Metabotropic glutamate receptors regulate differentiation of embryonic stem cells into GABAergic neurons

Glutamate secretion by embryonic stem cells as an autocrine signal to promote proliferation

Glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, has also been found to play a role in embryonic stem (ES) cells. However, the exact mechanism and function of glutamatergic signaling in ES cells remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a glutamatergic transmission circuit in ES cells that operates through an autocrine mechanism and regulates cell proliferation. We performed biological analyses to identify the key components involved in glutamate biosynthesis, packaging for secretion, reaction, and reuptake in ES cells, including glutaminase, vesicular glutamate transporter, glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and cell membrane excitatory amino-acid transporter (EAAT). We directly quantified the released glutamate signal using microdialysis-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MD-HPLC-MS-MS). Pharmacological inhibition of endogenous glutamate release and the resulting tonic activation of NMDA receptors significantly affected ES cell proliferation, suggesting that ES cells establish a glutamatergic autocrine niche via releasing and responding to the transmitter for their own regulation.

Effects of Magnetite Nanoparticles and Static Magnetic Field on Neural Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells

Neurodevelopmental processes of pluripotent cells, such as proliferation and differentiation, are influenced by external natural forces. Despite the presence of biogenic magnetite nanoparticles in the central nervous system and constant exposure to the Earth's magnetic fields and other sources, there is scant knowledge regarding the role of electromagnetic stimuli in neurogenesis. Moreover, emerging applications of electrical and magnetic stimulation to treat neurological disorders emphasize the relevance of understanding the impact and mechanisms behind these stimuli. Here, the effects of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in polymeric coatings and the static external magnetic field (EMF) were investigated on neural induction of murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). The results show that the presence of 0.5% MNPs in collagen-based coatings facilitates the migration and neuronal maturation of mESCs and hiPSCs in vitro. Furthermore, the application of 0.4 Tesla EMF perpendicularly to the cell culture plane, discernibly stimulates proliferation and guide fate decisions of the pluripotent stem cells, depending on the origin of stem cells and their developmental stage. Mechanistic analysis reveals that modulation of ionic homeostasis and the expression of proteins involved in cytostructural, liposomal and cell cycle checkpoint functions provide a principal underpinning for the impact of electromagnetic stimuli on neural lineage specification and proliferation. These findings not only explore the potential of the magnetic stimuli as neural differentiation and function modulator but also highlight the risks that immoderate magnetic stimulation may affect more susceptible neurons, such as dopaminergic neurons.

Glutamate signalling: A multifaceted modulator of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in health and disease

Myelin is essential for the mammalian brain to function efficiently. Whilst many factors have been associated with regulating the differentiation of oligodendroglia and myelination, glutamate signalling might be particularly important for learning-dependent myelination. The majority of myelinated projection neurons are glutamatergic. Oligodendrocyte precursor cells receive glutamatergic synaptic inputs from unmyelinated axons and oligodendrocyte lineage cells express glutamate receptors which enable them to monitor and respond to changes in neuronal activity. Yet, what role glutamate plays for oligodendroglia is not fully understood. Here, we review glutamate signalling and its effects on oligodendrocyte lineage cells, and myelination in health and disease. Furthermore, we discuss whether glutamate signalling between neurons and oligodendroglia might lay the foundation to activity-dependent white matter plasticity. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Oligodendrocytes in Health and Disease'.

G protein-coupled receptors in stem cell maintenance and somatic reprogramming to pluripotent or cancer stem cells

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large class of transmembrane receptors categorized into five distinct families: rhodopsin, secretin, adhesion, glutamate, and frizzled. They bind and regulate 80% of all hormones and account for 20-50% of the pharmaceuticals currently on the market. Hundreds of GPCRs integrate and coordinate the functions of individual cells, mediating signaling between various organs. GPCRs are crucial players in tumor progression, adipogenesis, and inflammation. Several studies have also confirmed their central roles in embryonic development and stem cell maintenance. Recently, GPCRs have emerged as key players in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, migration, and self-renewal in pluripotent (PSCs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs). Our study and other reports have revealed that the expression of many GPCRs is modulated during the generation of induced PSCs (iPSCs) or CSCs as well as during CSC sphere formation. These GPCRs may have crucial roles in the regulation of selfrenewal and other biological properties of iPSCs and CSCs. This review addresses the current understanding of the role of GPCRs in stem cell maintenance and somatic reprogramming to PSCs or CSCs.

