1
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Dai Y, Idorn M, Serrero MC, Pan X, Thomsen EA, Narita R, Maimaitili M, Qian X, Iversen MB, Reinert LS, Flygaard RK, Chen M, Ding X, Zhang BC, Carter-Timofte ME, Lu Q, Jiang Z, Zhong Y, Zhang S, Da L, Zhu J, Denham M, Nissen P, Mogensen TH, Mikkelsen JG, Zhang SY, Casanova JL, Cai Y, Paludan SR. TMEFF1 is a neuron-specific restriction factor for herpes simplex virus. Nature 2024; 632:383-389. [PMID: 39048823 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07670-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The brain is highly sensitive to damage caused by infection and inflammation1,2. Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a neurotropic virus and the cause of herpes simplex encephalitis3. It is unknown whether neuron-specific antiviral factors control virus replication to prevent infection and excessive inflammatory responses, hence protecting the brain. Here we identify TMEFF1 as an HSV-1 restriction factor using genome-wide CRISPR screening. TMEFF1 is expressed specifically in neurons of the central nervous system and is not regulated by type I interferon, the best-known innate antiviral system controlling virus infections. Depletion of TMEFF1 in stem-cell-derived human neurons led to elevated viral replication and neuronal death following HSV-1 infection. TMEFF1 blocked the HSV-1 replication cycle at the level of viral entry through interactions with nectin-1 and non-muscle myosin heavy chains IIA and IIB, which are core proteins in virus-cell binding and virus-cell fusion, respectively4-6. Notably, Tmeff1-/- mice exhibited increased susceptibility to HSV-1 infection in the brain but not in the periphery. Within the brain, elevated viral load was observed specifically in neurons. Our study identifies TMEFF1 as a neuron-specific restriction factor essential for prevention of HSV-1 replication in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Dai
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Manja Idorn
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Manutea C Serrero
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Xiaoyong Pan
- Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing (Ministry of Education), Institute of Image Processing and Pattern Recognition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Emil A Thomsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ryo Narita
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Muyesier Maimaitili
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Xiaoqing Qian
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Marie B Iversen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Line S Reinert
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rasmus K Flygaard
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Muwan Chen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Xiangning Ding
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bao-Cun Zhang
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Madalina E Carter-Timofte
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Qing Lu
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuofan Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiye Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuhui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lintai Da
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinwei Zhu
- Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Bio-X Institutes, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mark Denham
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Poul Nissen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Trine H Mogensen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jacob Giehm Mikkelsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Shen-Ying Zhang
- University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jean-Laurent Casanova
- University of Paris, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
- St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Human Genetics of Infectious Diseases, INSERM U1163, Necker Hospital for Sick Children, Paris, France
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yujia Cai
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Søren R Paludan
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Center for Immunology of Viral Infections, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden.
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2
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Renaux E, Baudouin C, Marchese D, Clovis Y, Lee SK, Gofflot F, Rezsohazy R, Clotman F. Lhx4 surpasses its paralog Lhx3 in promoting the differentiation of spinal V2a interneurons. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:286. [PMID: 38970652 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05316-x] [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: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Paralog factors are considered to ensure the robustness of biological processes by providing redundant activity in cells where they are co-expressed. However, the specific contribution of each factor is frequently underestimated. In the developing spinal cord, multiple families of transcription factors successively contribute to differentiate an initially homogenous population of neural progenitors into a myriad of neuronal subsets with distinct molecular, morphological, and functional characteristics. The LIM-homeodomain transcription factors Lhx3, Lhx4, Isl1 and Isl2 promote the segregation and differentiation of spinal motor neurons and V2 interneurons. Based on their high sequence identity and their similar distribution, the Lhx3 and Lhx4 paralogs are considered to contribute similarly to these processes. However, the specific contribution of Lhx4 has never been studied. Here, we provide evidence that Lhx3 and Lhx4 are present in the same cell populations during spinal cord development. Similarly to Lhx3, Lhx4 can form multiproteic complexes with Isl1 or Isl2 and the nuclear LIM interactor NLI. Lhx4 can stimulate a V2-specific enhancer more efficiently than Lhx3 and surpasses Lhx3 in promoting the differentiation of V2a interneurons in chicken embryo electroporation experiments. Finally, Lhx4 inactivation in mice results in alterations of differentiation of the V2a subpopulation, but not of motor neuron production, suggesting that Lhx4 plays unique roles in V2a differentiation that are not compensated by the presence of Lhx3. Thus, Lhx4 could be the major LIM-HD factor involved in V2a interneuron differentiation during spinal cord development and should be considered for in vitro differentiation of spinal neuronal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Renaux
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Baudouin
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Damien Marchese
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
| | - Yoanne Clovis
- Pediatric Neuroscience Research Program, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Soo-Kyung Lee
- Pediatric Neuroscience Research Program, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Françoise Gofflot
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
| | - René Rezsohazy
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium
| | - Frédéric Clotman
- Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium.
