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Bramwell LR, Gould SJ, Davies M, McMullan C, Trusler EC, Harries LW. An Evaluation of the Replacement of Animal-derived Biomaterials in Human Primary Cell Culture. Altern Lab Anim 2024:2611929241269004. [PMID: 39121342 DOI: 10.1177/02611929241269004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/11/2024]
Abstract
The likelihood that potential new drugs will successfully navigate the current translational pipeline is poor, with fewer than 10% of drug candidates making this transition successfully, even after their entry into clinical trials. Prior to this stage, candidate drugs are typically evaluated by using models of increasing complexity, beginning with basic in vitro cell culture studies and progressing through to animal studies, where many of these candidates are lost due to lack of efficacy or toxicology concerns. There are many reasons for this poor translation, but interspecies differences in functional and physiological parameters undoubtedly contribute to the problem. Improving the human-relevance of early preclinical in vitro models may help translatability, especially when targeting more nuanced species-specific cell processes. The aim of the current study was to define a set of guidelines for the effective transition of human primary cells of multiple lineages to more physiologically relevant, translatable, animal-free in vitro culture conditions. Animal-derived biomaterials (ADBs) were systematically replaced with non-animal-derived alternatives in the in vitro cell culture systems, and the impact of the substitutions subsequently assessed by comparing the kinetics and phenotypes of the cultured cells. ADBs were successfully eliminated from primary human dermal fibroblast, uterine fibroblast, pulmonary fibroblast, retinal endothelial cell and peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture systems, and the individual requirements of each cell subtype were defined to ensure the successful transition toward growth under animal-free culture conditions. We demonstrate that it is possible to transition ('humanise') a diverse set of human primary cell types by following a set of simple overarching principles that inform the selection, and guide the evaluation of new, improved, human-relevant in vitro culture conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R Bramwell
- RNA-Mediated Mechanisms of Disease Group, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Samantha J Gould
- RNA-Mediated Mechanisms of Disease Group, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Merlin Davies
- RNA-Mediated Mechanisms of Disease Group, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Conor McMullan
- Islet Biology Group (IBEx), Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Emily C Trusler
- Technical Services, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Lorna W Harries
- RNA-Mediated Mechanisms of Disease Group, Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Böswald LF, Popper B, Matzek D, Neuhaus K, Wenderlein J. Characterization of the gastrointestinal microbiome of the Syrian hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) and comparison to data from mice. FEBS Open Bio 2024. [PMID: 39097990 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) have been increasingly used as rodent models in recent years, especially for SARS-CoV-2 since the pandemic. However, the physiology of this animal model is not yet well-understood, even less when considering the digestive tract. Generally, the gastrointestinal microbiome influences the immune system, drug metabolism, and vaccination efficacy. However, a detailed understanding of the gastrointestinal microbiome of hamsters is missing. Therefore, we analyzed 10 healthy 11-week-old RjHan:AURA hamsters fed a pelleted standard diet. Their gastrointestinal content was sampled (i.e., forestomach, glandular stomach, ileum, cecum, and colon) and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results displayed a distinct difference in the bacterial community before and after the cecum, possibly due to the available nutrients and digestive functions. Next, we compared hamsters with the literature data of young-adult C57BL/6J mice, another important animal model. We sampled the same gastrointestinal regions and analyzed the differences in the microbiome between both rodents. Surprisingly, we found strong differences in their specific gastrointestinal bacterial communities. For instance, Lactobacillaceae were more abundant in hamsters' forestomach and ileum, while Muribaculaceae dominated in the mouse forestomach and ileum. Similarly, in mouse cecum and colon, Muribaculaceae were dominant, while in hamsters, Lachnospiraceae and Erysipelotrichaceae dominated the bacterial community. Molecular strains of Muribaculaceae in both rodent species displayed some species specificity. This comparison allows a better understanding of the suitability of the Syrian hamster as an animal model, especially regarding its comparability to other rodent models. Thereby, this work contributes to the characterization of the hamster model and allows better experimental planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda F Böswald
- Core Facility Animal Models, Biomedical Center, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Bastian Popper
- Core Facility Animal Models, Biomedical Center, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Dana Matzek
- Core Facility Animal Models, Biomedical Center, Medical Faculty, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Klaus Neuhaus
- Core Facility Microbiome, ZIEL Institute for Food & Health, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Jasmin Wenderlein
- Chair for Bacteriology and Mycology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, LMU Munich, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Department for Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
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Summers KM. Genetic models of fibrillinopathies. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad189. [PMID: 37972149 PMCID: PMC11021029 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad189] [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: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The fibrillinopathies represent a group of diseases in which the 10-12 nm extracellular microfibrils are disrupted by genetic variants in one of the genes encoding fibrillin molecules, large glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix. The best-known fibrillinopathy is Marfan syndrome, an autosomal dominant condition affecting the cardiovascular, ocular, skeletal, and other systems, with a prevalence of around 1 in 3,000 across all ethnic groups. It is caused by variants of the FBN1 gene, encoding fibrillin-1, which interacts with elastin to provide strength and elasticity to connective tissues. A number of mouse models have been created in an attempt to replicate the human phenotype, although all have limitations. There are also natural bovine models and engineered models in pig and rabbit. Variants in FBN2 encoding fibrillin-2 cause congenital contractural arachnodactyly and mouse models for this condition have also been produced. In most animals, including birds, reptiles, and amphibians, there is a third fibrillin, fibrillin-3 (FBN3 gene) for which the creation of models has been difficult as the gene is degenerate and nonfunctional in mice and rats. Other eukaryotes such as the nematode C. elegans and zebrafish D. rerio have a gene with some homology to fibrillins and models have been used to discover more about the function of this family of proteins. This review looks at the phenotype, inheritance, and relevance of the various animal models for the different fibrillinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Summers
- Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba QLD 4102, Australia
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Varlamova EG, Borisova EV, Evstratova YA, Newman AG, Kuldaeva VP, Gavrish MS, Kondakova EV, Tarabykin VS, Babaev AA, Turovsky EA. Socrates: A Novel N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea-Induced Mouse Mutant with Audiogenic Epilepsy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17104. [PMID: 38069426 PMCID: PMC10707124 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242317104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the common neurological diseases that affects not only adults but also infants and children. Because epilepsy has been studied for a long time, there are several pharmacologically effective anticonvulsants, which, however, are not suitable as therapy for all patients. The genesis of epilepsy has been extensively investigated in terms of its occurrence after injury and as a concomitant disease with various brain diseases, such as tumors, ischemic events, etc. However, in the last decades, there are multiple reports that both genetic and epigenetic factors play an important role in epileptogenesis. Therefore, there is a need for further identification of genes and loci that can be associated with higher susceptibility to epileptic seizures. Use of mouse knockout models of epileptogenesis is very informative, but it has its limitations. One of them is due to the fact that complete deletion of a gene is not, in many cases, similar to human epilepsy-associated syndromes. Another approach to generating mouse models of epilepsy is N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-directed mutagenesis. Recently, using this approach, we generated a novel mouse strain, soc (socrates, formerly s8-3), with epileptiform activity. Using molecular biology methods, calcium neuroimaging, and immunocytochemistry, we were able to characterize the strain. Neurons isolated from soc mutant brains retain the ability to differentiate in vitro and form a network. However, soc mutant neurons are characterized by increased spontaneous excitation activity. They also demonstrate a high degree of Ca2+ activity compared to WT neurons. Additionally, they show increased expression of NMDA receptors, decreased expression of the Ca2+-conducting GluA2 subunit of AMPA receptors, suppressed expression of phosphoinositol 3-kinase, and BK channels of the cytoplasmic membrane involved in protection against epileptogenesis. During embryonic and postnatal development, the expression of several genes encoding ion channels is downregulated in vivo, as well. Our data indicate that soc mutation causes a disruption of the excitation-inhibition balance in the brain, and it can serve as a mouse model of epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena G. Varlamova
- Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
| | - Ekaterina V. Borisova
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (E.V.B.); (A.G.N.)
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
| | - Yuliya A. Evstratova
- Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “MIREA—Russian Technological University”, 78, Vernadskogo Ave., 119454 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Andrew G. Newman
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (E.V.B.); (A.G.N.)
| | - Vera P. Kuldaeva
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Nab. Ushaiki, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Maria S. Gavrish
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
| | - Elena V. Kondakova
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Nab. Ushaiki, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Victor S. Tarabykin
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany; (E.V.B.); (A.G.N.)
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
- Research Institute of Medical Genetics, Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 10 Nab. Ushaiki, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Alexey A. Babaev
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
| | - Egor A. Turovsky
- Institute of Cell Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Federal Research Center “Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
- Institute of Neuroscience, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 23 Gagarin Ave., 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; (V.P.K.); (M.S.G.); (E.V.K.); (A.A.B.)
