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Scuderi S, Kang TY, Jourdon A, Yang L, Wu F, Nelson A, Anderson GM, Mariani J, Sarangi V, Abyzov A, Levchenko A, Vaccarino FM. Specification of human regional brain lineages using orthogonal gradients of WNT and SHH in organoids. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.18.594828. [PMID: 38798404 PMCID: PMC11118582 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.18.594828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The repertory of neurons generated by progenitor cells depends on their location along antero-posterior and dorso-ventral axes of the neural tube. To understand if recreating those axes was sufficient to specify human brain neuronal diversity, we designed a mesofluidic device termed Duo-MAPS to expose induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to concomitant orthogonal gradients of a posteriorizing and a ventralizing morphogen, activating WNT and SHH signaling, respectively. Comparison of single cell transcriptomes with fetal human brain revealed that Duo-MAPS-patterned organoids generated the major neuronal lineages of the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. Morphogens crosstalk translated into early patterns of gene expression programs predicting the generation of specific brain lineages. Human iPSC lines from six different genetic backgrounds showed substantial differences in response to morphogens, suggesting that interindividual genomic and epigenomic variations could impact brain lineages formation. Morphogen gradients promise to be a key approach to model the brain in its entirety.
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2
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Fritzsch B. Evolution and development of extraocular motor neurons, nerves and muscles in vertebrates. Ann Anat 2024; 253:152225. [PMID: 38346566 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2024.152225] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to analyze the origin of ocular motor neurons, define the pattern of innervation of nerve fibers that project to the extraocular eye muscles (EOMs), describe congenital disorders that alter the development of ocular motor neurons, and provide an overview of vestibular pathway inputs to ocular motor nuclei. Six eye muscles are innervated by axons of three ocular motor neurons, the oculomotor (CNIII), trochlear (CNIV), and abducens (CNVI) neurons. Ocular motor neurons (CNIII) originate in the midbrain and innervate the ipsilateral orbit, except for the superior rectus and the levator palpebrae, which are contralaterally innervated. Trochlear motor neurons (CNIV) originate at the midbrain-hindbrain junction and innervate the contralateral superior oblique muscle. Abducens motor neurons (CNVI) originate variously in the hindbrain of rhombomeres r4-6 that innervate the posterior (or lateral) rectus muscle and innervate the retractor bulbi. Genes allow a distinction between special somatic (CNIII, IV) and somatic (CNVI) ocular motor neurons. Development of ocular motor neurons and their axonal projections to the EOMs may be derailed by various genetic causes, resulting in the congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders. The ocular motor neurons innervate EOMs while the vestibular nuclei connect with the midbrain-brainstem motor neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, NE, USA.
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3
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Xie L, Liu H, You Z, Wang L, Li Y, Zhang X, Ji X, He H, Yuan T, Zheng W, Wu Z, Xiong M, Wei W, Chen Y. Comprehensive spatiotemporal mapping of single-cell lineages in developing mouse brain by CRISPR-based barcoding. Nat Methods 2023; 20:1244-1255. [PMID: 37460718 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01947-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
A fundamental interest in developmental neuroscience lies in the ability to map the complete single-cell lineages within the brain. To this end, we developed a CRISPR editing-based lineage-specific tracing (CREST) method for clonal tracing in Cre mice. We then used two complementary strategies based on CREST to map single-cell lineages in developing mouse ventral midbrain (vMB). By applying snapshotting CREST (snapCREST), we constructed a spatiotemporal lineage landscape of developing vMB and identified six progenitor archetypes that could represent the principal clonal fates of individual vMB progenitors and three distinct clonal lineages in the floor plate that specified glutamatergic, dopaminergic or both neurons. We further created pandaCREST (progenitor and derivative associating CREST) to associate the transcriptomes of progenitor cells in vivo with their differentiation potentials. We identified multiple origins of dopaminergic neurons and demonstrated that a transcriptome-defined progenitor type comprises heterogeneous progenitors, each with distinct clonal fates and molecular signatures. Therefore, the CREST method and strategies allow comprehensive single-cell lineage analysis that could offer new insights into the molecular programs underlying neural specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianshun Xie
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hengxin Liu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwen You
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Luyue Wang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiwen Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyue Zhang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoshan Ji
- Department of Neonatology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui He
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingli Yuan
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyan Wu
- UniXell Biotechnology, Shanghai, China
| | - Man Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology-Ministry of Education Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wu Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Center for Biomedical Informatics, Shanghai Engineering Research Center for Big Data in Pediatric Precision Medicine, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yuejun Chen
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China.