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, 1200, Belgium.
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3
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Ozkan A, Padmanabhan HK, Shipman SL, Azim E, Kumar P, Sadegh C, Basak AN, Macklis JD. Directed differentiation of functional corticospinal-like neurons from endogenous SOX6+/NG2+ cortical progenitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.21.590488. [PMID: 38712174 PMCID: PMC11071355 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.21.590488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Corticospinal neurons (CSN) centrally degenerate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), along with spinal motor neurons, and loss of voluntary motor function in spinal cord injury (SCI) results from damage to CSN axons. For functional regeneration of specifically affected neuronal circuitry in vivo , or for optimally informative disease modeling and/or therapeutic screening in vitro , it is important to reproduce the type or subtype of neurons involved. No such appropriate in vitro models exist with which to investigate CSN selective vulnerability and degeneration in ALS, or to investigate routes to regeneration of CSN circuitry for ALS or SCI, critically limiting the relevance of much research. Here, we identify that the HMG-domain transcription factor Sox6 is expressed by a subset of NG2+ endogenous cortical progenitors in postnatal and adult cortex, and that Sox6 suppresses a latent neurogenic program by repressing inappropriate proneural Neurog2 expression by progenitors. We FACS-purify these genetically accessible progenitors from postnatal mouse cortex and establish a pure culture system to investigate their potential for directed differentiation into CSN. We then employ a multi-component construct with complementary and differentiation-sharpening transcriptional controls (activating Neurog2, Fezf2 , while antagonizing Olig2 with VP16:Olig2 ). We generate corticospinal-like neurons from SOX6+/NG2+ cortical progenitors, and find that these neurons differentiate with remarkable fidelity compared with corticospinal neurons in vivo . They possess appropriate morphological, molecular, transcriptomic, and electrophysiological characteristics, without characteristics of the alternate intracortical or other neuronal subtypes. We identify that these critical specifics of differentiation are not reproduced by commonly employed Neurog2 -driven differentiation. Neurons induced by Neurog2 instead exhibit aberrant multi-axon morphology and express molecular hallmarks of alternate cortical projection subtypes, often in mixed form. Together, this developmentally-based directed differentiation from genetically accessible cortical progenitors sets a precedent and foundation for in vitro mechanistic and therapeutic disease modeling, and toward regenerative neuronal repopulation and circuit repair.
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4
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Xu DC, Sas-Nowosielska H, Donahue G, Huang H, Pourshafie N, Good CR, Berger SL. Histone acetylation in an Alzheimer's disease cell model promotes homeostatic amyloid-reducing pathways. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:3. [PMID: 38167174 PMCID: PMC10759377 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01696-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a disorder characterized by cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Dysregulation of epigenetic histone modifications may lead to expression of transcriptional programs that play a role either in protecting against disease genesis or in worsening of disease pathology. One such histone modification, acetylation of histone H3 lysine residue 27 (H3K27ac), is primarily localized to genomic enhancer regions and promotes active gene transcription. We previously discovered H3K27ac to be more abundant in AD patient brain tissue compared to the brains of age-matched non-demented controls. In this study, we use iPSC-neurons derived from familial AD patients with an amyloid precursor protein (APP) duplication (APPDup neurons) as a model to study the functional effect of lowering CBP/P300 enzymes that catalyze H3K27ac. We found that homeostatic amyloid-reducing genes were upregulated in the APPDup neurons compared to non-demented controls. We lowered CBP/P300 to reduce H3K27ac, which led to decreased expression of numerous of these homeostatic amyloid-reducing genes, along with increased extracellular secretion of a toxic amyloid-β species, Aβ(1-42). Our findings suggest that epigenomic histone acetylation, including H3K27ac, drives expression of compensatory genetic programs in response to AD-associated insults, specifically those resulting from APP duplication, and thus may play a role in mitigating AD pathology in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Xu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Hanna Sas-Nowosielska
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Greg Donahue
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Hua Huang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Naemeh Pourshafie
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Charly R Good
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Shelley L Berger
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine Philadelphia, Penn Institute of Epigenetics, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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5