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Auclair N, Sané AT, Ahmarani L, Ould-Chikh NEH, Patey N, Beaulieu JF, Delvin E, Spahis S, Levy E. High-fat diet reveals the impact of Sar1b defects on lipid and lipoprotein profile and cholesterol metabolism. J Lipid Res 2023; 64:100423. [PMID: 37558128 PMCID: PMC10518719 DOI: 10.1016/j.jlr.2023.100423] [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: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Biallelic pathogenic variants of the Sar1b gene cause chylomicron retention disease (CRD) whose central phenotype is the inability to secrete chylomicrons. Patients with CRD experience numerous clinical symptoms such as gastrointestinal, hepatic, neuromuscular, ophthalmic, and cardiological abnormalities. Recently, the production of mice expressing either a targeted deletion or mutation of Sar1b recapitulated biochemical and gastrointestinal defects associated with CRD. The present study was conducted to better understand little-known aspects of Sar1b mutations, including mouse embryonic development, lipid profile, and lipoprotein composition in response to high-fat diet, gut and liver cholesterol metabolism, sex-specific effects, and genotype-phenotype differences. Sar1b deletion and mutation produce a lethal phenotype in homozygous mice, which display intestinal lipid accumulation without any gross morphological abnormalities. On high-fat diet, mutant mice exhibit more marked abnormalities in body composition, adipose tissue and liver weight, plasma cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids than those on the regular Chow diet. Divergences were also noted in lipoprotein lipid composition, lipid ratios (serving as indices of particle size) and lipoprotein-apolipoprotein distribution. Sar1b defects significantly reduce gut cholesterol accumulation while altering key players in cholesterol metabolism. Noteworthy, variations were observed between males and females, and between Sar1b deletion and mutation phenotypes. Overall, mutant animal findings reveal the importance of Sar1b in several biochemical, metabolic and developmental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nickolas Auclair
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alain T Sané
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Léna Ahmarani
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Nathalie Patey
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jean-François Beaulieu
- Laboratory of Intestinal Physiopathology, Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Edgard Delvin
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Schohraya Spahis
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Emile Levy
- Research Center, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Cacheiro P, Spielmann N, Mashhadi HH, Fuchs H, Gailus-Durner V, Smedley D, de Angelis MH. Knockout mice are an important tool for human monogenic heart disease studies. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:288843. [PMID: 36825469 PMCID: PMC10073007 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049770] [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: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Mouse models are relevant to studying the functionality of genes involved in human diseases; however, translation of phenotypes can be challenging. Here, we investigated genes related to monogenic forms of cardiovascular disease based on the Genomics England PanelApp and aligned them to International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) data. We found 153 genes associated with cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmias or congenital heart disease in humans, of which 151 have one-to-one mouse orthologues. For 37.7% (57/151), viability and heart data captured by electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, morphology and pathology from embryos and young adult mice are available. In knockout mice, 75.4% (43/57) of these genes showed non-viable phenotypes, whereas records of prenatal, neonatal or infant death in humans were found for 35.1% (20/57). Multisystem phenotypes are common, with 58.8% (20/34) of heterozygous (homozygous lethal) and 78.6% (11/14) of homozygous (viable) mice showing cardiovascular, metabolic/homeostasis, musculoskeletal, hematopoietic, nervous system and/or growth abnormalities mimicking the clinical manifestations observed in patients. These IMPC data are critical beyond cardiac diagnostics given their multisystemic nature, allowing detection of abnormalities across physiological systems and providing a valuable resource to understand pleiotropic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Cacheiro
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Nadine Spielmann
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich 85764, Germany
| | - Hamed Haseli Mashhadi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Helmut Fuchs
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich 85764, Germany
| | - Valerie Gailus-Durner
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich 85764, Germany
| | - Damian Smedley
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Martin Hrabĕ de Angelis
- Institute of Experimental Genetics, German Mouse Clinic, Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich 85764, Germany
- Chair of Experimental Genetics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technische Universität München, Freising 85354, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg 85764, Germany
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Tanihara F, Hirata M, Namula Z, Wittayarat M, Do LTK, Lin Q, Takebayashi K, Hara H, Nagahara M, Otoi T. GHR-mutant pig derived from domestic pig and microminipig hybrid zygotes using CRISPR/Cas9 system. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:5049-5057. [PMID: 37101010 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08388-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pigs are excellent large animal models with several similarities to humans. They provide valuable insights into biomedical research that are otherwise difficult to obtain from rodent models. However, even if miniature pig strains are used, their large stature compared with other experimental animals requires a specific maintenance facility which greatly limits their usage as animal models. Deficiency of growth hormone receptor (GHR) function causes small stature phenotypes. The establishment of miniature pig strains via GHR modification will enhance their usage as animal models. Microminipig is an incredibly small miniature pig strain developed in Japan. In this study, we generated a GHR mutant pig using electroporation-mediated introduction of the CRISPR/Cas9 system into porcine zygotes derived from domestic porcine oocytes and microminipig spermatozoa. METHODS AND RESULTS First, we optimized the efficiency of five guide RNAs (gRNAs) designed to target GHR in zygotes. Embryos that had been electroporated with the optimized gRNAs and Cas9 were then transferred into recipient gilts. After embryo transfer, 10 piglets were delivered, and one carried a biallelic mutation in the GHR target region. The GHR biallelic mutant showed a remarkable growth-retardation phenotype. Furthermore, we obtained F1 pigs derived from the mating of GHR biallelic mutant with wild-type microminipig, and GHR biallelic mutant F2 pigs through sib-mating of F1 pigs. CONCLUSIONS We have successfully demonstrated the generation of biallelic GHR-mutant small-stature pigs. Backcrossing of GHR-deficient pig with microminipig will establish the smallest pig strain which can contribute significantly to the field of biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuminori Tanihara
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
| | - Maki Hirata
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- Bio-Innovation Research Center, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
| | - Zhao Namula
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Manita Wittayarat
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand
| | - Lanh Thi Kim Do
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi, 100000, Vietnam
| | - Qingyi Lin
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- Bio-Innovation Research Center, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
| | - Koki Takebayashi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- Bio-Innovation Research Center, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
| | - Hiromasa Hara
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Center for Molecular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, 3290498, Japan
- Laboratory of Regenerative And Cellular Medicine, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, 3290498, Japan
| | - Megumi Nagahara
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
- Bio-Innovation Research Center, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan
| | - Takeshige Otoi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Bioindustry, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan.
- Bio-Innovation Research Center, Tokushima University, Ishii, Myozai-gun, Tokushima, 7793233, Japan.
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A patient advocating for transparent science in rare disease research. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2023; 18:14. [PMID: 36658594 PMCID: PMC9854194 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-022-02557-6] [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: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
300 million people live with at least one of 6,000 rare diseases worldwide. However, rare disease research is not always reviewed with scrutiny, making it susceptible to what the author refers to as nontransparent science. Nontransparent science can obscure animal model flaws, misguide medicine regulators and drug developers, delay or frustrate orphan drug development, or waste limited resources for rare disease research. Flawed animal models not only lack pharmacologic relevance, but also give rise to issue of clinical translatability. Sadly, these consequences and risks are grossly overlooked. Nontransparency in science can take many forms, such as premature publication of animal models without clinically significant data, not providing corrections when flaws to the model are discovered, lack of warning of critical study limitations, missing critical control data, questionable data quality, surprising results without a sound explanation, failure to rule out potential factors which may affect study conclusions, lack of sufficient detail for others to replicate the study, dubious authorship and study accountability. Science has no boarders, neither does nontransparent science. Nontransparent science can happen irrespective of the researcher's senority, institutional affiliation or country. As a patient-turned researcher suffering from Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD), I use BCD as an example to analyze various forms of nontransparent science in rare disease research. This article analyzes three papers published by different research groups on Cyp4v3-/-, high-fat diet (HFD)-Cyp4v3-/-, and Exon1-Cyp4v3-/- mouse models of BCD. As the discussion probes various forms of nontransparent science, the flaws of these knockout mouse models are uncovered. These mouse models do not mimic BCD in humans nor do they address the lack of Cyp4v3 (murine ortholog of human CYP4V2) expression in wild type (WT) mouse retina which is markedly different from CYP4V2 expression in human retina. Further, this article discusses the impact of nontransparent science on drug development which can lead to significant delays ultimately affecting the patients. Lessons from BCD research can be helpful to all those suffering from rare diseases. As a patient, I call for transparent science in rare disease research.
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Borrelli MR, Shen AH, Griffin M, Mascharak S, Adem S, Deleon NMD, Ngaage LM, Longaker MT, Wan DC, Lorenz HP. A Novel Xenograft Model Demonstrates Human Fibroblast Behavior During Skin Wound Repair and Fibrosis. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle) 2022; 11:455-465. [PMID: 34521222 PMCID: PMC9245791 DOI: 10.1089/wound.2020.1392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Xenografts of human skin in immunodeficient mice provide a means of assessing human skin physiology and its response to wounding. Approach: We describe a novel xenograft model using full-thickness human neonatal foreskin to examine human skin wound repair. Full-thickness 8 mm human neonatal foreskin biopsies were sutured into the dorsum of NOD scid gamma (NSG; NOD.Cg-Prkdc scidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ) pups as subcutaneous grafts. At postnatal day 21 the subcutaneous grafts were exposed to cutaneous grafts. Following maturation of 2 months, xenografts were then wounded with 5 mm linear incisions and monitored until postwound day (PWD) 14 to study skin repair and fibrosis. To explore whether our model can be used to test the efficacy of topical therapies, wounded xenografts were injected with antifibrotic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) for the first four consecutive PWDs. Xenografts were harvested for analysis by histology and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Results: Xenografts were successfully engrafted with evidence of mouse-human anastomoses and resembled native neonatal foreskin at the gross and microscopic level. Wounded xenografted skin scarred with human collagen and an expansion of CD26-positive human fibroblasts. Collagen scar was quantitated by neural network analysis, which revealed distinct clustering of collagen fiber networks from unwounded skin and wounded skin at PWD7 and PWD14. Collagen fiber networks within FGF2-treated wounds at PWD14 resembled those in untreated wounded xenografts at PWD7, suggesting that FGF2 treatment at time of wounding can reduce fibrosis. Innovation and Conclusion: This novel xenograft model can be used to investigate acute fibrosis, fibroblast heterogeneity, and the efficacy of antifibrotic agents during wound repair in human skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mimi R. Borrelli
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Abra H. Shen
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Michelle Griffin
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Shamik Mascharak
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sandeep Adem
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Nestor M. Diaz Deleon
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Ledibabari Mildred Ngaage
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Michael T. Longaker
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Surgery, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Derrick C. Wan
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hermann Peter Lorenz
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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10
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Katsaounou K, Nicolaou E, Vogazianos P, Brown C, Stavrou M, Teloni S, Hatzis P, Agapiou A, Fragkou E, Tsiaoussis G, Potamitis G, Zaravinos A, Andreou C, Antoniades A, Shiammas C, Apidianakis Y. Colon Cancer: From Epidemiology to Prevention. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12060499. [PMID: 35736432 PMCID: PMC9229931 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12060499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers affecting humans, with a complex genetic and environmental aetiology. Unlike cancers with known environmental, heritable, or sex-linked causes, sporadic CRC is hard to foresee and has no molecular biomarkers of risk in clinical use. One in twenty CRC cases presents with an established heritable component. The remaining cases are sporadic and associated with partially obscure genetic, epigenetic, regenerative, microbiological, dietary, and lifestyle factors. To tackle this complexity, we should improve the practice of colonoscopy, which is recommended uniformly beyond a certain age, to include an assessment of biomarkers indicative of individual CRC risk. Ideally, such biomarkers will be causal to the disease and potentially modifiable upon dietary or therapeutic interventions. Multi-omics analysis, including transcriptional, epigenetic as well as metagenomic, and metabolomic profiles, are urgently required to provide data for risk analyses. The aim of this article is to provide a perspective on the multifactorial derailment of homeostasis leading to the initiation of CRC, which may be explored via multi-omics and Gut-on-Chip analysis to identify much-needed predictive biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyriaki Katsaounou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus; (K.K.); (S.T.)