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Grochowska MM, Ferraro F, Mascaro AC, Natale D, Winkelaar A, Boumeester V, Breedveld GJ, Bonifati V, Mandemakers W. deCLUTTER2+ - a pipeline to analyze calcium traces in a stem cell model for ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:dmm049980. [PMID: 37260295 PMCID: PMC10309582 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049980] [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: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are the most populous cell type of the human central nervous system and are essential for physiological brain function. Increasing evidence suggests multiple roles for astrocytes in Parkinson's disease, nudging a shift in the research focus, which historically pivoted around ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons (vmDANs). Studying human astrocytes and other cell types in vivo remains challenging. However, in vitro-reprogrammed human stem cell-based models provide a promising alternative. Here, we describe a novel protocol for astrocyte differentiation from human stem cell-derived vmDAN-generating progenitors. This protocol simulates the regionalization, gliogenic switch, radial migration and final differentiation that occur in the developing human brain. We characterized the morphological, molecular and functional features of these ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes with a broad palette of techniques and identified novel candidate midbrain-astrocyte specific markers. In addition, we developed a new pipeline for calcium imaging data analysis called deCLUTTER2+ (deconvolution of Ca2+ fluorescent patterns) that can be used to discover spontaneous or cue-dependent patterns of Ca2+ transients. Altogether, our protocol enables the characterization of the functional properties of human ventral midbrain patterned astrocytes under physiological conditions and in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martyna M. Grochowska
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Federico Ferraro
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ana Carreras Mascaro
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Domenico Natale
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Amber Winkelaar
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Valerie Boumeester
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Guido J. Breedveld
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vincenzo Bonifati
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wim Mandemakers
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Clinical Genetics, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands
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He XB, Guo F, Li K, Yan J, Lee SH. Timing of MeCP2 Expression Determines Midbrain Dopamine Neuron Phenotype Specification. Stem Cells 2022; 40:1043-1055. [PMID: 36041430 DOI: 10.1093/stmcls/sxac061] [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: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are associated with locomotor and psychiatric disorders. DA phenotype is specified in ancestral neural precursor cells (NPCs) and maintained throughout neuronal differentiation. Here we show that endogenous expression of MeCP2 coincides with DA phenotype specification in mouse mesencephalon, and premature expression of MeCP2 prevents in vitro cultured NPCs from acquiring DA phenotype through interfering NURR1 transactivation of DA phenotype genes. By contrast, ectopic MeCP2 expression does not disturb DA phenotype in the DA neurons. By analyzing the dynamic change of DNA methylation along DA neuronal differentiation at the promoter of DA phenotype gene tyrosine hydroxylase (Th), we show that Th expression is determined by TET1-mediated de-methylation of NURR1 binding sites within Th promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that premature MeCP2 dominates the DNA binding of the corresponding sites thereby blocking TET1 function in DA NPCs, whereas TET1-mediated de-methylation prevents excessive MeCP2 binding in DA neurons. The significance of temporal DNA methylation status is further confirmed by targeted methylation/demethylation experiments showing that targeted de-methylation in DA NPCs protects DA phenotype specification from ectopic MeCP2 expression, whereas targeted methylation disturbs phenotype maintenance in MeCP2-overexpressed DA neurons. These findings suggest the appropriate timing of MeCP2 expression as a novel determining factor for guiding NPCs into DA lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Biao He
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Epigenetics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Guo
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Epigenetics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Kexuan Li
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Epigenetics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaqing Yan
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Epigenetics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Sang-Hun Lee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Kirjavainen A, Singh P, Lahti L, Seja P, Lelkes Z, Makkonen A, Kilpinen S, Ono Y, Salminen M, Aitta-Aho T, Stenberg T, Molchanova S, Achim K, Partanen J. Gata2, Nkx2-2 and Skor2 form a transcription factor network regulating development of a midbrain GABAergic neuron subtype with characteristics of REM-sleep regulatory neurons. Development 2022; 149:275960. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The midbrain reticular formation (MRF) is a mosaic of diverse GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons that have been associated with a variety of functions, including sleep regulation. However, the molecular characteristics and development of MRF neurons are poorly understood. As the transcription factor, Gata2 is required for the development of all GABAergic neurons derived from the embryonic mouse midbrain, we hypothesized that the genes expressed downstream of Gata2 could contribute to the diversification of GABAergic neuron subtypes in this brain region. Here, we show that Gata2 is required for the expression of several GABAergic lineage-specific transcription factors, including Nkx2-2 and Skor2, which are co-expressed in a restricted group of post-mitotic GABAergic precursors in the MRF. Both Gata2 and Nkx2-2 function is required for Skor2 expression in GABAergic precursors. In the adult mouse and rat midbrain, Nkx2-2-and Skor2-expressing GABAergic neurons locate at the boundary of the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and the MRF, an area containing REM-off neurons regulating REM sleep. In addition to the characteristic localization, Skor2+ cells increase their activity upon REM-sleep inhibition, send projections to the dorsolateral pons, a region associated with sleep control, and are responsive to orexins, consistent with the known properties of midbrain REM-off neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kirjavainen
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Parul Singh
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Laura Lahti
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Patricia Seja
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Zoltan Lelkes
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 2 Department of Physiology, PO Box 63 , , Helsinki , Finland
- University of Szeged 3 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine , , Szeged , Hungary
| | - Aki Makkonen
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 4 Department of Pharmacology, PO Box 63 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Sami Kilpinen
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Yuichi Ono
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, Integrated Cell Biology, KAN Research Institute 5 , 6-8-2 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047 , Japan
| | - Marjo Salminen
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 6 Department of Veterinary Biosciences, PO Box 66 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Teemu Aitta-Aho
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 4 Department of Pharmacology, PO Box 63 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Tarja Stenberg
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 2 Department of Physiology, PO Box 63 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Svetlana Molchanova
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Kaia Achim
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
| | - Juha Partanen
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
- FIN00014-University of Helsinki 1 , Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 56 , , Helsinki , Finland
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7
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Xu P, He H, Gao Q, Zhou Y, Wu Z, Zhang X, Sun L, Hu G, Guan Q, You Z, Zhang X, Zheng W, Xiong M, Chen Y. Human midbrain dopaminergic neuronal differentiation markers predict cell therapy outcome in a Parkinson's disease model. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:156768. [PMID: 35700056 PMCID: PMC9282930 DOI: 10.1172/jci156768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-based replacement therapy holds great promise in treating Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the heterogeneity of hPSC-derived donor cells and the low yield of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons after transplantation hinder its broad clinical application. Here, we depicted the single-cell molecular landscape during mDA neuron differentiation. We found that this process recapitulated the development of multiple but adjacent fetal brain regions including ventral midbrain, isthmus, and ventral hindbrain, resulting in heterogenous donor cell population. We reconstructed the differentiation trajectory of mDA lineage and identified CLSTN2 and PTPRO as specific surface markers of mDA progenitors, which were predictive of mDA neuron differentiation and could facilitate highly enriched mDA neurons (up to 80%) following progenitor sorting and transplantation. Marker sorted progenitors exhibited higher therapeutic potency in correcting motor deficits of PD mice. Different marker sorted grafts had a strikingly consistent cellular composition, in which mDA neurons were enriched, while off-target neuron types were mostly depleted, suggesting stable graft outcomes. Our study provides a better understanding of cellular heterogeneity during mDA neuron differentiation, and establishes a strategy to generate highly purified donor cells to achieve stable and predictable therapeutic outcomes, raising the prospect of hPSC-based PD cell replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peibo Xu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui He
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qinqin Gao
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Zhou
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyan Wu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Linyu Sun
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Hu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qian Guan
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwen You
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyue Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenping Zheng
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Man Xiong
- Institute State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuejun Chen
- CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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8
