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Nehme R, Pietiläinen O, Barrett LE. Genomic, molecular, and cellular divergence of the human brain. Trends Neurosci 2024; 47:491-505. [PMID: 38897852 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
While many core biological processes are conserved across species, the human brain has evolved with unique capacities. Current understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that endow human traits as well as associated vulnerabilities remains limited. However, emerging data have illuminated species divergence in DNA elements and genome organization, in molecular, morphological, and functional features of conserved neural cell types, as well as temporal differences in brain development. Here, we summarize recent data on unique features of the human brain and their complex implications for the study and treatment of brain diseases. We also consider key outstanding questions in the field and discuss the technologies and foundational knowledge that will be required to accelerate understanding of human neurobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralda Nehme
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Olli Pietiläinen
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lindy E Barrett
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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2
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Priller J, Schäfer S, Safaiyan S. [Nature and immune mechanisms of mental illnesses]. DER NERVENARZT 2023; 94:1010-1018. [PMID: 37815590 DOI: 10.1007/s00115-023-01554-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The impacts of nature and climate change on mental health are substantial but the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. The immune system in particular could play an important role. Therefore, the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) in Munich will use state of the art model systems to elucidate the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of mental disorders under altered environmental conditions and to develop preventive treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josef Priller
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, München, Deutschland.
- Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Standort München, München, Deutschland.
- CCBS und UK DRI, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Großbritannien.
- Neuropsychiatrie und Labor für Molekulare Psychiatrie, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Deutschland.
| | - Simon Schäfer
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, München, Deutschland
- Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Standort München, München, Deutschland
| | - Shima Safaiyan
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU München, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, München, Deutschland
- Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit (DZPG), Standort München, München, Deutschland
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Shi PA, Luchsinger LL, Greally JM, Delaney CS. Umbilical cord blood: an undervalued and underutilized resource in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant and novel cell therapy applications. Curr Opin Hematol 2022; 29:317-326. [PMID: 36066376 PMCID: PMC9547826 DOI: 10.1097/moh.0000000000000732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The purpose of this review is to primarily discuss the unwarranted decline in the use of umbilical cord blood (UCB) as a source of donor hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and the resulting important implications in addressing healthcare inequities, and secondly to highlight the incredible potential of UCB and related birthing tissues for the development of a broad range of therapies to treat human disease including but not limited to oncology, neurologic, cardiac, orthopedic and immunologic conditions. RECENT FINDINGS When current best practices are followed, unrelated donor umbilical cord blood transplant (CBT) can provide superior quality of life-related survival compared to other allogeneic HSC donor sources (sibling, matched or mismatched unrelated, and haploidentical) through decreased risks of relapse and chronic graft vs. host disease. Current best practices include improved UCB donor selection criteria with consideration of higher resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and CD34+ cell dose, availability of newer myeloablative but reduced toxicity conditioning regimens, and rigorous supportive care in the early posttransplant period with monitoring for known complications, especially related to viral and other infections that may require intervention. Emerging best practice may include the use of ex vivo expanded single-unit CBT rather than double-unit CBT (dCBT) or 'haplo-cord' transplant, and the incorporation of posttransplant cyclophosphamide as with haploidentical transplant and/or incorporation of novel posttransplant therapies to reduce the risk of relapse, such as NK cell adoptive transfer. Novel, non-HCT uses of UCB and birthing tissue include the production of UCB-derived immune effector cell therapies such as unmodified NK cells, chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cells and immune T-cell populations, the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells for immune modulatory treatments and derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells haplobanks for regenerative medicine development and population studies to facilitate exploration of drug development through functional genomics. SUMMARY The potential of allogeneic UCB for HCT and novel cell-based therapies is undervalued and underutilized. The inventory of high-quality UCB units available from public cord blood banks (CBB) should be expanding rather than contracting in order to address ongoing healthcare inequities and to maintain a valuable source of cellular starting material for cell and gene therapies and regenerative medicine approaches. The expertise in Good Manufacturing Practice-grade manufacturing provided by CBB should be supported to effectively partner with groups developing UCB for novel cell-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia A. Shi
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York City, NY 10065
| | - Larry L. Luchsinger
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York City, NY 10065
| | - John M. Greally
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Colleen S. Delaney
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle WA; and Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195
- Deverra Therapeutics, Inc., Seattle, WA 98102
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Recent Developments in Autism Genetic Research: A Scientometric Review from 2018 to 2022. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091646. [PMID: 36140813 PMCID: PMC9498399 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic research in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has progressed tremendously in recent decades. Dozens of genetic loci and hundreds of alterations in the genetic sequence, expression, epigenetic transformation, and interactions with other physiological and environmental systems have been found to increase the likelihood of developing ASD. There is therefore a need to represent this wide-ranging yet voluminous body of literature in a systematic manner so that this information can be synthesised and understood at a macro level. Therefore, this study made use of scientometric methods, particularly document co-citation analysis (DCA), to systematically review literature on ASD genetic research from 2018 to 2022. A total of 14,818 articles were extracted from Scopus and analyzed with CiteSpace. An optimized DCA analysis revealed that recent literature on ASD genetic research can be broadly organised into 12 major clusters representing various sub-topics. These clusters are briefly described in the manuscript and potential applications of this study are discussed.