| | | | - Paris Vogazianos
- Stremble Ventures Ltd., Limassol 4042, Cyprus; (P.V.); (C.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Cameron Brown
- Stremble Ventures Ltd., Limassol 4042, Cyprus; (P.V.); (C.B.); (A.A.)
| | - Marios Stavrou
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus; (M.S.); (C.A.)
| | - Savvas Teloni
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus; (K.K.); (S.T.)
| | - Pantelis Hatzis
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Biomedical Sciences Research Center Alexander Fleming, Vari 16672, Greece;
| | - Agapios Agapiou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus;
| | | | | | | | - Apostolos Zaravinos
- Department of Life Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 1516, Cyprus;
- Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center, Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
| | - Chrysafis Andreou
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus; (M.S.); (C.A.)
| | - Athos Antoniades
- Stremble Ventures Ltd., Limassol 4042, Cyprus; (P.V.); (C.B.); (A.A.)
| | | | - Yiorgos Apidianakis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus; (K.K.); (S.T.)
- Correspondence:
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11
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SONG XUAN, GAO HAIYUN, HERRUP KARL, HART RONALDP. Optimized splitting of mixed-species RNA sequencing data. J Bioinform Comput Biol 2022; 20:2250001. [PMID: 34991436 PMCID: PMC9081140 DOI: 10.1142/s0219720022500019] [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: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression studies using xenograft transplants or co-culture systems, usually with mixed human and mouse cells, have proven to be valuable to uncover cellular dynamics during development or in disease models. However, the mRNA sequence similarities among species presents a challenge for accurate transcript quantification. To identify optimal strategies for analyzing mixed-species RNA sequencing data, we evaluate both alignment-dependent and alignment-independent methods. Alignment of reads to a pooled reference index is effective, particularly if optimal alignments are used to classify sequencing reads by species, which are re-aligned with individual genomes, generating [Formula: see text] accuracy across a range of species ratios. Alignment-independent methods, such as convolutional neural networks, which extract the conserved patterns of sequences from two species, classify RNA sequencing reads with over 85% accuracy. Importantly, both methods perform well with different ratios of human and mouse reads. While non-alignment strategies successfully partitioned reads by species, a more traditional approach of mixed-genome alignment followed by optimized separation of reads proved to be the more successful with lower error rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- XUAN SONG
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - HAI YUN GAO
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - KARL HERRUP
- Department of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - RONALD P. HART
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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12
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Suetterlin KJ, Männikkö R, Matthews E, Greensmith L, Hanna MG, Bostock H, Tan SV. Excitability properties of mouse and human skeletal muscle fibres compared by muscle velocity recovery cycles. Neuromuscul Disord 2022; 32:347-357. [PMID: 35339342 PMCID: PMC7614892 DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2022.02.011] [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: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Mouse models of skeletal muscle channelopathies are not phenocopies of human disease. In some cases (e.g. Myotonia Congenita) the phenotype is much more severe, whilst in others (e.g. Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis) rodent physiology is protective. This suggests a species' difference in muscle excitability properties. In humans these can be measured indirectly by the post-impulse changes in conduction velocity, using Muscle Velocity Recovery Cycles (MVRCs). We performed MVRCs in mice and compared their muscle excitability properties with humans. Mouse Tibialis Anterior MVRCs (n = 70) have only one phase of supernormality (increased conduction velocity), which is smaller in magnitude (p = 9 × 10-21), and shorter in duration (p = 3 × 10-24) than human (n = 26). This abbreviated supernormality is followed by a period of late subnormality (reduced velocity) in mice, which overlaps in time with the late supernormality seen in human MVRCs. The period of late subnormality suggests increased t-tubule Na+/K+-pump activity. The subnormal phase in mice was converted to supernormality by blocking ClC-1 chloride channels, suggesting relatively higher chloride conductance in skeletal muscle. Our findings help explain discrepancies in phenotype between mice and humans with skeletal muscle channelopathies and potentially other neuromuscular disorders. MVRCs are a valuable new tool to compare in vivo muscle membrane properties between species and will allow further dissection of the molecular mechanisms regulating muscle excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Suetterlin
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; AGE Research Group, NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
| | - R Männikkö
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - E Matthews
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; Atkinson Morley Neuromuscular Centre, Department of Neurology, St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - L Greensmith
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - M G Hanna
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - H Bostock
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom
| | - S V Tan
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, United Kingdom; Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Division of Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom
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13
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Oud MS, Smits RM, Smith HE, Mastrorosa FK, Holt GS, Houston BJ, de Vries PF, Alobaidi BKS, Batty LE, Ismail H, Greenwood J, Sheth H, Mikulasova A, Astuti GDN, Gilissen C, McEleny K, Turner H, Coxhead J, Cockell S, Braat DDM, Fleischer K, D’Hauwers KWM, Schaafsma E, Nagirnaja L, Conrad DF, Friedrich C, Kliesch S, Aston KI, Riera-Escamilla A, Krausz C, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Santibanez-Koref M, Elliott DJ, Vissers LELM, Tüttelmann F, O’Bryan MK, Ramos L, Xavier MJ, van der Heijden GW, Veltman JA. A de novo paradigm for male infertility. Nat Commun 2022; 13:154. [PMID: 35013161 PMCID: PMC8748898 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27132-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
De novo mutations are known to play a prominent role in sporadic disorders with reduced fitness. We hypothesize that de novo mutations play an important role in severe male infertility and explain a portion of the genetic causes of this understudied disorder. To test this hypothesis, we utilize trio-based exome sequencing in a cohort of 185 infertile males and their unaffected parents. Following a systematic analysis, 29 of 145 rare (MAF < 0.1%) protein-altering de novo mutations are classified as possibly causative of the male infertility phenotype. We observed a significant enrichment of loss-of-function de novo mutations in loss-of-function-intolerant genes (p-value = 1.00 × 10-5) in infertile men compared to controls. Additionally, we detected a significant increase in predicted pathogenic de novo missense mutations affecting missense-intolerant genes (p-value = 5.01 × 10-4) in contrast to predicted benign de novo mutations. One gene we identify, RBM5, is an essential regulator of male germ cell pre-mRNA splicing and has been previously implicated in male infertility in mice. In a follow-up study, 6 rare pathogenic missense mutations affecting this gene are observed in a cohort of 2,506 infertile patients, whilst we find no such mutations in a cohort of 5,784 fertile men (p-value = 0.03). Our results provide evidence for the role of de novo mutations in severe male infertility and point to new candidate genes affecting fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Oud
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - R. M. Smits
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - H. E. Smith
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - F. K. Mastrorosa
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - G. S. Holt
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - B. J. Houston
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XSchool of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - P. F. de Vries
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - B. K. S. Alobaidi
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - L. E. Batty
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - H. Ismail
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - J. Greenwood
- grid.420004.20000 0004 0444 2244Department of Genetic Medicine, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - H. Sheth
- Foundation for Research in Genetics and Endocrinology, Institute of Human Genetics, Ahmedabad, India
| | - A. Mikulasova
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - G. D. N. Astuti
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ,grid.412032.60000 0001 0744 0787Division of Human Genetics, Center for Biomedical Research, Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia
| | - C. Gilissen
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K. McEleny
- grid.420004.20000 0004 0444 2244Newcastle Fertility Centre, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - H. Turner
- grid.420004.20000 0004 0444 2244Department of Cellular Pathology, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - J. Coxhead
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Genomics Core Facility, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - S. Cockell
- Bioinformatics Support Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences New, castle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - D. D. M. Braat
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K. Fleischer
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K. W. M. D’Hauwers
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Urology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - E. Schaafsma
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Pathology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - L. Nagirnaja
- grid.5288.70000 0000 9758 5690Division of Genetics, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR USA
| | - D. F. Conrad
- grid.5288.70000 0000 9758 5690Division of Genetics, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR USA
| | - C. Friedrich
- grid.5949.10000 0001 2172 9288Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - S. Kliesch
- grid.16149.3b0000 0004 0551 4246Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Department of Clinical and Surgical Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - K. I. Aston
- grid.223827.e0000 0001 2193 0096Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT USA
| | - A. Riera-Escamilla
- grid.418813.70000 0004 1767 1951Andrology Department, Fundació Puigvert, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - C. Krausz
- grid.8404.80000 0004 1757 2304Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - C. Gonzaga-Jauregui
- grid.418961.30000 0004 0472 2713Regeneron Genetics Center, Tarrytown, NY USA
| | - M. Santibanez-Koref
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - D. J. Elliott
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - L. E. L. M. Vissers
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - F. Tüttelmann
- grid.5949.10000 0001 2172 9288Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - M. K. O’Bryan
- grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XSchool of BioSciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - L. Ramos
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - M. J. Xavier
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - G. W. van der Heijden
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Human Genetics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands ,grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J. A. Veltman
