, injured host axons regenerating into NPC grafts also form appropriate connections. We report that spinal cord NPCs grafted into the injured adult rat spinal cord self-assemble organotypic, dorsal horn-like domains. These clusters are extensively innervated by regenerating adult host sensory axons and are avoided by corticospinal axons. Moreover, host axon regeneration into grafts increases significantly after enrichment with appropriate neuronal targets. Together, these findings demonstrate that injured adult axons retain the ability to recognize appropriate targets and avoid inappropriate targets within neural progenitor grafts, suggesting that restoration of complex circuitry after SCI may be achievable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer N Dulin
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Andrew F Adler
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Hiromi Kumamaru
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Gunnar H D Poplawski
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Corinne Lee-Kubli
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Hans Strobl
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Daniel Gibbs
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Ken Kadoya
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan
| | - James W Fawcett
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0SP, UK
| | - Paul Lu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
| | - Mark H Tuszynski
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
- Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA.
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Hou S, Saltos TM, Iredia IW, Tom VJ. Surgical techniques influence local environment of injured spinal cord and cause various grafted cell survival and integration. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 293:144-150. [PMID: 28947264 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cellular transplantation to repair a complete spinal cord injury (SCI) is tremendously challenging due to the adverse local milieu for graft survival and growth. Results from cell transplantation studies yield great variability, which may possibly be due to the surgical techniques employed to induce an SCI. In order to delineate the influence of surgery on such inconsistency, we compared lesion morphology and graft survival as well as integration from different lesion methodologies of SCI. NEW METHOD Surgical techniques, including a traditional approach cut+microaspiration, and two new approaches, cut alone as well as crush, were employed to produce a complete SCI, respectively. Approximately half of the rats in each group received injury only, whereas the other half received grafts of fetal brainstem cells into the lesion gap. RESULTS Eight weeks after injury with or without graft, histological analysis showed that the cut+microaspiration surgery resulted in larger lesion cavities and severe fibrotic scars surrounding the cavity, and cellular transplants rarely formed a tissue bridge to penetrate the barrier. In contrast, the majority of cases treated with cut alone or crush exhibited smaller cavities and less scarring; the grafts expanded and blended extensively with the host tissue, which often built continuous tissue bridging the rostral and caudal cords. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Scarring and cavitation were significantly reduced when microaspiration was avoided in SCI surgery, facilitating graft/host tissue fusion for signal transmission. CONCLUSION The result suggests that microaspiration frequently causes severe scars and cavities, thus impeding graft survival and integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoping Hou
- Spinal Cord Research Center, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19129, United States.
| | - Tatiana M Saltos
- Spinal Cord Research Center, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19129, United States
| | - Idiata W Iredia
- Spinal Cord Research Center, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19129, United States
| | - Veronica J Tom
- Spinal Cord Research Center, Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, 19129, United States
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Lu P, Ceto S, Wang Y, Graham L, Wu D, Kumamaru H, Staufenberg E, Tuszynski MH. Prolonged human neural stem cell maturation supports recovery in injured rodent CNS. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:3287-3299. [PMID: 28825600 DOI: 10.1172/jci92955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural stem cells (NSCs) differentiate into both neurons and glia, and strategies using human NSCs have the potential to restore function following spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the time period of maturation for human NSCs in adult injured CNS is not well defined, posing fundamental questions about the design and implementation of NSC-based therapies. This work assessed human H9 NSCs that were implanted into sites of SCI in immunodeficient rats over a period of 1.5 years. Notably, grafts showed evidence of continued maturation over the entire assessment period. Markers of neuronal maturity were first expressed 3 months after grafting. However, neurogenesis, neuronal pruning, and neuronal enlargement continued over the next year, while total graft size remained stable over time. Axons emerged early from grafts in very high numbers, and half of these projections persisted by 1.5 years. Mature astrocyte markers first appeared after 6 months, while more mature oligodendrocyte markers were not present until 1 year after grafting. Astrocytes slowly migrated from grafts. Notably, functional recovery began more than 1 year after grafting. Thus, human NSCs retain an intrinsic human rate of maturation, despite implantation into the injured rodent spinal cord, yet they support delayed functional recovery, a finding of great importance in planning human clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Lu
