An experimental approach towards the development of an in vitro cortical-thalamic co-culture model

Recent progress in translational engineered in vitro models of the central nervous system

The complexity of the human brain poses a substantial challenge for the development of models of the CNS. Current animal models lack many essential human characteristics (in addition to raising operational challenges and ethical concerns), and conventional in vitro models, in turn, are limited in their capacity to provide information regarding many functional and systemic responses. Indeed, these challenges may underlie the notoriously low success rates of CNS drug development efforts. During the past 5 years, there has been a leap in the complexity and functionality of in vitro systems of the CNS, which have the potential to overcome many of the limitations of traditional model systems. The availability of human-derived induced pluripotent stem cell technology has further increased the translational potential of these systems. Yet, the adoption of state-of-the-art in vitro platforms within the CNS research community is limited. This may be attributable to the high costs or the immaturity of the systems. Nevertheless, the costs of fabrication have decreased, and there are tremendous ongoing efforts to improve the quality of cell differentiation. Herein, we aim to raise awareness of the capabilities and accessibility of advanced in vitro CNS technologies. We provide an overview of some of the main recent developments (since 2015) in in vitro CNS models. In particular, we focus on engineered in vitro models based on cell culture systems combined with microfluidic platforms (e.g. 'organ-on-a-chip' systems). We delve into the fundamental principles underlying these systems and review several applications of these platforms for the study of the CNS in health and disease. Our discussion further addresses the challenges that hinder the implementation of advanced in vitro platforms in personalized medicine or in large-scale industrial settings, and outlines the existing differentiation protocols and industrial cell sources. We conclude by providing practical guidelines for laboratories that are considering adopting organ-on-a-chip technologies.

Connectomics of Morphogenetically Engineered Neurons as a Predictor of Functional Integration in the Ischemic Brain

Recent advances in cell reprogramming technologies enable the in vitro generation of theoretically unlimited numbers of cells, including cells of neural lineage and specific neuronal subtypes from human, including patient-specific, somatic cells. Similarly, as demonstrated in recent animal studies, by applying morphogenetic neuroengineering principles in situ, it is possible to reprogram resident brain cells to the desired phenotype. These developments open new exciting possibilities for cell replacement therapy in stroke, albeit not without caveats. Main challenges include the successful integration of engineered cells in the ischemic brain to promote functional restoration as well as the fact that the underlying mechanisms of action are not fully understood. In this review, we aim to provide new insights to the above in the context of connectomics of morphogenetically engineered neural networks. Specifically, we discuss the relevance of combining advanced interdisciplinary approaches to: validate the functionality of engineered neurons by studying their self-organizing behavior into neural networks as well as responses to stroke-related pathology in vitro; derive structural and functional connectomes from these networks in healthy and perturbed conditions; and identify and extract key elements regulating neural network dynamics, which might predict the behavior of grafted engineered neurons post-transplantation in the stroke-injured brain.

VGLUT2 Trafficking Is Differentially Regulated by Adaptor Proteins AP-1 and AP-3

Release of the major excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate by synaptic vesicle exocytosis depends on glutamate loading into synaptic vesicles by vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs). The two principal isoforms, VGLUT1 and 2, exhibit a complementary pattern of expression in adult brain that broadly distinguishes cortical (VGLUT1) and subcortical (VGLUT2) systems, and correlates with distinct physiological properties in synapses expressing these isoforms. Differential trafficking of VGLUT1 and 2 has been suggested to underlie their functional diversity. Increasing evidence suggests individual synaptic vesicle proteins use specific sorting signals to engage specialized biochemical mechanisms to regulate their recycling. We observed that VGLUT2 recycles differently in response to high frequency stimulation than VGLUT1. Here we further explore the trafficking of VGLUT2 using a pHluorin-based reporter, VGLUT2-pH. VGLUT2-pH exhibits slower rates of both exocytosis and endocytosis than VGLUT1-pH. VGLUT2-pH recycling is slower than VGLUT1-pH in both hippocampal neurons, which endogenously express mostly VGLUT1, and thalamic neurons, which endogenously express mostly VGLUT2, indicating that protein identity, not synaptic vesicle membrane or neuronal cell type, controls sorting. We characterize sorting signals in the C-terminal dileucine-like motif, which plays a crucial role in VGLUT2 trafficking. Disruption of this motif abolishes synaptic targeting of VGLUT2 and essentially eliminates endocytosis of the transporter. Mutational and biochemical analysis demonstrates that clathrin adaptor proteins (APs) interact with VGLUT2 at the dileucine-like motif. VGLUT2 interacts with AP-2, a well-studied adaptor protein for clathrin mediated endocytosis. In addition, VGLUT2 also interacts with the alternate adaptors, AP-1 and AP-3. VGLUT2 relies on distinct recycling mechanisms from VGLUT1. Abrogation of these differences by pharmacological and molecular inhibition reveals that these mechanisms are dependent on the adaptor proteins AP-1 and AP-3. Further, shRNA-mediated knockdown reveals differential roles for AP-1 and AP-3 in VGLUT2 recycling.

Strategies for improving the physiological relevance of human engineered tissues

This review examines important robust methods for sustained, steady-state, in vitro culture. To achieve 'physiologically relevant' tissues in vitro additional complexity must be introduced to provide suitable transport, cell signaling, and matrix support for cells in 3D environments to achieve stable readouts of tissue function. Most tissue engineering systems draw conclusions on tissue functions such as responses to toxins, nutrition, or drugs based on short-term outcomes with in vitro cultures (2-14 days). However, short-term cultures limit insight with physiological relevance because the cells and tissues have not reached a steady-state.