- grid.1006.70000 0001 0462 7212Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
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14
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Sacchetto C, Peretto L, Baralle F, Maestri I, Tassi F, Bernardi F, van de Graaf SFJ, Pagani F, Pinotti M, Balestra D. OTC intron 4 variations mediate pathogenic splicing patterns caused by the c.386G>A mutation in humans and spf ash mice, and govern susceptibility to RNA-based therapies. Mol Med 2021; 27:157. [PMID: 34906067 PMCID: PMC8670272 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-021-00418-9] [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: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Aberrant splicing is a common outcome in the presence of exonic or intronic variants that might hamper the intricate network of interactions defining an exon in a specific gene context. Therefore, the evaluation of the functional, and potentially pathological, role of nucleotide changes remains one of the major challenges in the modern genomic era. This aspect has also to be taken into account during the pre-clinical evaluation of innovative therapeutic approaches in animal models of human diseases. This is of particular relevance when developing therapeutics acting on splicing, an intriguing and expanding research area for several disorders. Here, we addressed species-specific splicing mechanisms triggered by the OTC c.386G>A mutation, relatively frequent in humans, leading to Ornithine TransCarbamylase Deficiency (OTCD) in patients and spfash mice, and its differential susceptibility to RNA therapeutics based on engineered U1snRNA. Methods Creation and co-expression of engineered U1snRNAs with human and mouse minigenes, either wild-type or harbouring different nucleotide changes, in human (HepG2) and mouse (Hepa1-6) hepatoma cells followed by analysis of splicing pattern. RNA pulldown studies to evaluate binding of specific splicing factors. Results Comparative nucleotide analysis suggested a role for the intronic +10-11 nucleotides, and pull-down assays showed that they confer preferential binding to the TIA1 splicing factor in the mouse context, where TIA1 overexpression further increases correct splicing. Consistently, the splicing profile of the human minigene with mouse +10-11 nucleotides overlapped that of mouse minigene, and restored responsiveness to TIA1 overexpression and to compensatory U1snRNA. Swapping the human +10-11 nucleotides into the mouse context had opposite effects. Moreover, the interplay between the authentic and the adjacent cryptic 5′ss in the human OTC dictates pathogenic mechanisms of several OTCD-causing 5′ss mutations, and only the c.386+5G>A change, abrogating the cryptic 5′ss, was rescuable by engineered U1snRNA. Conclusions Subtle intronic variations explain species-specific OTC splicing patterns driven by the c.386G>A mutation, and the responsiveness to engineered U1snRNAs, which suggests careful elucidation of molecular mechanisms before proposing translation of tailored therapeutics from animal models to humans. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s10020-021-00418-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Sacchetto
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Peretto
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | - Iva Maestri
- Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, Pathology Unit of Pathologic Anatomy, Histology and Cytology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Francesca Tassi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Francesco Bernardi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Stan F J van de Graaf
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Franco Pagani
- Human Molecular Genetics, ICGEB - International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
| | - Mirko Pinotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Dario Balestra
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
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15
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Alanis-Lobato G, Möllmann JS, Schaefer MH, Andrade-Navarro MA. MIPPIE: the mouse integrated protein-protein interaction reference. DATABASE-THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL DATABASES AND CURATION 2021; 2020:5850252. [PMID: 32496562 PMCID: PMC7271249 DOI: 10.1093/database/baaa035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cells operate and react to environmental signals thanks to a complex network of protein–protein interactions (PPIs), the malfunction of which can severely disrupt cellular homeostasis. As a result, mapping and analyzing protein networks are key to advancing our understanding of biological processes and diseases. An invaluable part of these endeavors has been the house mouse (Mus musculus), the mammalian model organism par excellence, which has provided insights into human biology and disorders. The importance of investigating PPI networks in the context of mouse prompted us to develop the Mouse Integrated Protein–Protein Interaction rEference (MIPPIE). MIPPIE inherits a robust infrastructure from HIPPIE, its sister database of human PPIs, allowing for the assembly of reliable networks supported by different evidence sources and high-quality experimental techniques. MIPPIE networks can be further refined with tissue, directionality and effect information through a user-friendly web interface. Moreover, all MIPPIE data and meta-data can be accessed via a REST web service or downloaded as text files, thus facilitating the integration of mouse PPIs into follow-up bioinformatics pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregorio Alanis-Lobato
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Biozentrum I, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany.,Human Embryo and Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT London, UK
| | - Jannik S Möllmann
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Biozentrum I, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin H Schaefer
- Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan, Italy
| | - Miguel A Andrade-Navarro
- Faculty of Biology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Biozentrum I, Hans-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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16
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Torres-Fernández LA, Emich J, Port Y, Mitschka S, Wöste M, Schneider S, Fietz D, Oud MS, Di Persio S, Neuhaus N, Kliesch S, Hölzel M, Schorle H, Friedrich C, Tüttelmann F, Kolanus W. TRIM71 Deficiency Causes Germ Cell Loss During Mouse Embryogenesis and Is Associated With Human Male Infertility. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:658966. [PMID: 34055789 PMCID: PMC8155544 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.658966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations affecting the germline can result in infertility or the generation of germ cell tumors (GCT), highlighting the need to identify and characterize the genes controlling germ cell development. The RNA-binding protein and E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM71 is essential for embryogenesis, and its expression has been reported in GCT and adult mouse testes. To investigate the role of TRIM71 in mammalian germ cell embryonic development, we generated a germline-specific conditional Trim71 knockout mouse (cKO) using the early primordial germ cell (PGC) marker Nanos3 as a Cre-recombinase driver. cKO mice are infertile, with male mice displaying a Sertoli cell-only (SCO) phenotype which in humans is defined as a specific subtype of non-obstructive azoospermia characterized by the absence of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules. Infertility in male Trim71 cKO mice originates during embryogenesis, as the SCO phenotype was already apparent in neonatal mice. The in vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into PGC-like cells (PGCLCs) revealed reduced numbers of PGCLCs in Trim71-deficient cells. Furthermore, TCam-2 cells, a human GCT-derived seminoma cell line which was used as an in vitro model for PGCs, showed proliferation defects upon TRIM71 knockdown. Additionally, in vitro growth competition assays, as well as proliferation assays with wild type and CRISPR/Cas9-generated TRIM71 mutant NCCIT cells showed that TRIM71 also promotes proliferation in this malignant GCT-derived non-seminoma cell line. Importantly, the PGC-specific markers BLIMP1 and NANOS3 were consistently downregulated in Trim71 KO PGCLCs, TRIM71 knockdown TCam-2 cells and TRIM71 mutant NCCIT cells. These data collectively support a role for TRIM71 in PGC development. Last, via exome sequencing analysis, we identified several TRIM71 variants in a cohort of infertile men, including a loss-of-function variant in a patient with an SCO phenotype. Altogether, our work reveals for the first time an association of TRIM71 deficiency with human male infertility, and uncovers further developmental roles for TRIM71 in the germline during mouse embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jana Emich
- Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Yasmine Port
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sibylle Mitschka
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marius Wöste
- Institute of Medical Informatics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Simon Schneider
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Daniela Fietz
- Institute for Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus Liebig University Gießen, Gießen, Germany
- Hessian Centre of Reproductive Medicine (HZRM), Justus Liebig University Gießen, Gießen, Germany
| | - Manon S. Oud
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Sara Di Persio
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Institute of Reproductive and Regenerative Biology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nina Neuhaus
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Institute of Reproductive and Regenerative Biology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sabine Kliesch
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Department of Clinical and Surgical Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael Hölzel
- Institute of Experimental Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hubert Schorle
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Corinna Friedrich
- Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Frank Tüttelmann
- Institute of Reproductive Genetics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Waldemar Kolanus
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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17
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Kamareddine L, Najjar H, Sohail MU, Abdulkader H, Al-Asmakh M. The Microbiota and Gut-Related Disorders: Insights from Animal Models. Cells 2020; 9:cells9112401. [PMID: 33147801 PMCID: PMC7693214 DOI: 10.3390/cells9112401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, the scientific committee has called for broadening our horizons in understanding host–microbe interactions and infectious disease progression. Owing to the fact that the human gut harbors trillions of microbes that exhibit various roles including the production of vitamins, absorption of nutrients, pathogen displacement, and development of the host immune system, particular attention has been given to the use of germ-free (GF) animal models in unraveling the effect of the gut microbiota on the physiology and pathophysiology of the host. In this review, we discuss common methods used to generate GF fruit fly, zebrafish, and mice model systems and highlight the use of these GF model organisms in addressing the role of gut-microbiota in gut-related disorders (metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer), and in activating host defense mechanisms and amending pathogenic virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layla Kamareddine
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar; (L.K.); (H.N.); (M.U.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Hoda Najjar
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar; (L.K.); (H.N.); (M.U.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Muhammad Umar Sohail
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar; (L.K.); (H.N.); (M.U.S.); (H.A.)
- Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar
| | - Hadil Abdulkader
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar; (L.K.); (H.N.); (M.U.S.); (H.A.)
| | - Maha Al-Asmakh
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar; (L.K.); (H.N.); (M.U.S.); (H.A.)
- Biomedical Research Center, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713 Doha, Qatar
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +974-4403-4789
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18
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Prophylactic treatment with transdermal deferoxamine mitigates radiation-induced skin fibrosis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12346. [PMID: 32704071 PMCID: PMC7378074 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69293-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy can result in pathological fibrosis of healthy soft tissue. The iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO) has been shown to improve skin vascularization when injected into radiated tissue prior to fat grafting. Here, we evaluated whether topical DFO administration using a transdermal drug delivery system prior to and immediately following irradiation (IR) can mitigate the chronic effects of radiation damage to the skin. CD-1 nude immunodeficient mice were split into four experimental groups: (1) IR alone (IR only), (2) DFO treatment for two weeks after recovery from IR (DFO post-IR), (3) DFO prophylaxis with treatment through and post-IR (DFO ppx), or (4) no irradiation or DFO (No IR). Immediately following IR, reactive oxygen species and apoptotic markers were significantly decreased and laser doppler analysis revealed significantly improved skin perfusion in mice receiving prophylactic DFO. Six weeks following IR, mice in the DFO post-IR and DFO ppx groups had improved skin perfusion and increased vascularization. DFO-treated groups also had evidence of reduced dermal thickness and collagen fiber network organization akin to non-irradiated skin. Thus, transdermal delivery of DFO improves tissue perfusion and mitigates chronic radiation-induced skin fibrosis, highlighting a potential role for DFO in the treatment of oncological patients.
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19
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Fisher EMC, Bannerman DM. Mouse models of neurodegeneration: Know your question, know your mouse. Sci Transl Med 2020; 11:11/493/eaaq1818. [PMID: 31118292 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaq1818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Many mutant mouse strains have been developed as models to investigate neurodegenerative disease in humans. However, variability in results among studies using these mouse strains has led to questions about the value of these models. Here, we appraise various mouse models for dissecting neurodegenerative disease mechanisms and emphasize the importance of asking appropriate research questions. In therapeutic studies, we suggest that understanding variability among and within mouse models is crucial for preventing translational failures in human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M C Fisher
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
| | - David M Bannerman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK.
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20
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Choi KYG, Wu BC, Lee AHY, Baquir B, Hancock REW. Utilizing Organoid and Air-Liquid Interface Models as a Screening Method in the Development of New Host Defense Peptides. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:228. [PMID: 32509598 PMCID: PMC7251080 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Host defense peptides (HDPs), also known as antimicrobial peptides, are naturally occurring polypeptides (~12–50 residues) composed of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids that adopt an amphipathic conformation upon folding usually after contact with membranes. HDPs have a variety of biological activities including immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-biofilm functions. Although HDPs have the potential to address the global threat of antibiotic resistance and to treat immune and inflammatory disorders, they have yet to achieve this promise. Indeed, there are several challenges associated with bringing peptide-based drug candidates from the lab bench to clinical practice, including identifying appropriate indications, stability, toxicity, and cost. These challenges can be addressed in part by the development of innate defense regulator (IDR) peptides and peptidomimetics, which are synthetic derivatives of HDPs with similar or better efficacy, increased stability, and reduced toxicity and cost of the original HDP. However, one of the largest gaps between basic research and clinical application is the validity and translatability of conventional model systems, such as cell lines and animal models, for screening HDPs and their derivatives as potential drug therapies. Indeed, such translation has often relied on animal models, which have only limited validity. Here we discuss the recent development of human organoids for disease modeling and drug screening, assisted by the use of omics analyses. Organoids, developed from primary cells, cell lines, or human pluripotent stem cells, are three-dimensional, self-organizing structures that closely resemble their corresponding in vivo organs with regards to immune responses, tissue organization, and physiological properties; thus, organoids represent a reliable method for studying efficacy, formulation, toxicity and to some extent drug stability and pharmacodynamics. The use of patient-derived organoids enables the study of patient-specific efficacy, toxicogenomics and drug response predictions. We outline how organoids and omics data analysis can be leveraged to aid in the clinical translation of IDR peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka-Yee Grace Choi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bing Catherine Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy Huei-Yi Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Beverlie Baquir
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Robert E W Hancock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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21
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Boettcher AN, Li Y, Ahrens AP, Kiupel M, Byrne KA, Loving CL, Cino-Ozuna AG, Wiarda JE, Adur M, Schultz B, Swanson JJ, Snella EM, Ho CS(S, Charley SE, Kiefer ZE, Cunnick JE, Putz EJ, Dell'Anna G, Jens J, Sathe S, Goldman F, Westin ER, Dekkers JCM, Ross JW, Tuggle CK. Novel Engraftment and T Cell Differentiation of Human Hematopoietic Cells in ART-/-IL2RG-/Y SCID Pigs. Front Immunol 2020; 11:100. [PMID: 32117254 PMCID: PMC7017803 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Pigs with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) are an emerging biomedical animal model. Swine are anatomically and physiologically more similar to humans than mice, making them an invaluable tool for preclinical regenerative medicine and cancer research. One essential step in further developing this model is the immunological humanization of SCID pigs. In this work we have generated T- B- NK- SCID pigs through site directed CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis of IL2RG within a naturally occurring DCLRE1C (ARTEMIS)-/- genetic background. We confirmed ART-/-IL2RG-/Y pigs lacked T, B, and NK cells in both peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues. Additionally, we successfully performed a bone marrow transplant on one ART-/-IL2RG-/Y male SCID pig with bone marrow from a complete swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) matched donor without conditioning to reconstitute porcine T and NK cells. Next, we performed in utero injections of cultured human CD34+ selected cord blood cells into the fetal ART-/-IL2RG-/Y SCID pigs. At birth, human CD45+ CD3ε+ cells were detected in cord and peripheral blood of in utero injected SCID piglets. Human leukocytes were also detected within the bone marrow, spleen, liver, thymus, and mesenteric lymph nodes of these animals. Taken together, we describe critical steps forwards the development of an immunologically humanized SCID pig model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yunsheng Li
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Amanda P. Ahrens
- Laboratory Animal Resources, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Matti Kiupel
- Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Kristen A. Byrne
- Food Safety and Enteric Pathogen Unit, National Animal Disease Center, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Crystal L. Loving
- Food Safety and Enteric Pathogen Unit, National Animal Disease Center, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
| | - A. Giselle Cino-Ozuna
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Jayne E. Wiarda
- Food Safety and Enteric Pathogen Unit, National Animal Disease Center, US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, United States
- Immunobiology Graduate Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Agricultural Research Service Participation Program, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Malavika Adur
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Blythe Schultz
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | | | - Elizabeth M. Snella
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Chak-Sum (Sam) Ho
- Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, Itasca, IL, United States
| | - Sara E. Charley
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Zoe E. Kiefer
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Joan E. Cunnick
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Ellie J. Putz
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Giuseppe Dell'Anna
- Laboratory Animal Resources, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jackie Jens
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Swanand Sathe
- Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Frederick Goldman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Erik R. Westin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Jack C. M. Dekkers
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
| | - Jason W. Ross
- Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States
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22
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Oyama MA, Elliott C, Loughran KA, Kossar AP, Castillero E, Levy RJ, Ferrari G. Comparative pathology of human and canine myxomatous mitral valve degeneration: 5HT and TGF-β mechanisms. Cardiovasc Pathol 2020; 46:107196. [PMID: 32006823 DOI: 10.1016/j.carpath.2019.107196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) is a leading cause of valve repair or replacement secondary to the production of mitral regurgitation, cardiac enlargement, systolic dysfunction, and heart failure. The pathophysiology of myxomatous mitral valve degeneration is complex and incompletely understood, but key features include activation and transformation of mitral valve (MV) valvular interstitial cells (VICs) into an active phenotype leading to remodeling of the extracellular matrix and compromise of the structural components of the mitral valve leaflets. Uncovering the mechanisms behind these events offers the potential for therapies to prevent, delay, or reverse myxomatous mitral valve degeneration. One such mechanism involves the neurotransmitter serotonin (5HT), which has been linked to development of valvulopathy in a variety of settings, including valvulopathy induced by serotonergic drugs, Serotonin-producing carcinoid tumors, and development of valvulopathy in laboratory animals exposed to high levels of serotonin. Similar to humans, the domestic dog also experiences naturally occurring myxomatous mitral valve degeneration, and in some breeds of dogs, the lifetime prevalence of myxomatous mitral valve degeneration reaches 100%. In dogs, myxomatous mitral valve degeneration has been associated with high serum serotonin, increased expression of serotonin-receptors, autocrine production of serotonin within the mitral valve leaflets, and downregulation of serotonin clearance mechanisms. One pathway closely associated with serotonin involves transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and the two pathways share a common ability to activate mitral valve valvular interstitial cells in both humans and dogs. Understanding the role of serotonin and transforming growth factor beta in myxomatous mitral valve degeneration gives rise to potential therapies, such as 5HT receptor (5HT-R) antagonists. The main purposes of this review are to highlight the commonalities between myxomatous mitral valve degeneration in humans and dogs, with specific regards to serotonin and transforming growth factor beta, and to champion the dog as a relevant and particularly valuable model of human disease that can accelerate development of novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Oyama
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chad Elliott
- Department of Surgery, Columbia Cardiovascular Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kerry A Loughran
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexander P Kossar
- Department of Surgery, Columbia Cardiovascular Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Estibaliz Castillero
- Department of Surgery, Columbia Cardiovascular Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert J Levy
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Giovanni Ferrari
- Department of Surgery, Columbia Cardiovascular Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
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23
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Suva LJ, Westhusin ME, Long CR, Gaddy D. Engineering bone phenotypes in domestic animals: Unique resources for enhancing musculoskeletal research. Bone 2020; 130:115119. [PMID: 31712131 PMCID: PMC8805042 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2019.115119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Larry J Suva
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College Station, TX, 77843, United States.