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA.,Department of Neurosciences and
| | - Steven Ceto
- Department of Neurosciences and.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | | | - Di Wu
- Department of Neurosciences and
| | | | | | - Mark H Tuszynski
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, USA.,Department of Neurosciences and
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Lin CC, Lai SR, Shao YH, Chen CL, Lee KZ. The Therapeutic Effectiveness of Delayed Fetal Spinal Cord Tissue Transplantation on Respiratory Function Following Mid-Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Neurotherapeutics 2017; 14:792-809. [PMID: 28097486 PMCID: PMC5509620 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-016-0509-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory impairment due to damage of the spinal respiratory motoneurons and interruption of the descending drives from brainstem premotor neurons to spinal respiratory motoneurons is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality following cervical spinal cord injury. The present study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of delayed transplantation of fetal spinal cord (FSC) tissue on respiratory function in rats with mid-cervical spinal cord injury. Embryonic day-14 rat FSC tissue was transplanted into a C4 spinal cord hemilesion cavity in adult male rats at 1 week postinjury. The histological results showed that FSC-derived grafts can survive, fill the lesion cavity, and differentiate into neurons and astrocytes at 8 weeks post-transplantation. Some FSC-derived graft neurons exhibited specific neurochemical markers of neurotransmitter (e.g., serotonin, noradrenalin, or acetylcholine). Moreover, a robust expression of glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic fibers was observed within FSC-derived grafts. Retrograde tracing results indicated that there was a connection between FSC-derived grafts and host phrenic nucleus. Neurophysiological recording of the phrenic nerve demonstrated that phrenic burst amplitude ipsilateral to the lesion was significantly greater in injured animals that received FSC transplantation than in those that received buffer transplantation under high respiratory drives. These results suggest that delayed FSC transplantation may have the potential to repair the injured spinal cord and promote respiratory functional recovery after mid-cervical spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ching Lin
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Sih-Rong Lai
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Han Shao
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Lin Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, National Sun Yat-sen University and Academia Sinica, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Kun-Ze Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
- Doctoral Degree Program in Marine Biotechnology, National Sun Yat-sen University and Academia Sinica, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
- Center for Neuroscience, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
- Institute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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36
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Robinson J, Lu P. Optimization of trophic support for neural stem cell grafts in sites of spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 2017; 291:87-97. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Xu B, Zhao Y, Xiao Z, Wang B, Liang H, Li X, Fang Y, Han S, Li X, Fan C, Dai J. A Dual Functional Scaffold Tethered with EGFR Antibody Promotes Neural Stem Cell Retention and Neuronal Differentiation for Spinal Cord Injury Repair. Adv Healthc Mater 2017; 6. [PMID: 28233428 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201601279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation is a promising strategy to restore neuronal relays and neurological function of injured spinal cord because of the differentiation potential into functional neurons, but the transplanted NSCs often largely diffuse from the transplanted site and mainly differentiate into glial cells rather than neurons due to the adverse microenviornment after spinal cord injury (SCI). This paper fabricates a dual functional collagen scaffold tethered with a collagen-binding epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody to simultaneously promote NSCs retention and neuronal differentiation by specifically binding to EGFR molecule expressed on NSCs and attenuating EGFR signaling, which is responsible for the inhibition of differentiation of NSCs toward neurons. Compared to unmodified control scaffold, the dual functional scaffold promotes the adhesion and neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vitro. Moreover, the implantation of the dual functional scaffold with exogenous NSCs in rat SCI model can capture and retain NSCs at the injury sites, and promote the neuronal differentiation of the retained NSCs into functional neurons, and finally dedicate to improving motor function of SCI rats, which provides a potential strategy for synchronously promoting stem cell retention and differentiation with biomaterials for SCI repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bai Xu
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| | - Yannan Zhao
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Zhifeng Xiao
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Bin Wang
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Hui Liang
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| | - Xing Li
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Yongxiang Fang
