Generation and characterization of the human induced pluripotent stem cell line NMIi010-A from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a healthy 49-year old male individual

Aberrant neuronal connectivity and network activity of neurons derived from patients with idiopathic schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a psychiatric disorder with a strong genetic determinant. A major hypothesis to explain disease aetiology comprises synaptic dysfunction associated with excitatory-inhibitory imbalance of synaptic transmission, ultimately contributing to impaired network oscillation and cognitive deficits associated with the disease. Here, we studied the morphological and functional properties of a highly defined co-culture of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from patients with idiopathic SCZ. Our results indicate upregulation of synaptic genes and increased excitatory synapse formation on GABAergic neurons in co-cultures. In parallel, we observed decreased lengths of axon initial segments, concordant with data from postmortem brains from patients with SCZ. In line with increased synapse density, patch-clamp analyses revealed markedly increased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSC) recorded from GABAergic SCZ neurons. Finally, MEA recordings from neuronal networks indicate increased strength of network activity, potentially in response to altered synaptic transmission and E-I balance in the co-cultures. In conclusion, our results suggest selective deregulation of neuronal activity in SCZ samples, providing evidence for altered synapse formation and synaptic transmission as a potential base for aberrant network synchronization.

Establishment of Four Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines from CD34+ Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells from a Patient Diagnosed with an Invasive Lobular Mammary Carcinoma

CD34+ cells were isolated from peripheral blood of a breast cancer patient. By the introduction of five integration-free episomal vectors, the CD34+ cells were successfully reprogrammed and resulted in four iPSC clones. Flow Cytometry, reverse transcriptase PCR and immunocytochemistry confirm a robust expression of pluripotency factors and the concomitant loss of exogenous reprogramming plasmids. The maintenance of genomic integrity was confirmed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization and iPSCs harbored the capacity to differentiate into all three germ layers. Here, we present the generation and characterization of four iPSC lines that will find application in the field of breast cancer research.