| | - Mark E Westhusin
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Charles R Long
- Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Dana Gaddy
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
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24
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Cantor JR. The Rise of Physiologic Media. Trends Cell Biol 2019; 29:854-861. [PMID: 31623927 PMCID: PMC7001851 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2019.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Developed decades ago, traditional culture media were not intended to resemble the metabolic composition of human blood, and indeed poorly do so. Yet, despite what is now a clear recognition that environmental factors influence metabolism, such media remain standard to in vitro studies across virtually all areas of biological research. The recent development of physiologic media, like other efforts designed to address the modeling capacity of cell culture, holds immense potential to improve understanding and interpretation of diverse biological and pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Cantor
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
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25
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Xing G, Jing H, Zhang L, Cao Y, Li L, Zhao K, Dong Z, Chen W, Wang H, Cao R, Xiong WC, Mei L. A mechanism in agrin signaling revealed by a prevalent Rapsyn mutation in congenital myasthenic syndrome. eLife 2019; 8:e49180. [PMID: 31549961 PMCID: PMC6779466 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular junction is a synapse between motoneurons and skeletal muscles, where acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) are concentrated to control muscle contraction. Studies of this synapse have contributed to our understanding of synapse assembly and pathological mechanisms of neuromuscular disorders. Nevertheless, underlying mechanisms of NMJ formation was not well understood. To this end, we took a novel approach - studying mutant genes implicated in congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS). We showed that knock-in mice carrying N88K, a prevalent CMS mutation of Rapsyn (Rapsn), died soon after birth with profound NMJ deficits. Rapsn is an adapter protein that bridges AChRs to the cytoskeleton and possesses E3 ligase activity. In investigating how N88K impairs the NMJ, we uncovered a novel signaling pathway by which Agrin-LRP4-MuSK induces tyrosine phosphorylation of Rapsn, which is required for its self-association and E3 ligase activity. Our results also provide insight into pathological mechanisms of CMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanglin Xing
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Hongyang Jing
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineAugusta UniversityAugustaUnited States
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Kai Zhao
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative MedicineAugusta UniversityAugustaUnited States
| | - Zhaoqi Dong
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Wenbing Chen
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Hongsheng Wang
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Rangjuan Cao
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
| | - Wen-Cheng Xiong
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical CenterClevelandUnited States
| | - Lin Mei
- Department of Neurosciences, School of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityClevelandUnited States
- Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical CenterClevelandUnited States
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26
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Ukai H, Sumiyama K, Ueda HR. Next-generation human genetics for organism-level systems biology. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 58:137-145. [PMID: 30954899 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Systems-biological approaches, such as comprehensive identification and analysis of system components and networks, are necessary to understand design principles of human physiology and pathology. Although reverse genetics using mouse models have been used previously, it is a low throughput method because of the need for repetitive crossing to produce mice having all cells of the body with knock-out or knock-in mutations. Moreover, there are often issues from the interspecific gap between humans and mice. To overcome these problems, high-throughput methods for producing knock-out or knock-in mice are necessary. In this review, we describe 'next-generation' human genetics, which can be defined as high-throughput mammalian genetics without crossing to knock out human-mouse ortholog genes or to knock in genetically humanized mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Ukai
- ES-mouse/Virus Core, International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; Laboratory for Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kenta Sumiyama
- Laboratory for Mouse Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroki R Ueda
- Laboratory for Synthetic Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Systems Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan; International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
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27
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Aflorei ED, Klapholz B, Chen C, Radian S, Dragu AN, Moderau N, Prodromou C, Ribeiro PS, Stanewsky R, Korbonits M. In vivo bioassay to test the pathogenicity of missense human AIP variants. J Med Genet 2018; 55:522-529. [PMID: 29632148 PMCID: PMC6073908 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2017-105191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Heterozygous germline loss-of-function mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein gene (AIP) predispose to childhood-onset pituitary tumours. The pathogenicity of missense variants may pose difficulties for genetic counselling and family follow-up. Objective To develop an in vivo system to test the pathogenicity of human AIP mutations using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Methods We generated a null mutant of the Drosophila AIP orthologue, CG1847, a gene located on the Xchromosome, which displayed lethality at larval stage in hemizygous knockout male mutants (CG1847exon1_3). We tested human missense variants of ‘unknown significance’, with ‘pathogenic’ variants as positive control. Results We found that human AIP can functionally substitute for CG1847, as heterologous overexpression of human AIP rescued male CG1847exon1_3 lethality, while a truncated version of AIP did not restore viability. Flies harbouring patient-specific missense AIP variants (p.C238Y, p.I13N, p.W73R and p.G272D) failed to rescue CG1847exon1_3 mutants, while seven variants (p.R16H, p.Q164R, p.E293V, p.A299V, p.R304Q, p.R314W and p.R325Q) showed rescue, supporting a non-pathogenic role for these latter variants corresponding to prevalence and clinical data. Conclusion Our in vivo model represents a valuable tool to characterise putative disease-causing human AIP variants and assist the genetic counselling and management of families carrying AIP variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Daniela Aflorei
- Centre for Endocrinology, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Benjamin Klapholz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chenghao Chen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Serban Radian
- Centre for Endocrinology, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,Department of Endocrinology, C.I. Parhon National Institute of Endocrinology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Anca Neluta Dragu
- Centre for Endocrinology, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nina Moderau
- Protein Dynamics and Cell Signalling Laboratory, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Paulo S Ribeiro
- Protein Dynamics and Cell Signalling Laboratory, Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Ralf Stanewsky
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University College London, London, UK.,Institute of Neuro- and Behavioural Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms University, Münster, Germany
| | - Márta Korbonits
- Centre for Endocrinology, Barts and the London School of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Different outcome of sarcoglycan missense mutation between human and mouse. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191274. [PMID: 29360879 PMCID: PMC5779665 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcoglycanopathies are rare autosomic limb girdle muscular dystrophies caused by mutations in one of the genes coding for sarcoglycan (α, β, δ, and γ-sarcoglycans). Sarcoglycans form a complex, which is an important part of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex that protects sarcolemma against muscle contraction-induced damages. Absence of one of the sarcoglycan at the plasma membrane induces the disappearance of the whole complex and perturbs muscle fiber membrane integrity. We previously demonstrated that point mutations in the human sarcoglycan genes affects the folding of the corresponding protein, which is then retained in the endoplasmic reticulum by the protein quality control and prematurely degraded by the proteasome. Interestingly, modulation of the quality control using pharmacological compounds allowed the rescue of the membrane localization of the mutated sarcoglycan. Two previously generated mouse models, knock-in for the most common sarcoglycan mutant, R77C α-sarcoglycan, failed in reproducing the dystrophic phenotype observed in human patients. Based on these results and the need to test therapies for these fatal diseases, we decided to generate a new knock-in mouse model carrying the missense mutation T151R in the β-sarcoglycan gene since this is the second sarcoglycan protein with the most frequently reported missense mutations. Muscle analysis, performed at the age of 4 and 9-months, showed the presence of the mutated β-sarcoglycan protein and of the other components of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex at the muscle membrane. In addition, these mice did not develop a dystrophic phenotype, even at a late stage or in condition of stress-inducing exercise. We can speculate that the absence of phenotype in mouse may be due to a higher tolerance of the endoplasmic reticulum quality control for amino-acid changes in mice compared to human.
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Physiologic Medium Rewires Cellular Metabolism and Reveals Uric Acid as an Endogenous Inhibitor of UMP Synthase. Cell 2017; 169:258-272.e17. [PMID: 28388410 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 338] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A complex interplay of environmental factors impacts the metabolism of human cells, but neither traditional culture media nor mouse plasma mimic the metabolite composition of human plasma. Here, we developed a culture medium with polar metabolite concentrations comparable to those of human plasma (human plasma-like medium [HPLM]). Culture in HPLM, relative to that in traditional media, had widespread effects on cellular metabolism, including on the metabolome, redox state, and glucose utilization. Among the most prominent was an inhibition of de novo pyrimidine synthesis-an effect traced to uric acid, which is 10-fold higher in the blood of humans than of mice and other non-primates. We find that uric acid directly inhibits uridine monophosphate synthase (UMPS) and consequently reduces the sensitivity of cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil. Thus, media that better recapitulates the composition of human plasma reveals unforeseen metabolic wiring and regulation, suggesting that HPLM should be of broad utility.