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Chiola S, Edgar NU, Shcheglovitov A. iPSC toolbox for understanding and repairing disrupted brain circuits in autism. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:249-258. [PMID: 34497379 PMCID: PMC8901782 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01288-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, tremendous progress has been made in defining autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a disorder of brain connectivity. Indeed, whole-brain imaging studies revealed altered connectivity in the brains of individuals with ASD, and genetic studies identified rare ASD-associated mutations in genes that regulate synaptic development and function. However, it remains unclear how specific mutations alter the development of neuronal connections in different brain regions and whether altered connections can be restored therapeutically. The main challenge is the lack of preclinical models that recapitulate important aspects of human development for studying connectivity. Through recent technological innovations, it is now possible to generate patient- or mutation-specific human neurons or organoids from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and to study altered connectivity in vitro or in vivo upon xenotransplantation into an intact rodent brain. Here, we discuss how deficits in neurodevelopmental processes may lead to abnormal brain connectivity and how iPSC-based models can be used to identify abnormal connections and to gain insights into underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms to develop novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Chiola
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Nicolas U Edgar
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Pak C, Sun Y. Organoids: expanding applications enabled by emerging technologies. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167411. [PMID: 34933020 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- ChangHui Pak
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, UMass Amherst, 01003
| | - Yubing Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMass Amherst, 01003
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Tegtmeyer M, Nehme R. Leveraging the Genetic Diversity of Human Stem Cells in Therapeutic Approaches. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167221. [PMID: 34474087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Since their discovery 15 years ago, human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) technologies have begun to revolutionize science and medicine, rapidly expanding beyond investigative research to drug discovery and development. Efforts to leverage hPSCs over the last decade have focused on increasing both the complexity and in vivo fidelity of human cellular models through enhanced differentiation methods. While these evolutions have fostered novel insights into disease mechanisms and influenced clinical drug discovery and development, there are still several considerations that limit the utility of hPSC models. In this review, we highlight important, yet underexplored avenues to broaden their reach. We focus on (i) the importance of diversifying existing hPSC collections, and their utilization to investigate therapeutic strategies in individuals from different genetic backgrounds, ancestry and sex; (ii) considerations for the selection of therapeutically relevant hPSC-based models; (iii) strategies to adequately increase the scale of cell-based studies; and (iv) the advances and constraints of clinical trials in a dish. Moreover, we advocate for harnessing the translational capabilities of hPSC models along with the use of innovative, scalable approaches for understanding genetic biases and the impact of sex and ancestry on disease mechanisms and drug efficacy and response. The next decade of hPSC innovation is poised to provide vast insights into the genetic basis of human disease and enable rapid advances to develop, repurpose, and ensure the safety of the next generation of disease therapies across diverse human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Tegtmeyer
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ralda Nehme
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Pintacuda G, Martín JM, Eggan KC. Mind the translational gap: using iPS cell models to bridge from genetic discoveries to perturbed pathways and therapeutic targets. Mol Autism 2021; 12:10. [PMID: 33557935 PMCID: PMC7869517 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-021-00417-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interactions as well as the presentation of restrictive and repetitive behaviors. ASD is highly heritable but genetically heterogenous with both common and rare genetic variants collaborating to predispose individuals to the disorder. In this review, we synthesize recent efforts to develop human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models of ASD-related phenotypes. We firstly address concerns regarding the relevance and validity of available neuronal iPSC-derived models. We then critically evaluate the robustness of various differentiation and cell culture protocols used for producing cell types of relevance to ASD. By exploring iPSC models of ASD reported thus far, we examine to what extent cellular and neuronal phenotypes with potential relevance to ASD can be linked to genetic variants found to underlie it. Lastly, we outline promising strategies by which iPSC technology can both enhance the power of genetic studies to identify ASD risk factors and nominate pathways that are disrupted across groups of ASD patients that might serve as common points for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Pintacuda
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
| | - Jacqueline M Martín
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Kevin C Eggan
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA.
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Townsley KG, Brennand KJ, Huckins LM. Massively parallel techniques for cataloguing the regulome of the human brain. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:1509-1521. [PMID: 33199899 PMCID: PMC8018778 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00740-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Complex brain disorders are highly heritable and arise from a complex polygenic risk architecture. Many disease-associated loci are found in non-coding regions that house regulatory elements. These elements influence the transcription of target genes-many of which demonstrate cell-type-specific expression patterns-and thereby affect phenotypically relevant molecular pathways. Thus, cell-type-specificity must be considered when prioritizing candidate risk loci, variants and target genes. This Review discusses the use of high-throughput assays in human induced pluripotent stem cell-based neurodevelopmental models to probe genetic risk in a cell-type- and patient-specific manner. The application of massively parallel reporter assays in human induced pluripotent stem cells can characterize the human regulome and test the transcriptional responses of putative regulatory elements. Parallel CRISPR-based screens can further functionally dissect this genetic regulatory architecture. The integration of these emerging technologies could decode genetic risk into medically actionable information, thereby improving genetic diagnosis and identifying novel points of therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla G Townsley
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen J Brennand
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Laura M Huckins
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
- Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
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