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Stolzenburg LR, Esmaeeli S, Kulkarni AS, Murphy E, Kwon T, Preiss C, Bahnassawy L, Stender JD, Manos JD, Reinhardt P, Rahimov F, Waring JF, Ramathal CY. Functional characterization of a single nucleotide polymorphism associated with Alzheimer's disease in a hiPSC-based neuron model. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291029. [PMID: 37751459 PMCID: PMC10521995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases encompass a group of debilitating conditions resulting from progressive nerve cell death. Of these, Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs most frequently, but is currently incurable and has limited treatment success. Late onset AD, the most common form, is highly heritable but is caused by a combination of non-genetic risk factors and many low-effect genetic variants whose disease-causing mechanisms remain unclear. By mining the FinnGen study database of phenome-wide association studies, we identified a rare variant, rs148726219, enriched in the Finnish population that is associated with AD risk and dementia, and appears to have arisen on a common haplotype with older AD-associated variants such as rs429358. The rs148726219 variant lies in an overlapping intron of the FosB proto-oncogene (FOSB) and ERCC excision repair 1 (ERCC1) genes. To understand the impact of this SNP on disease phenotypes, we performed CRISPR/Cas9 editing in a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line to generate isogenic clones harboring heterozygous and homozygous alleles of rs148726219. hiPSC clones differentiated into induced excitatory neurons (iNs) did not exhibit detectable molecular or morphological variation in differentiation potential compared to isogenic controls. However, global transcriptome analysis showed differential regulation of nearby genes and upregulation of several biological pathways related to neuronal function, particularly synaptogenesis and calcium signaling, specifically in mature iNs harboring rs148726219 homozygous and heterozygous alleles. Functional differences in iN circuit maturation as measured by calcium imaging were observed across genotypes. Edited mature iNs also displayed downregulation of unfolded protein response and cell death pathways. This study implicates a phenotypic impact of rs148726219 in the context of mature neurons, consistent with its identification in late onset AD, and underscores a hiPSC-based experimental model to functionalize GWAS-identified variants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sahar Esmaeeli
- AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | | | - Erin Murphy
- AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Taekyung Kwon
- AbbVie, Cambridge Research Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Christina Preiss
- AbbVie, Cambridge Research Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lamiaa Bahnassawy
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Discovery, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | | | - Justine D. Manos
- AbbVie, Cambridge Research Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Peter Reinhardt
- AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Neuroscience Discovery, Knollstrasse, Ludwigshafen, Germany
| | - Fedik Rahimov
- AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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6
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Ahmed M, Muffat J, Li Y. Understanding neural development and diseases using CRISPR screens in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cultures. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1158373. [PMID: 37101616 PMCID: PMC10123288 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1158373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain is arguably the most complex part of the human body in form and function. Much remains unclear about the molecular mechanisms that regulate its normal and pathological physiology. This lack of knowledge largely stems from the inaccessible nature of the human brain, and the limitation of animal models. As a result, brain disorders are difficult to understand and even more difficult to treat. Recent advances in generating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs)-derived 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) neural cultures have provided an accessible system to model the human brain. Breakthroughs in gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 further elevate the hPSCs into a genetically tractable experimental system. Powerful genetic screens, previously reserved for model organisms and transformed cell lines, can now be performed in human neural cells. Combined with the rapidly expanding single-cell genomics toolkit, these technological advances culminate to create an unprecedented opportunity to study the human brain using functional genomics. This review will summarize the current progress of applying CRISPR-based genetic screens in hPSCs-derived 2D neural cultures and 3D brain organoids. We will also evaluate the key technologies involved and discuss their related experimental considerations and future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Ahmed
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julien Muffat
- Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yun Li
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Yun Li,
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7