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Ezran C, Karanewsky CJ, Pendleton JL, Sholtz A, Krasnow MR, Willick J, Razafindrakoto A, Zohdy S, Albertelli MA, Krasnow MA. The Mouse Lemur, a Genetic Model Organism for Primate Biology, Behavior, and Health. Genetics 2017; 206:651-664. [PMID: 28592502 PMCID: PMC5499178 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.199448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic genetic studies of a handful of diverse organisms over the past 50 years have transformed our understanding of biology. However, many aspects of primate biology, behavior, and disease are absent or poorly modeled in any of the current genetic model organisms including mice. We surveyed the animal kingdom to find other animals with advantages similar to mice that might better exemplify primate biology, and identified mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) as the outstanding candidate. Mouse lemurs are prosimian primates, roughly half the genetic distance between mice and humans. They are the smallest, fastest developing, and among the most prolific and abundant primates in the world, distributed throughout the island of Madagascar, many in separate breeding populations due to habitat destruction. Their physiology, behavior, and phylogeny have been studied for decades in laboratory colonies in Europe and in field studies in Malagasy rainforests, and a high quality reference genome sequence has recently been completed. To initiate a classical genetic approach, we developed a deep phenotyping protocol and have screened hundreds of laboratory and wild mouse lemurs for interesting phenotypes and begun mapping the underlying mutations, in collaboration with leading mouse lemur biologists. We also seek to establish a mouse lemur gene "knockout" library by sequencing the genomes of thousands of mouse lemurs to identify null alleles in most genes from the large pool of natural genetic variants. As part of this effort, we have begun a citizen science project in which students across Madagascar explore the remarkable biology around their schools, including longitudinal studies of the local mouse lemurs. We hope this work spawns a new model organism and cultivates a deep genetic understanding of primate biology and health. We also hope it establishes a new and ethical method of genetics that bridges biological, behavioral, medical, and conservation disciplines, while providing an example of how hands-on science education can help transform developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Ezran
- Department of Biochemistry
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
| | | | | | - Alex Sholtz
- Department of Biochemistry
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
| | - Maya R Krasnow
- Department of Biochemistry
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
| | - Jason Willick
- Department of Biochemistry
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
| | - Andriamahery Razafindrakoto
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, BP 566, Madagascar, and
| | - Sarah Zohdy
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Alabama 36849
| | - Megan A Albertelli
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305
| | - Mark A Krasnow
- Department of Biochemistry
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and
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31
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Jackson EL, Lu H. Three-dimensional models for studying development and disease: moving on from organisms to organs-on-a-chip and organoids. Integr Biol (Camb) 2016; 8:672-83. [PMID: 27156572 PMCID: PMC4905804 DOI: 10.1039/c6ib00039h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Human development and disease are challenging to study because of lack of experimental accessibility to in vivo systems and the complex nature of biological processes. For these reasons researchers turn to the use of model systems, ranging in complexity and scale from single cells to model organisms. While the use of model organisms is valuable for studying physiology and pathophysiology in an in vivo context and for aiding pre-clinical development of therapeutics, animal models are costly, difficult to interrogate, and not always equivalent to human biology. For these reasons, three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures have emerged as an attractive model system that contains key aspects of in vivo tissue and organ complexity while being more experimentally tractable than model organisms. In particular, organ-on-a-chip and organoid models represent orthogonal approaches that have been able to recapitulate characteristics of physiology and disease. Here, we review advances in these two categories of 3D cultures and applications in studying development and disease. Additionally, we discuss development of key technologies that facilitate the generation of 3D cultures, including microfluidics, biomaterials, genome editing, and imaging technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E L Jackson
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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Perlman RL. Mouse models of human disease: An evolutionary perspective. EVOLUTION MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2016; 2016:170-6. [PMID: 27121451 PMCID: PMC4875775 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eow014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The use of mice as model organisms to study human biology is predicated on the genetic and physiological similarities between the species. Nonetheless, mice and humans have evolved in and become adapted to different environments and so, despite their phylogenetic relatedness, they have become very different organisms. Mice often respond to experimental interventions in ways that differ strikingly from humans. Mice are invaluable for studying biological processes that have been conserved during the evolution of the rodent and primate lineages and for investigating the developmental mechanisms by which the conserved mammalian genome gives rise to a variety of different species. Mice are less reliable as models of human disease, however, because the networks linking genes to disease are likely to differ between the two species. The use of mice in biomedical research needs to take account of the evolved differences as well as the similarities between mice and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Perlman
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC 5058, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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33
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Alkuraya FS. Discovery of mutations for Mendelian disorders. Hum Genet 2016; 135:615-23. [DOI: 10.1007/s00439-016-1664-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Gallegos-Cárdenas A, Webb R, Jordan E, West R, West FD, Yang JY, Wang K, Stice SL. Pig Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Rosettes Developmentally Mimic Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Neural Differentiation. Stem Cells Dev 2015; 24:1901-11. [DOI: 10.1089/scd.2015.0025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Gallegos-Cárdenas
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Girona, Perú
| | - Robin Webb
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Erin Jordan
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Rachel West
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Franklin D. West
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Jeong-Yeh Yang
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Kai Wang
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
| | - Steven L. Stice
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science, Athens, Georgia
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35
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Assessment of Movement Disorders in Rodents. Mov Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-405195-9.00004-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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36
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Abstract
An analysis of more than 1000 research articles in biology reveals that the name of the species being studied is not mentioned in the title or abstract of many articles. Consequently, such data are not easily accessible in the PubMed database. These omissions can mislead readers about the true nature of developmental processes and delay the acceptance of valid species differences. To improve the accuracy of the scientific record, I suggest that journals should require that authors include the name of the species being studied in the title or abstract of submitted papers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara R Migeon
- Barbara R MigeonMcKusick Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
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37
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Chan AWS. Progress and prospects for genetic modification of nonhuman primate models in biomedical research. ILAR J 2014; 54:211-23. [PMID: 24174443 DOI: 10.1093/ilar/ilt035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The growing interest of modeling human diseases using genetically modified (transgenic) nonhuman primates (NHPs) is a direct result of NHPs (rhesus macaque, etc.) close relation to humans. NHPs share similar developmental paths with humans in their anatomy, physiology, genetics, and neural functions; and in their cognition, emotion, and social behavior. The NHP model within biomedical research has played an important role in the development of vaccines, assisted reproductive technologies, and new therapies for many diseases. Biomedical research has not been the primary role of NHPs. They have mainly been used for safety evaluation and pharmacokinetics studies, rather than determining therapeutic efficacy. The development of the first transgenic rhesus macaque (2001) revolutionized the role of NHP models in biomedicine. Development of the transgenic NHP model of Huntington's disease (2008), with distinctive clinical features, further suggested the uniqueness of the model system; and the potential role of the NHP model for human genetic disorders. Modeling human genetic diseases using NHPs will continue to thrive because of the latest advances in molecular, genetic, and embryo technologies. NHPs rising role in biomedical research, specifically pre-clinical studies, is foreseeable. The path toward the development of transgenic NHPs and the prospect of transgenic NHPs in their new role in future biomedicine needs to be reviewed. This article will focus on the advancement of transgenic NHPs in the past decade, including transgenic technologies and disease modeling. It will outline new technologies that may have significant impact in future NHP modeling and will conclude with a discussion of the future prospects of the transgenic NHP model.
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Pastores GM, Torres PA, Zeng BJ. Animal models for lysosomal storage disorders. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2014; 78:721-5. [PMID: 24010835 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297913070043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) represent a heterogeneous group of inherited diseases characterized by the accumulation of non-metabolized macromolecules (by-products of cellular turnover) in different tissues and organs. LSDs primarily develop as a consequence of a deficiency in a lysosomal hydrolase or its co-factor. The majority of these enzymes are glycosidases and sulfatases, which in normal conditions participate in degradation of glycoconjugates: glycoproteins, glycosaminoproteoglycans, and glycolipids. Significant insights have been gained from studies of animal models, both in understanding mechanisms of disease and in establishing proof of therapeutic concept. These studies have led to the introduction of therapy for certain LSD subtypes, primarily by enzyme replacement or substrate reduction therapy. Animal models have been useful in elucidating molecular changes, particularly prior to onset of symptoms. On the other hand, it should be noted certain animal (mouse) models may have the underlying biochemical defect, but not show the course of disease observed in human patients. There is interest in examining therapeutic options in the larger spontaneous animal models that may more closely mimic the brain size and pathology of humans. This review will highlight lessons learned from studies of animal models of disease, drawing primarily from publications in 2011-2012.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Pastores
- Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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39
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Lichter-Peled A, Polani S, Stanyon R, Rocchi M, Kahila Bar-Gal G. Role of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes in juvenile idiopathic epilepsy in Arabian foals. Vet J 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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40
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Zhu Z, Huangfu D. Human pluripotent stem cells: an emerging model in developmental biology. Development 2013; 140:705-17. [PMID: 23362344 DOI: 10.1242/dev.086165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Developmental biology has long benefited from studies of classic model organisms. Recently, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells, have emerged as a new model system that offers unique advantages for developmental studies. Here, we discuss how studies of hPSCs can complement classic approaches using model organisms, and how hPSCs can be used to recapitulate aspects of human embryonic development 'in a dish'. We also summarize some of the recently developed genetic tools that greatly facilitate the interrogation of gene function during hPSC differentiation. With the development of high-throughput screening technologies, hPSCs have the potential to revolutionize gene discovery in mammalian development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengrong Zhu
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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41
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Marchesan D, Cox TM, Deegan PB. Lysosomal delivery of therapeutic enzymes in cell models of Fabry disease. J Inherit Metab Dis 2012; 35:1107-17. [PMID: 22450713 DOI: 10.1007/s10545-012-9472-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2011] [Revised: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The success of enzymatic replacement in Gaucher disease has stimulated development of targeted protein replacement for other lysosomal disorders, including Anderson-Fabry disease, which causes fatal cardiac, cerebrovascular and renal injury: deficiency of lysosomal α-Galactosidase A induces accumulation of glycosphingolipids. Endothelial cell storage was the primary endpoint in a clinical trial that led to market authorization. Two α-Galactosidase A preparations are licensed worldwide, but fatal outcomes persist, with storage remaining in many tissues. We compare mechanisms of uptake of α -Galactosidase A into cells relevant to Fabry disease, in order to investigate if the enzyme is targeted to the lysosomes in a mannose-6-phosphate receptor dependent fashion, as generally believed. α -Galactosidase A uptake was examined in fibroblasts, four different endothelial cell models, and hepatic cells in vitro. Uptake of europium-labeled human α -Galactosidase A was measured by time-resolved fluorescence. Ligand-specific uptake was quantified in inhibitor studies. Targeting to the lysosome was determined by precipitation and by confocal microscopy. The quantity and location of cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptors in the different cell models were investigated using confocal microscopy. Uptake and delivery of α -Galactosidase A to lysosomes in fibroblasts is mediated by the canonical mannose-6-phosphate receptor pathway, but in endothelial cells in vitro this mechanism does not operate. Moreover, this observation is supported by a striking paucity of expression of cation independent mannose-6-phosphate receptors on the plasma membrane of the four endothelial cell models and by little delivery of enzyme to lysosomes, when compared with fibroblasts. If these observations are confirmed in vivo, alternative mechanisms will be needed to explain the ready clearance of storage from endothelial cells in patients undergoing enzyme replacement therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Marchesan
- Department of Medicine Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
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42
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Abstract
Identifying genes involved in behavioural disorders in man is a challenge as the cause is often multigenic and the phenotype is modulated by environmental cues. Mouse mutants are a valuable tool for identifying novel pathways underlying specific neurological phenotypes and exploring the influence both genetic and non-genetic factors. Many human variants causing behavioural disorders are not gene deletions but changes in levels of expression or activity of a gene product; consequently, large-scale mouse ENU mutagenesis has the advantage over the study of null mutants in that it generates a range of point mutations that frequently mirror the subtlety and heterogeneity of human genetic lesions. ENU mutants have provided novel and clinically relevant functional information on genes that influence many aspects of mammalian behaviour, from neuropsychiatric endophenotypes to circadian rhythms. This review will highlight some of the most important findings that have been made using this method in several key areas of neurological disease research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter L Oliver
- MRC Functional Genomics Unit, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
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43
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Abstract
Human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) are of great interest in biology and medicine due to their ability to grow indefinitely in culture while maintaining their ability to differentiate into all different cell types in the human body. In addition, HESCs can be used for better understanding the key developmental processes and can, therefore, serve for studying genetic disorders for which no good research model exists. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis of in vitro derived embryos results in affected-spare blastocysts with specific known inherited mutations.These affected blastocysts can be used for the derivation of disease-bearing HESCs, which would serve for studying the molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the genetic disease for which they were diagnosed. This chapter describes the methods to derive HESCs carrying mutations for inherited disorders.