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Sufang Han
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
| | - Xiaoran Li
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| | - Caixia Fan
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
| | - Jianwu Dai
- Key Laboratory for Nano-Bio Interface Research; Division of Nanobiomedicine; Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suzhou 215123 P. R. China
- Center for Regenerative Medicine; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology; Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100101 P. R. China
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38
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Liu Y, Zheng Y, Li S, Xue H, Schmitt K, Hergenroeder GW, Wu J, Zhang Y, Kim DH, Cao Q. Human neural progenitors derived from integration-free iPSCs for SCI therapy. Stem Cell Res 2017; 19:55-64. [PMID: 28073086 PMCID: PMC5629634 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
As a potentially unlimited autologous cell source, patient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide great capability for tissue regeneration, particularly in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, despite significant progress made in translation of iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to clinical settings, a few hurdles remain. Among them, non-invasive approach to obtain source cells in a timely manner, safer integration-free delivery of reprogramming factors, and purification of NPCs before transplantation are top priorities to overcome. In this study, we developed a safe and cost-effective pipeline to generate clinically relevant NPCs. We first isolated cells from patients' urine and reprogrammed them into iPSCs by non-integrating Sendai viral vectors, and carried out experiments on neural differentiation. NPCs were purified by A2B5, an antibody specifically recognizing a glycoganglioside on the cell surface of neural lineage cells, via fluorescence activated cell sorting. Upon further in vitro induction, NPCs were able to give rise to neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. To test the functionality of the A2B5+ NPCs, we grafted them into the contused mouse thoracic spinal cord. Eight weeks after transplantation, the grafted cells survived, integrated into the injured spinal cord, and differentiated into neurons and glia. Our specific focus on cell source, reprogramming, differentiation and purification method purposely addresses timing and safety issues of transplantation to SCI models. It is our belief that this work takes one step closer on using human iPSC derivatives to SCI clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; The Senator Lloyd & B.A. Bentsen Center for Stroke Research, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Yiyan Zheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shenglan Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Haipeng Xue
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Karl Schmitt
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Georgene W Hergenroeder
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jiaqian Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; The Senator Lloyd & B.A. Bentsen Center for Stroke Research, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest Health Sciences, 391 Technology Way, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
| | - Dong H Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Qilin Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA; The Senator Lloyd & B.A. Bentsen Center for Stroke Research, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
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Neural Progenitor Cells Promote Axonal Growth and Alter Axonal mRNA Localization in Adult Neurons. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-NWR-0171-16. [PMID: 28197547 PMCID: PMC5291088 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0171-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2016] [Revised: 01/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The inhibitory environment of the spinal cord and the intrinsic properties of neurons prevent regeneration of axons following CNS injury. However, both ascending and descending axons of the injured spinal cord have been shown to regenerate into grafts of embryonic neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Previous studies have shown that grafts composed of glial-restricted progenitors (GRPs) and neural-restricted progenitors (NRPs) can provide a permissive microenvironment for axon growth. We have used cocultures of adult rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons together with NPCs, which have shown significant enhancement of axon growth by embryonic rat GRP and GRPs/NRPs, both in coculture conditions and when DRGs are exposed to conditioned medium from the NPC cultures. This growth-promoting effect of NPC-conditioned medium was also seen in injury-conditioned neurons. DRGs cocultured with GRPs/NRPs showed altered expression of regeneration-associated genes at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. We found that levels of GAP-43 mRNA increased in DRG cell bodies and axons. However, hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP) mRNA decreased in the cell bodies of DRGs cocultured with GRPs/NRPs, which is distinct from the increase in cell body HAMP mRNA levels seen in DRGs after injury conditioning. Endogenous GAP-43 and β-actin mRNAs as well as reporter RNAs carrying axonally localizing 3'UTRs of these transcripts showed significantly increased levels in distal axons in the DRGs cocultured with GRPs/NRPs. These results indicate that axon growth promoted by NPCs is associated not only with enhanced transcription of growth-associated genes but also can increase localization of some mRNAs into growing axons.