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Elder N, Fattahi F, McDevitt TC, Zholudeva LV. Diseased, differentiated and difficult: Strategies for improved engineering of in vitro neurological systems. Front Cell Neurosci 2022; 16:962103. [PMID: 36238834 PMCID: PMC9550918 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2022.962103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapidly growing field of cellular engineering is enabling scientists to more effectively create in vitro models of disease and develop specific cell types that can be used to repair damaged tissue. In particular, the engineering of neurons and other components of the nervous system is at the forefront of this field. The methods used to engineer neural cells can be largely divided into systems that undergo directed differentiation through exogenous stimulation (i.e., via small molecules, arguably following developmental pathways) and those that undergo induced differentiation via protein overexpression (i.e., genetically induced and activated; arguably bypassing developmental pathways). Here, we highlight the differences between directed differentiation and induced differentiation strategies, how they can complement one another to generate specific cell phenotypes, and impacts of each strategy on downstream applications. Continued research in this nascent field will lead to the development of improved models of neurological circuits and novel treatments for those living with neurological injury and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Elder
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Faranak Fattahi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Todd C. McDevitt
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Sana Biotechnology, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Lyandysha V. Zholudeva
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Lyandysha V. Zholudeva,
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8
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Nishimura K, Nitta T, Doi K, Takata K. Rapid conversion of human induced pluripotent stem cells into dopaminergic neurons by inducible expression of two transcription factors. Stem Cells Dev 2022; 31:269-277. [PMID: 35420042 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2021.0363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provide promising sources for regenerative therapy, disease modeling, and drug screening. Relevant efforts have been invested in establishing robust induction protocols for PSC-derived dopaminergic (DA) neuron generation by mimicking brain development-related signaling pathways. However, these protocols require fully trained techniques and a long time to yield mature DA neurons. In this study, to accelerate the entire process, we generated a hiPSC line differentiating into DA neurons by the inducible force expression of two transcription factors ASCL1 and LMX1A. Using this hiPSC line, we established a rapid and simple induction protocol to generate mature DA neurons in 28 days. The induced DA neurons were characterized by gene expression and immunohistochemical analyses of fundamental DA neuronal markers. Moreover, the cell functional properties were analyzed by a multielectrode array system on day 28. This resource offers future applications for high-throughput screening, such as drug development and toxicology that require highly validated DA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaneyasu Nishimura
- Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 12916, Kyoto, Japan.,Doshisha University, 12757, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan;
| | - Tatsumi Nitta
- Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 12916, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan;
| | - Keisuke Doi
- Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 12916, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan;
| | - Kazuyuki Takata
- Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 12916, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan;
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9
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Acute and Delayed Effects of Mechanical Injury on Calcium Homeostasis and Mitochondrial Potential of Primary Neuroglial Cell Culture: Potential Causal Contributions to Post-Traumatic Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073858. [PMID: 35409216 PMCID: PMC8998891 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In vitro models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) help to elucidate the pathological mechanisms responsible for cell dysfunction and death. To simulate in vitro the mechanical brain trauma, primary neuroglial cultures were scratched during different periods of network formation. Fluorescence microscopy was used to measure changes in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm) a few minutes later and on days 3 and 7 after scratching. An increase in [Ca2+]i and a decrease in ΔΨm were observed ~10 s after the injury in cells located no further than 150–200 µm from the scratch border. Ca2+ entry into cells during mechanical damage of the primary neuroglial culture occurred predominantly through the NMDA-type glutamate ionotropic channels. MK801, an inhibitor of this type of glutamate receptor, prevented an acute increase in [Ca2+]i in 99% of neurons. Pathological changes in calcium homeostasis persisted in the primary neuroglial culture for one week after injury. Active cell migration in the scratch area occurred on day 11 after neurotrauma and was accompanied by a decrease in the ratio of live to dead cells in the areas adjacent to the injury. Immunohistochemical staining of glial fibrillary acidic protein and β-III tubulin showed that neuronal cells migrated to the injured area earlier than glial cells, but their repair potential was insufficient for survival. Mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and a drop in ΔΨm may cause delayed neuronal death and thus play a key role in the development of the post-traumatic syndrome. Preventing prolonged ΔΨm depolarization may be a promising therapeutic approach to improve neuronal survival after traumatic brain injury.