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44
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Shu X, Luhmann UFO, Aleman TS, Barker SE, Lennon A, Tulloch B, Chen M, Xu H, Jacobson SG, Ali R, Wright AF. Characterisation of a C1qtnf5 Ser163Arg knock-in mouse model of late-onset retinal macular degeneration. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27433. [PMID: 22110650 PMCID: PMC3217991 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A single founder mutation resulting in a Ser163Arg substitution in the C1QTNF5 gene product causes autosomal dominant late-onset retinal macular degeneration (L-ORMD) in humans, which has clinical and pathological features resembling age-related macular degeneration. We generated and characterised a mouse “knock-in” model carrying the Ser163Arg mutation in the orthologous murine C1qtnf5 gene by site-directed mutagenesis and homologous recombination into mouse embryonic stem cells. Biochemical, immunological, electron microscopic, fundus autofluorescence, electroretinography and laser photocoagulation analyses were used to characterise the mouse model. Heterozygous and homozygous knock-in mice showed no significant abnormality in any of the above measures at time points up to 2 years. This result contrasts with another C1qtnf5 Ser163Arg knock-in mouse which showed most of the features of L-ORMD but differed in genetic background and targeting construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhua Shu
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Department of Vision Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tomas S. Aleman
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Alan Lennon
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Brian Tulloch
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mei Chen
- Centre for Vision and Vascular Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Heping Xu
- Centre for Vision and Vascular Science, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel G. Jacobson
- Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Robin Ali
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alan F. Wright
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Smoliga JM, Vang O, Baur JA. Challenges of translating basic research into therapeutics: resveratrol as an example. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2011; 67:158-67. [PMID: 21746739 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glr062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Basic science literature abounds with molecules that promise to ameliorate almost any disease, from curing cancer to slowing the aging process itself. However, most of these compounds will never even be evaluated in humans, let alone proven effective. Here, we use resveratrol as an example to highlight the enormous difficulties in understanding pharmacokinetics, determining side effects, and, ultimately, establishing mechanisms of action for a natural compound. Despite extensive interest and effort, and continuing promising results from basic science groups, very little is known even today about the effects of resveratrol in humans. Part of the problem is the unattractiveness of natural compounds to large, well-funded companies that could run clinical trials because developing their own molecules affords much greater protection for their intellectual property. In fact, selling unpatentable material motivates smaller nutraceutical companies to complicate the scientific problem even more--each creates its own proprietary blend, making it extremely difficult to compare their data with those of other companies, or of academic labs using pure compounds. But even beyond these problems lies a deeper one; resveratrol, and almost every natural compound, is likely to have many clinically relevant targets with different dose-response profiles, tissue distributions, and modifiers. Tackling this type of problem efficiently, and even beginning to address the spectrum of other molecules with claimed benefits, is likely to require the development of new paradigms and approaches. Examples include better molecular modeling to predict interactions, large-scale screens for toxic or other common effects, affinity-based methods to identify drug-interacting proteins, and better synthesis of existing data, including legislation to promote the release of trial results, and tracking of voluntary supplement usage. The evidence for benefits of resveratrol in humans remains too sparse to be conclusive; yet, the limited data that are available, combined with a growing list of animal studies, provide a strong justification for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- James M Smoliga
- Department of Health and Physical Education, Human Physiology Laboratory, Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
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46
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Animal models of human genetic diseases: do they need to be faithful to be useful? Mol Genet Genomics 2011; 286:1-20. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-011-0627-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 04/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Mellor HR, Bell AR, Valentin JP, Roberts RRA. Cardiotoxicity Associated with Targeting Kinase Pathways in Cancer. Toxicol Sci 2010; 120:14-32. [DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfq378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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48
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Cristini S, Navone S, Canzi L, Acerbi F, Ciusani E, Hladnik U, de Gemmis P, Alessandri G, Colombo A, Parati E, Invernici G. Human neural stem cells: a model system for the study of Lesch-Nyhan disease neurological aspects. Hum Mol Genet 2010; 19:1939-50. [PMID: 20159777 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddq072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of Lesch-Nyhan-diseased (LND) human brain is crucial for understanding how mutant hypoxanthine-phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) might lead to neuronal dysfunction. Since LND is a rare, inherited disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme HPRT, human neural stem cells (hNSCs) that carry this mutation are a precious source for delineating the consequences of HPRT deficiency and for developing new treatments. In our study we have examined the effect of HPRT deficiency on the differentiation of neurons in hNSCs isolated from human LND fetal brain. We have examined the expression of a number of transcription factors essential for neuronal differentiation and marker genes involved in dopamine (DA) biosynthetic pathway. LND hNSCs demonstrate aberrant expression of several transcription factors and DA markers. HPRT-deficient dopaminergic neurons also demonstrate a striking deficit in neurite outgrowth. These results represent direct experimental evidence for aberrant neurogenesis in LND hNSCs and suggest developmental roles for other housekeeping genes in neurodevelopmental disease. Moreover, exposure of the LND hNSCs to retinoic acid medium elicited the generation of dopaminergic neurons. The lack of precise understanding of the neurological dysfunction in LND has precluded development of useful therapies. These results evidence aberrant neurogenesis in LND hNSCs and suggest a role for HPRT gene in neurodevelopment. These cells combine the peculiarity of a neurodevelopmental model and a human, neural origin to provide an important tool to investigate the pathophysiology of HPRT deficiency and more broadly demonstrate the utility of human neural stem cells for studying the disease and identifying potential therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Cristini
- Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, UO Cerebrovascular Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy
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Koch P, Kokaia Z, Lindvall O, Brüstle O. Emerging concepts in neural stem cell research: autologous repair and cell-based disease modelling. Lancet Neurol 2009; 8:819-29. [PMID: 19679274 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(09)70202-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The increasing availability of human pluripotent stem cells provides new prospects for neural-replacement strategies and disease-related basic research. With almost unlimited potential for self-renewal, the use of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) bypasses the restricted supply and expandability of primary cells that has been a major bottleneck in previous neural transplantation approaches. Translation of developmental patterning and cell-type specification techniques to human ESC cultures enables in vitro generation of various neuronal and glial cell types. The derivation of stably proliferating neural stem cells from human ESCs further facilitates standardisation and circumvents the problem of batch-to-batch variations commonly encountered in "run-through" protocols, which promote terminal differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into somatic cell types without defined intermediate precursor stages. The advent of cell reprogramming offers an opportunity to translate these advances to induced pluripotent stem cells, thereby enabling the generation of neurons and glia from individual patients. Eventually, reprogramming could provide a supply of autologous neural cells for transplantation, and could lead to the establishment of cellular model systems of neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Koch
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn and Hertie Foundation, Bonn, Germany
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Abstract
Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) is a rare inherited disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT). LND is characterized by overproduction of uric acid, leading to gouty arthritis and nephrolithiasis. Affected patients also have characteristic neurological and behavioral anomalies. Multiple cell models have been developed to study the molecular and metabolic aspects of LND, and several animal models have been developed to elucidate the basis for the neurobehavioral syndrome. The models have different strengths and weaknesses rendering them suitable for studying different aspects of the disease. The extensive modeling efforts in LND have questioned the concept that an 'ideal' disease model is one that replicates all of its features because the pathogenesis of different elements of the disease involves different mechanisms. Instead, the modeling efforts have suggested a more fruitful approach that involves developing specific models, each tailored for addressing specific experimental questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Jinnah
- Departments of Neurology and Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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