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40
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Abstract
Stem cells, especially neural stem cells (NSCs), are a very attractive cell source for potential reconstruction of injured spinal cord though either neuroprotection, neural regeneration, remyelination, replacement of lost neural cells, or reconnection of disrupted axons. The later have great potential since recent studies demonstrate long-distance growth and connectivity of axons derived from transplanted NSCs after spinal cord injury (SCI). In addition, transplanted NSCs constitute a permissive environment for host axonal regeneration and serve as new targets for host axonal connection. This reciprocal connection between grafted neurons and host neurons constitutes a neuronal relay formation that could restore functional connectivity after SCI.
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41
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Tscherter A, Heidemann M, Kleinlogel S, Streit J. Embryonic Cell Grafts in a Culture Model of Spinal Cord Lesion: Neuronal Relay Formation Is Essential for Functional Regeneration. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:220. [PMID: 27708562 PMCID: PMC5030212 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Presently there exists no cure for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, transplantation of embryonic tissue into spinal cord (SC) lesions resulted in axon outgrowth across the lesion site and some functional recovery, fostering hope for future stem cell therapies. Although in vivo evidence for functional recovery is given, the exact cellular mechanism of the graft support remains elusive: either the grafted cells provide a permissive environment for the host tissue to regenerate itself or the grafts actually integrate functionally into the host neuronal network reconnecting the separated SC circuits. We tested the two hypotheses in an in vitro SC lesion model that is based on propagation of activity between two rat organotypic SC slices in culture. Transplantation of dissociated cells from E14 rat SC or forebrain (FB) re-established the relay of activity over the lesion site and thus, provoked functional regeneration. Combining patch-clamp recordings from transplanted cells with network activity measurements from the host tissue on multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) we here show that neurons differentiate from the grafted cells and integrate into the host circuits. Optogenetic silencing of neurons developed from transplanted embryonic mouse FB cells provides clear evidence that they replace the lost neuronal connections to relay and synchronize activity between the separated SC circuits. In contrast, transplantation of neurospheres (NS) induced neither the differentiation of mature neurons from the grafts nor an improvement of functional regeneration. Together these findings suggest, that the formation of neuronal relays from grafted embryonic cells is essential to re-connect segregated SC circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Tscherter
- Department of Physiology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Jürg Streit
- Department of Physiology, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
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Charsar BA, Urban MW, Lepore AC. Harnessing the power of cell transplantation to target respiratory dysfunction following spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 2016; 287:268-275. [PMID: 27531634 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic benefit of cell transplantation has been assessed in a host of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including disorders of the spinal cord such as traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The promise of cell transplantation to preserve and/or restore normal function can be aimed at a variety of therapeutic mechanisms, including replacement of lost or damaged CNS cell types, promotion of axonal regeneration or sprouting, neuroprotection, immune response modulation, and delivery of gene products such as neurotrophic factors, amongst other possibilities. Despite significant work in the field of transplantation in models of SCI, limited attention has been directed at harnessing the therapeutic potential of cell grafting for preserving respiratory function after SCI, despite the critical role pulmonary compromise plays in patient outcome in this devastating disease. Here, we will review the limited number of studies that have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of intraspinal transplantation of a variety of cell types for addressing respiratory dysfunction in SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany A Charsar
- Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neurosciences, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 900 Walnut Street, JHN 418, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
| | - Mark W Urban
- Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neurosciences, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 900 Walnut Street, JHN 418, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
| | - Angelo C Lepore
- Department of Neuroscience, Farber Institute for Neurosciences, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 900 Walnut Street, JHN 418, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States.
