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Gonzalez-Ramos A, Puigsasllosas-Pastor C, Arcas-Marquez A, Tornero D. Updated Toolbox for Assessing Neuronal Network Reconstruction after Cell Therapy. Bioengineering (Basel) 2024; 11:487. [PMID: 38790353 PMCID: PMC11118929 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering11050487] [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: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Cell therapy has proven to be a promising treatment for a range of neurological disorders, including Parkinson Disease, drug-resistant epilepsy, and stroke, by restoring function after brain damage. Nevertheless, evaluating the true effectiveness of these therapeutic interventions requires a deep understanding of the functional integration of grafted cells into existing neural networks. This review explores a powerful arsenal of molecular techniques revolutionizing our ability to unveil functional integration of grafted cells within the host brain. From precise manipulation of neuronal activity to pinpoint the functional contribution of transplanted cells by using opto- and chemo-genetics, to real-time monitoring of neuronal dynamics shedding light on functional connectivity within the reconstructed circuits by using genetically encoded (calcium) indicators in vivo. Finally, structural reconstruction and mapping communication pathways between grafted and host neurons can be achieved by monosynaptic tracing with viral vectors. The cutting-edge toolbox presented here holds immense promise for elucidating the impact of cell therapy on neural circuitry and guiding the development of more effective treatments for neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gonzalez-Ramos
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Claudia Puigsasllosas-Pastor
- Laboratory of Neural Stem Cells and Brain Damage, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ainhoa Arcas-Marquez
- Laboratory of Neural Stem Cells and Brain Damage, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Tornero
- Laboratory of Neural Stem Cells and Brain Damage, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), 28029 Madrid, Spain
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Paterno R, Vu T, Hsieh C, Baraban SC. Host brain environmental influences on transplanted medial ganglionic eminence progenitors. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3610. [PMID: 38351191 PMCID: PMC10864292 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52478-6] [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: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Interneuron progenitor transplantation can ameliorate disease symptoms in a variety of neurological disorders. The strategy is based on transplantation of embryonic medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) progenitors. Elucidating how host brain environment influences the integration of interneuron progenitors is critical for optimizing this strategy across different disease states. Here, we systematically evaluated the influence of age and brain region on survival, migration, and differentiation of transplant-derived cells. We find that early postnatal MGE transplantation yields superior survival and more extensive migratory capabilities compared to transplantation during the juvenile or adult stages. MGE progenitors migrate more widely in the cortex compared to the hippocampus. Maturation to interneuron subtypes is regulated by age and brain region. MGE progenitors transplanted into the dentate gyrus sub-region of the early postnatal hippocampus can differentiate into astrocytes. Our results suggest that the host brain environment critically regulates survival, spatial distribution, and maturation of MGE-derived interneurons following transplantation. These findings inform and enable optimal conditions for interneuron transplant therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalia Paterno
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute of Neuroscience, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, Health Science East, E840, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Thy Vu
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute of Neuroscience, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, Health Science East, E840, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Caroline Hsieh
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute of Neuroscience, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, Health Science East, E840, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Scott C Baraban
- Department of Neurological Surgery and Weill Institute of Neuroscience, University of California, 513 Parnassus Ave, Health Science East, E840, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
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Kumosa LS. Commonly Overlooked Factors in Biocompatibility Studies of Neural Implants. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2205095. [PMID: 36596702 PMCID: PMC9951391 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202205095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Biocompatibility of cutting-edge neural implants, surgical tools and techniques, and therapeutic technologies is a challenging concept that can be easily misjudged. For example, neural interfaces are routinely gauged on how effectively they determine active neurons near their recording sites. Tissue integration and toxicity of neural interfaces are frequently assessed histologically in animal models to determine tissue morphological and cellular changes in response to surgical implantation and chronic presence. A disconnect between histological and efficacious biocompatibility exists, however, as neuronal numbers frequently observed near electrodes do not match recorded neuronal spiking activity. The downstream effects of the myriad surgical and experimental factors involved in such studies are rarely examined when deciding whether a technology or surgical process is biocompatible. Such surgical factors as anesthesia, temperature excursions, bleed incidence, mechanical forces generated, and metabolic conditions are known to have strong systemic and thus local cellular and extracellular consequences. Many tissue markers are extremely sensitive to the physiological state of cells and tissues, thus significantly impacting histological accuracy. This review aims to shed light on commonly overlooked factors that can have a strong impact on the assessment of neural biocompatibility and to address the mismatch between results stemming from functional and histological methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas S. Kumosa
- Neuronano Research CenterDepartment of Experimental Medical ScienceMedical FacultyLund UniversityMedicon Village, Byggnad 404 A2, Scheelevägen 8Lund223 81Sweden
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Grade S, Thomas J, Zarb Y, Thorwirth M, Conzelmann KK, Hauck SM, Götz M. Brain injury environment critically influences the connectivity of transplanted neurons. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabg9445. [PMID: 35687687 PMCID: PMC9187233 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg9445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Cell transplantation is a promising approach for the reconstruction of neuronal circuits after brain damage. Transplanted neurons integrate with remarkable specificity into circuitries of the mouse cerebral cortex affected by neuronal ablation. However, it remains unclear how neurons perform in a local environment undergoing reactive gliosis, inflammation, macrophage infiltration, and scar formation, as in traumatic brain injury (TBI). To elucidate this, we transplanted cells from the embryonic mouse cerebral cortex into TBI-injured, inflamed-only, or intact cortex of adult mice. Brain-wide quantitative monosynaptic rabies virus (RABV) tracing unraveled graft inputs from correct regions across the brain in all conditions, with pronounced quantitative differences: scarce in intact and inflamed brain versus exuberant after TBI. In the latter, the initial overshoot is followed by pruning, with only a few input neurons persisting at 3 months. Proteomic profiling identifies candidate molecules for regulation of the synaptic yield, a pivotal parameter to tailor for functional restoration of neuronal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Grade
- Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Corresponding author. (S.G.); (S.M.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Judith Thomas
- Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yvette Zarb
- Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Manja Thorwirth
- Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Karl-Klaus Conzelmann
- Max von Pettenkofer Institute Virology, Medical Faculty and Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie M. Hauck
- Research Unit Protein Science and Metabolomics and Proteomics Core, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- Corresponding author. (S.G.); (S.M.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Magdalena Götz
- Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Center for Environmental Health, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- SYNERGY, Excellence Cluster of Systems Neurology, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
- Corresponding author. (S.G.); (S.M.H.); (M.G.)
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