Overstimulation of glutamate signals leads to hippocampal transcriptional plasticity in hamsters

It's known that neurons in mammalian hibernators are more tolerant to hypoxia than those in non-hibernating species and as a consequence animals are capable of awakening from the arousal state without exhibiting cerebral damages. In addition, evidences have suggested that euthermic hamster neurons display protective adaptations against hypoxia, while those of rats are not capable, even though molecular mechanisms involved in similar neuroprotective strategies have not been yet fully studied. In the present work, overstimulation of glutamatergic receptors NMDA recognized as one of the major death-promoting element in hypoxia, accounted for altered network complexity consistent with a moderate reduction of hippocampal neuronal survival (p < 0.05) in hamsters. These alterations appeared to be featured concomitantly with altered glutamatergic signaling as indicated by significant down-regulation (p < 0.01) of NMDAergic (NR2A) and AMPAergic (GluR1, R2) receptor subtypes together with the metabotropic mGluR5 subtype. Diminished mRNA levels were also reported for NMDA receptor binding factors and namely PSD95 plus DREAM, which exert positive and negative regulatory properties, respectively, on receptor trafficking events. Conversely, involvement of glutamatergic signaling systems on neuronal excitotoxicity was strengthened by the co-activation of GABAAR-mediated effects as indicated by toxic morphological effects being notably reduced along with up-regulated GluR1, GluR2, mGluR5, DREAM, and Homer1c scaffold proteins when muscimol was added. Overall, these results point to a neuroprotective role of the GABAergic system against excitotoxicity episodes via DREAM-dependent inhibition of NMDA receptor and activation of AMPA receptor plus mGluR5, respectively, thus proposing them as novel therapeutic targets against cerebral ischemic damages in humans.

Over-expression of Mash1 improves the GABAergic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been shown to be a promising cell type for the study of neuronal differentiation; however, few attempts had been made to differentiate these cells into inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons. In this study, we over-expressed mammalian achaete-scute homologue-1 (Mash1), a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor, in Sprague-Dawley rat BMSCs via lentiviral vectors, and then induced neuronal differentiation of these cells using conditioned medium. Our Western blot results show that, under conditions of differentiation, Mash1-overexpressing BMSCs exhibit an increased expression of neuronal markers and a greater degree of neuronal morphology compared to control, non-Mash1-overexpressing cells. Using immunocytochemistry, we observed increased expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67), as well as neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and β3-tubulin, in Mash1-overexpressing BMSCs compared to control cells. Moreover, we also found the differentiated cells showed representative traces of action potentials in electrophysiological characterization. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that over-expression of Mash1 can improve GABAergic differentiation of BMSCs in vitro.

GPCRs in stem cell function

Many tissues of the body cannot only repair themselves, but also self-renew, a property mainly due to stem cells and the various mechanisms that regulate their behavior. Stem cell biology is a relatively new field. While advances are slowly being realized, stem cells possess huge potential to ameliorate disease and counteract the aging process, causing its speculation as the next panacea. Amidst public pressure to advance rapidly to clinical trials, there is a need to understand the biology of stem cells and to support basic research programs. Without a proper comprehension of how cells and tissues are maintained during the adult life span, clinical trials are bound to fail. This review will cover the basic biology of stem cells, the various types of stem cells, their potential function, and the advantages and disadvantages to their use in medicine. We will next cover the role of G protein-coupled receptors in the regulation of stem cells and their potential in future clinical applications.

Positive Allosteric Modulator of mGluR4 PHCCC Exhibits Proconvulsant Action in Three Models of Epileptic Seizures in Immature Rats

The activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors subtype 4 (mGluR4) potentiates models of absence seizures in adult rats. These seizures are age-dependent, but data concerning the role of mGluR4 in immature brain is insufficient. N-phenyl-7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1acarboxamide (PHCCC), which is a positive allosteric modulator of these receptors, was used in three different models of seizures in immature rats: 1) convulsions induced by high doses of pentetrazol (PTZ; a model of generalised tonic-clonic seizures); 2) rhythmic electro-encephalographic (EEG) activity induced by low doses of PTZ (a model of absence seizures); and 3) electrically elicited cortical afterdischarges (ADs, a model of myoclonic seizures). We administered four doses of PHCCC (1, 3, 10 and 20 mg/kg) in PTZ-induced convulsions and two doses (3 and 10 mg/kg) in the two electrophysiological models of freely moving rats with implanted electrodes. Every dose and age group consisted from 8 to 10 rats. PTZ-elicited convulsions were not significantly influenced by PHCCC. In contrast, PHCCC potentiated the effect of a subconvulsant dose (60 mg/kg) of PTZ. The 10-mg/kg dose of PHCCC significantly prolonged the duration of PTZ-induced rhythmic activity episodes and shortened the intervals between individual episodes in 25-day-old rats (P25). In contrast, this potentiation was not seen in P18 rats. Cortical ADs were significantly prolonged with repeated stimulations by both doses of PHCCC in P12 and P18 animals. P25 rats exhibited only slightly longer AD durations. In conclusion, we did not find any anticonvulsant effect of PHCCC. On the contrary, proconvulsant action was demonstrated in all three models in immature rats.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) regulates proliferation and differentiation of neuronal progenitors in the developmental hippocampus