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Hayakawa K, Haas C, Fischer I. Examining the properties and therapeutic potential of glial restricted precursors in spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 2016; 11:529-33. [PMID: 27212899 PMCID: PMC4870895 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.180725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the aftermath of spinal cord injury, glial restricted precursors (GRPs) and immature astrocytes offer the potential to modulate the inflammatory environment of the injured spinal cord and promote host axon regeneration. Nevertheless clinical application of cellular therapy for the repair of spinal cord injury requires strict quality-assured protocols for large-scale production and preservation that necessitates long-term in vitro expansion. Importantly, such processes have the potential to alter the phenotypic and functional properties and thus therapeutic potential of these cells. Furthermore, clinical use of cellular therapies may be limited by the inflammatory microenvironment of the injured spinal cord, altering the phenotypic and functional properties of grafted cells. This report simulates the process of large-scale GRP production and demonstrates the permissive properties of GRP following long-term in vitro culture. Furthermore, we defined the phenotypic and functional properties of GRP in the presence of inflammatory factors, and call attention to the importance of the microenvironment of grafted cells, underscoring the importance of modulating the environment of the injured spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuo Hayakawa
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Christopher Haas
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Itzhak Fischer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Seyedhassantehrani N, Li Y, Yao L. Dynamic behaviors of astrocytes in chemically modified fibrin and collagen hydrogels. Integr Biol (Camb) 2016; 8:624-34. [PMID: 27079938 PMCID: PMC4868780 DOI: 10.1039/c6ib00003g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Astrocytes play a critical role in supporting the normal physiological function of neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Astrocyte transplantation can potentially promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Fibrin and collagen hydrogels provide growth-permissive substrates and serve as carriers for therapeutic cell transplantation into an injured spinal cord. However, the application of fibrin and collagen hydrogels may be limited due to their relatively rapid degradation rate in vivo. In this study, immature astrocytes isolated from neonatal rats were grown in fibrin hydrogels containing aprotinin and collagen hydrogels crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol) ether tetrasuccinimidyl glutarate (4S-StarPEG), and the cell behavior in these hydrogels was studied. The cell viability of astrocytes in the hydrogels was tested using the LIVE/DEAD® assay and the AlamarBlue® assay, and this study showed that astrocytes maintained good viability in these hydrogels. The cell migration study showed that astrocytes migrated in the fibrin and collagen hydrogels, and the migration speed is similar in these hydrogels. The crosslinking of collagen hydrogels with 4S-StarPEG did not change the astrocyte migration speed. However, the addition of aprotinin in the fibrin hydrogel inhibited astrocyte migration. The expression of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), including NG2, neurocan, and versican, by astrocytes grown in the hydrogels was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of NG2, neurocan, and versican by the cells in these hydrogels was not significantly different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Negar Seyedhassantehrani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wichita State University, Fairmount 1845, Wichita, KS 67260, USA.
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Doulames VM, Plant GW. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2016; 17:530. [PMID: 27070598 PMCID: PMC4848986 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17040530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical-level injuries account for the majority of presented spinal cord injuries (SCIs) to date. Despite the increase in survival rates due to emergency medicine improvements, overall quality of life remains poor, with patients facing variable deficits in respiratory and motor function. Therapies aiming to ameliorate symptoms and restore function, even partially, are urgently needed. Current therapeutic avenues in SCI seek to increase regenerative capacities through trophic and immunomodulatory factors, provide scaffolding to bridge the lesion site and promote regeneration of native axons, and to replace SCI-lost neurons and glia via intraspinal transplantation. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a clinically viable means to accomplish this; they have no major ethical barriers, sources can be patient-matched and collected using non-invasive methods. In addition, the patient’s own cells can be used to establish a starter population capable of producing multiple cell types. To date, there is only a limited pool of research examining iPSC-derived transplants in SCI—even less research that is specific to cervical injury. The purpose of the review herein is to explore both preclinical and clinical recent advances in iPSC therapies with a detailed focus on cervical spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Doulames
- Stanford Partnership for Spinal Cord Injury and Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive Stanford, California, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Giles W Plant
- Stanford Partnership for Spinal Cord Injury and Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 265 Campus Drive Stanford, California, CA 94305, USA.