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10
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Hulme AJ, Maksour S, St-Clair Glover M, Miellet S, Dottori M. Making neurons, made easy: The use of Neurogenin-2 in neuronal differentiation. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 17:14-34. [PMID: 34971564 PMCID: PMC8758946 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Directed neuronal differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), neural progenitors, or fibroblasts using transcription factors has allowed for the rapid and highly reproducible differentiation of mature and functional neurons. Exogenous expression of the transcription factor Neurogenin-2 (NGN2) has been widely used to generate different populations of neurons, which have been used in neurodevelopment studies, disease modeling, drug screening, and neuronal replacement therapies. Could NGN2 be a “one-glove-fits-all” approach for neuronal differentiations? This review summarizes the cellular roles of NGN2 and describes the applications and limitations of using NGN2 for the rapid and directed differentiation of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J Hulme
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Simon Maksour
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Mitchell St-Clair Glover
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Sara Miellet
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Mirella Dottori
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Molecular Horizons, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
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11
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Park Y, Chung TS, Lee G, Rogers JA. Materials Chemistry of Neural Interface Technologies and Recent Advances in Three-Dimensional Systems. Chem Rev 2021; 122:5277-5316. [PMID: 34739219 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Advances in materials chemistry and engineering serve as the basis for multifunctional neural interfaces that span length scales from individual neurons to neural networks, neural tissues, and complete neural systems. Such technologies exploit electrical, electrochemical, optical, and/or pharmacological modalities in sensing and neuromodulation for fundamental studies in neuroscience research, with additional potential to serve as routes for monitoring and treating neurodegenerative diseases and for rehabilitating patients. This review summarizes the essential role of chemistry in this field of research, with an emphasis on recently published results and developing trends. The focus is on enabling materials in diverse device constructs, including their latest utilization in 3D bioelectronic frameworks formed by 3D printing, self-folding, and mechanically guided assembly. A concluding section highlights key challenges and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoonseok Park
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Ted S Chung
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Geumbee Lee
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - John A Rogers
- Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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12
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Lin HC, He Z, Ebert S, Schörnig M, Santel M, Nikolova MT, Weigert A, Hevers W, Kasri NN, Taverna E, Camp JG, Treutlein B. NGN2 induces diverse neuron types from human pluripotency. Stem Cell Reports 2021; 16:2118-2127. [PMID: 34358451 PMCID: PMC8452516 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2021.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Human neurons engineered from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through neurogenin 2 (NGN2) overexpression are widely used to study neuronal differentiation mechanisms and to model neurological diseases. However, the differentiation paths and heterogeneity of emerged neurons have not been fully explored. Here, we used single-cell transcriptomics to dissect the cell states that emerge during NGN2 overexpression across a time course from pluripotency to neuron functional maturation. We find a substantial molecular heterogeneity in the neuron types generated, with at least two populations that express genes associated with neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Neuron heterogeneity is observed across multiple iPSC clones and lines from different individuals. We find that neuron fate acquisition is sensitive to NGN2 expression level and the duration of NGN2-forced expression. Our data reveal that NGN2 dosage can regulate neuron fate acquisition, and that NGN2-iN heterogeneity can confound results that are sensitive to neuron type. NGN2-iNs are molecularly heterogeneous NGN2-iNs subtypes have signatures of central and peripheral nervous system Neural fate acquisition is sensitive to the level and duration of NGN2 expression
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiu-Chuan Lin
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Zhisong He
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sebastian Ebert
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria Schörnig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Malgorzata Santel
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marina T Nikolova
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anne Weigert
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wulf Hevers
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nael Nadif Kasri
- Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Elena Taverna
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Human Technopole, Milan, Italy
| | - J Gray Camp
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Barbara Treutlein
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.
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13
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Song S, Ashok A, Williams D, Kaufman M, Duff K, Sproul A. Efficient Derivation of Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Stably Expressing Direct Reprogramming Factors. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e141. [PMID: 34102035 PMCID: PMC8191582 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
It is essential to generate isolated populations of human neuronal subtypes in order to understand cell-type-specific roles in brain function and susceptibility to disease pathology. Here we describe a protocol for in-parallel generation of cortical glutamatergic (excitatory) and GABAergic (inhibitory) neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) by using the neurogenic transcription factors Ngn2 and a combination of Ascl1 and Dlx2, respectively. In contrast to the majority of neural transdifferentiation protocols that use transient lentiviral infection, the use of stable hPSC lines carrying doxycycline-inducible transcription factors allows neuronal differentiation to be initiated by addition of doxycycline and neural medium. This article presents a method to generate lentivirus from cultured mammalian cells and establish stable transcription factor-expressing cell lines (Basic Protocol 1), followed by a method for monolayer excitatory and inhibitory neuronal differentiation from the established lines (Basic Protocol 2). The resulting neurons reproducibly exhibit properties consistent with human cortical neurons, including the expected morphologies, expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic genes, and functional properties. Our approach enables the scalable and rapid production of human neurons suitable for modeling human brain diseases in a subtype-specific manner and examination of differential cellular vulnerability. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Lentivirus production and generation of stable hPSC lines Support Protocol 1: Expansion and maintenance of hPSCs Basic Protocol 2: Differentiation of EX- and IN-neurons Support Protocol 2: Experimental methods for validation of EX- and IN-neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saera Song
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Archana Ashok
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Damian Williams
- Institute for Genomic Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Maria Kaufman
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Karen Duff
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- Current address: UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Sproul
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
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