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) is involved in neural stem cell self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation and survival. In this study, we aimed to further determine the role of mGluR5 in the development of hippocampus using mGluR5 deficit (mGluR5(-/-)) and wild type (mGluR5(+/+)) mice at different developmental ages. We showed that the number of BrdU, NeuroD and DCX immunopositive cells was reduced significantly in mGluR5(-/-) than in mGluR5(+/+) mice from postnatal 7 days (P7) to P28, but not at P60. The length and intensity of DCX immunopositive apical dendrites in the dentate gyrus of mGluR5(-/-) mice were much shorter and lower than in mGluR5(+/+) mice respectively at P14, P21 and P28. NeuN immunostaining indicated an accelerated maturation of hippocampal neurons in mGluR5(-/-) mice. When mGluR5(+/+) mice were treated with 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine (MPEP), a selective antagonist of mGluR5, decreased proliferation of progenitor cells was observed in the hippocampus at early postnatal developmental stages. At P14, there were more BrdU(+) cells in the stratum granulosum and subgranular layer of the dentate gyrus in mGluR5(+/+) than in mGluR5(-/-) mice, but the percentage of BrdU(+)+NeuroD(+)/BrdU(+) in the dentate gyrus did not change significantly between the two genotypes of mice. Western Blot study suggested that programmed neuronal death was p53-dependent apoptosis in the developmental hippocampus in mGluR5(+/+) mice.

Phenazopyridine induces and synchronizes neuronal differentiation of embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are powerful tools to understand mechanisms of neuronal differentiation and to engineer neurons for in vitro studies and cell therapy. We developed a screening approach to identify small organic molecules driving neuronal differentiation of ES cells. For this purpose, we used a lentivector carrying a dual luciferase reporter system to engineer an ES cell line which allowed us to screen for small organic molecules enhancing neuronal differentiation. One of them, phenazopyridine, was further analysed in human ES cells. Phenazopyridine: (i) enhanced neuronal differentiation, (ii) increased cell survival, (iii) decreased the amount of non-neuronal and undifferentiated cells and (iv) synchronized the cellular differentiation state. Phenazopyridine allowed the development of a differentiation protocol compatible with the generation of clinical grade neural precursors, which were able differentiate into different neuronal subtypes, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. In summary, we describe a powerful approach to identify small molecules directing stem cell differentiation. This led to the establishment of a new application for an old drug and the development of a novel clinical grade protocol for neuronal differentiation of ES cells.

Regulation of stem cell pluripotency and differentiation by G protein coupled receptors

Stem cell-based therapeutics have the potential to effectively treat many terminal and debilitating human diseases, but the mechanisms by which their growth and differentiation are regulated are incompletely defined. Recent data from multiple systems suggest major roles for G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways in regulating stem cell function in vivo and in vitro. The goal of this review is to illustrate common ground between the growing field of stem cell therapeutics and the long-established field of G protein coupled receptor signaling. Herein, we briefly introduce basic stem cell biology and discuss how several conserved pathways regulate pluripotency and differentiation in mouse and human stem cells. We further discuss general mechanisms by which GPCR signaling may impact these pluripotency and differentiation pathways, and summarize specific examples of receptors from each of the major GPCR subfamilies that have been shown to regulate stem cell function. Finally, we discuss possible therapeutic implications of GPCR regulation of stem cell function.

Recent advancements in stem cell and gene therapies for neurological disorders and intractable epilepsy

The potential applications of stem cell therapies for treating neurological disorders are enormous. Many laboratories are focusing on stem cell treatments for CNS diseases, including spinal cord injury, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and epilepsy. Among the many stem cell types under testing for neurological treatments, the most common are fetal and adult brain stem cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. An expanding toolbox of molecular probes is now available to allow analyses of neural stem cell fates prior to and after transplantation. Concomitantly, protocols are being developed to direct the fates of stem cell-derived neural progenitors, and also to screen stem cells for tumorigenicity and aneuploidy. The rapid progress in the field suggests that novel stem cell and gene therapies for neurological disorders are in the pipeline.