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Abstract
…once the development was ended, the founts of growth and regeneration of the axons and dendrites dried up irrevocably. Santiago Ramón y Cajal Cajal's neurotropic theory postulates that the complexity of the nervous system arises from the collaboration of neurotropic signals from neuronal and non-neuronal cells and that once development has ended, a paucity of neurotropic signals means that the pathways of the central nervous system are "fixed, ended, immutable". While the capacity for regeneration and plasticity of the central nervous system may not be quite as paltry as Cajal proposed, regeneration is severely limited in scope as there is no spontaneous regeneration of long-distance projections in mammals and therefore limited opportunity for functional recovery following spinal cord injury. It is not a far stretch from Cajal to hypothesize that reappropriation of the neurotropic programs of development may be an appropriate strategy for reconstitution of injured circuits. It has become clear, however, that a significant number of the molecular cues governing circuit development become re-active after injury and many assume roles that paradoxically obstruct the functional re-wiring of severed neural connections. Therefore, the problem to address is how individual neural circuits respond to specific molecular cues following injury, and what strategies will be necessary for instigating functional repair or remodeling of the injured spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund R Hollis
- Burke Medical Research Institute, White Plains, NY, USA.
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
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Guiding migration of transplanted glial progenitor cells in the injured spinal cord. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22576. [PMID: 26971438 PMCID: PMC4789737 DOI: 10.1038/srep22576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation of glial-restricted progenitors (GRPs) is a promising strategy for generating a supportive environment for axon growth in the injured spinal cord. Here we explored the possibility of producing a migratory stream of GRPs via directional cues to create a supportive pathway for axon regeneration. We found that the axon growth inhibitor chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) strongly inhibited the adhesion and migration of GRPs, an effect that could be modulated by the adhesion molecule laminin. Digesting glycosaminoglycan side chains of CSPG with chondroitinase improved GRP migration on stripes of CSPG printed on cover glass, although GRPs were still responsive to the remaining repulsive signals of CSPG. Of all factors tested, the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) had the most significant effect in promoting the migration of cultured GRPs. When GRPs were transplanted into either normal spinal cord of adult rats or the injury site in a dorsal column hemisection model of spinal cord injury, a population of transplanted cells migrated toward the region that was injected with the lentivirus expressing chondroitinase or bFGF. These findings suggest that removing CSPG-mediated inhibition, in combination with guidance by attractive factors, can be a promising strategy to produce a migratory stream of supportive GRPs.
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Jin Y, Bouyer J, Shumsky JS, Haas C, Fischer I. Transplantation of neural progenitor cells in chronic spinal cord injury. Neuroscience 2016; 320:69-82. [PMID: 26852702 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.01.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated that neural progenitor cells (NPCs) transplanted into a subacute contusion injury improve motor, sensory, and bladder function. In this study we tested whether transplanted NPCs can also improve functional recovery after chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) alone or in combination with the reduction of glial scar and neurotrophic support. Adult rats received a T10 moderate contusion. Thirteen weeks after the injury they were divided into four groups and received either: 1. Medium (control), 2. NPC transplants, 3. NPC+lentivirus vector expressing chondroitinase, or 4. NPC+lentivirus vectors expressing chondroitinase and neurotrophic factors. During the 8 weeks post-transplantation the animals were tested for functional recovery and eventually analyzed by anatomical and immunohistochemical assays. The behavioral tests for motor and sensory function were performed before and after injury, and weekly after transplantation, with some animals also tested for bladder function at the end of the experiment. Transplant survival in the chronic injury model was variable and showed NPCs at the injury site in 60% of the animals in all transplantation groups. The NPC transplants comprised less than 40% of the injury site, without significant anatomical or histological differences among the groups. All groups also showed similar patterns of functional deficits and recovery in the 12 weeks after injury and in the 8 weeks after transplantation using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan rating score, the grid test, and the Von Frey test for mechanical allodynia. A notable exception was group 4 (NPC together with chondroitinase and neurotrophins), which showed a significant improvement in bladder function. This study underscores the therapeutic challenges facing transplantation strategies in a chronic SCI in which even the inclusion of treatments designed to reduce scarring and increase neurotrophic support produce only modest functional improvements. Further studies will have to identify the combination of acute and chronic interventions that will augment the survival and efficacy of neural cell transplants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Jin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19129, United States.
| | - J Bouyer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19129, United States
| | - J S Shumsky
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19129, United States
| | - C Haas
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19129, United States
| | - I Fischer
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19129, United States.
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Dugan EA, Shumsky JS. A combination therapy of neural and glial restricted precursor cells and chronic quipazine treatment paired with passive cycling promotes quipazine-induced stepping in adult spinalized rats. J Spinal Cord Med 2015; 38:792-804. [PMID: 25329574 PMCID: PMC4725813 DOI: 10.1179/2045772314y.0000000274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In order to develop optimal treatments to promote recovery from complete spinal cord injury (SCI), we examined the combination of: (1) a cellular graft of neural and glial restricted precursor (NRP/GRP) cells, (2) passive exercise, and (3) chronic quipazine treatment on behavioral outcomes and compared them with the individual treatment elements. NRP/GRP cells were transplanted at the time of spinalization. METHODS Daily passive exercise began 1 week after injury to give sufficient time for the animals to recover. Chronic quipazine administration began 2 weeks after spinalization to allow for sufficient receptor upregulation permitting the expression of its behavioral effects. Behavioral measures consisted of the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor score and percent of weight-supported steps and hops on a treadmill. RESULTS Rats displayed an increased response to quipazine (BBB ≥ 9) beginning at 8 weeks post-injury in all the animals that received the combination therapy. This increase in BBB score was persistent through the end of the study (12 weeks post-injury). CONCLUSION Unlike the individual treatment groups which never achieved weight support, the combination therapy animals were able to perform uncoordinated weight-supported stepping without a body weight support system while on a moving treadmill (6.5 m per minute) and were capable of supporting their own weight in stance during open field locomotion testing. No regeneration of descending serotonergic projections into and through the lesion cavity was observed. Furthermore, these results are a testament to the capacity of the lumbar spinal cord, when properly stimulated, to sustain functioning locomotor circuitry following complete SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Dugan
- Correspondence to: Elizabeth A. Dugan, University of Miami, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
| | - Jed S. Shumsky
- Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Glial restricted precursors maintain their permissive properties after long-term expansion but not following exposure to pro-inflammatory factors. Brain Res 2015; 1629:113-25. [PMID: 26498878 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2015.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Glial restricted precursors (GRP) are a promising cellular source for transplantation therapy of spinal cord injury (SCI), capable of creating a permissive environment for axonal growth and regeneration. However, there are several issues regarding the nature of their permissive properties that remain unexplored. For example, cellular transplantation strategies for spinal cord repair require the preparation of a large number of cells, but it is unknown whether the permissive properties of GRP are maintained following the process of in vitro expansion. We used rat GRP isolated from the embryonic day 13.5 spinal cord to compare the properties of early (10-20 days) and late (120-140 days) passage GRP. We found that late passage GRP showed comparable effects on neurite outgrowth of adult rat DRG to early passage GRP in both in vitro co-culture and conditioned medium experiments. In addition, to further examine the effects of the inflammatory cascade activated in the aftermath of SCI on the microenvironment, we studied the direct effects of strong inflammatory mediators, Lipopolysaccharide and interferon gamma (LPS and IFNɤ, respectively), on the properties of GRP. We showed that exposure to these pro-inflammatory mediators altered GRP phenotype and attenuated their growth-promoting effects on neurite outgrowth in a dose dependent manner. Taken together, our data suggest that GRP maintain their growth-promoting properties following extensive in vitro passaging and underscore the importance of modulating the inflammatory environment at the injured spinal cord.
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