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HGprt deficiency disrupts dopaminergic circuit development in a genetic mouse model of Lesch–Nyhan disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:341. [PMID: 35660973 PMCID: PMC9167210 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04326-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In Lesch–Nyhan disease (LND), deficiency of the purine salvage enzyme hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HGprt) leads to a characteristic neurobehavioral phenotype dominated by dystonia, cognitive deficits and incapacitating self-injurious behavior. It has been known for decades that LND is associated with dysfunction of midbrain dopamine neurons, without overt structural brain abnormalities. Emerging post mortem and in vitro evidence supports the hypothesis that the dopaminergic dysfunction in LND is of developmental origin, but specific pathogenic mechanisms have not been revealed. In the current study, HGprt deficiency causes specific neurodevelopmental abnormalities in mice during embryogenesis, particularly affecting proliferation and migration of developing midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons. In mutant embryos at E14.5, proliferation was increased, accompanied by a decrease in cell cycle exit and the distribution and orientation of dividing cells suggested a premature deviation from their migratory route. An abnormally structured radial glia-like scaffold supporting this mDA neuronal migration might lie at the basis of these abnormalities. Consequently, these abnormalities were associated with an increase in area occupied by TH+ cells and an abnormal mDA subpopulation organization at E18.5. Finally, dopaminergic innervation was disorganized in prefrontal and decreased in HGprt deficient primary motor and somatosensory cortices. These data provide direct in vivo evidence for a neurodevelopmental nature of the brain disorder in LND. Future studies should not only focus the specific molecular mechanisms underlying the reported neurodevelopmental abnormalities, but also on optimal timing of therapeutic interventions to rescue the DA neuron defects, which may also be relevant for other neurodevelopmental disorders.
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9
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OUP accepted manuscript. Stem Cells 2022; 40:175-189. [DOI: 10.1093/stmcls/sxab014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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10
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Lee H, Lee JJ, Park NY, Dubey SK, Kim T, Ruan K, Lim SB, Park SH, Ha S, Kovlyagina I, Kim KT, Kim S, Oh Y, Kim H, Kang SU, Song MR, Lloyd TE, Maragakis NJ, Hong YB, Eoh H, Lee G. Multi-omic analysis of selectively vulnerable motor neuron subtypes implicates altered lipid metabolism in ALS. Nat Neurosci 2021; 24:1673-1685. [PMID: 34782793 PMCID: PMC8639773 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-021-00944-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disorder in which motor neurons degenerate, the causes of which remain unclear. In particular, the basis for selective vulnerability of spinal motor neurons (sMNs) and resistance of ocular motor neurons to degeneration in ALS has yet to be elucidated. Here, we applied comparative multi-omics analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived sMNs and ocular motor neurons to identify shared metabolic perturbations in inherited and sporadic ALS sMNs, revealing dysregulation in lipid metabolism and its related genes. Targeted metabolomics studies confirmed such findings in sMNs of 17 ALS (SOD1, C9ORF72, TDP43 (TARDBP) and sporadic) human induced pluripotent stem cell lines, identifying elevated levels of arachidonic acid. Pharmacological reduction of arachidonic acid levels was sufficient to reverse ALS-related phenotypes in both human sMNs and in vivo in Drosophila and SOD1G93A mouse models. Collectively, these findings pinpoint a catalytic step of lipid metabolism as a potential therapeutic target for ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hojae Lee
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Robert Packard Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jae Jin Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Na Young Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea
- Department of Translational Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Dong-A University, Busan, Korea
| | - Sandeep Kumar Dubey
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Taeyong Kim
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kai Ruan
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Su Bin Lim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
| | - Seong-Hyun Park
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shinwon Ha
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Irina Kovlyagina
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Kyung-Tai Kim
- School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
- Jeonbuk Branch Institute, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jeongeup, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongjun Kim
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yohan Oh
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyesoo Kim
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sung-Ung Kang
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mi-Ryoung Song
- School of Life Sciences, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Thomas E Lloyd
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Cellular and Molecular Medicine Program, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas J Maragakis
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Young Bin Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea.
- Department of Translational Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Dong-A University, Busan, Korea.
| | - Hyungjin Eoh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Gabsang Lee
- Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- The Robert Packard Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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11
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Abstract
Abnormalities in cranial motor nerve development cause paralytic strabismus syndromes, collectively referred to as congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders, in which patients cannot fully move their eyes. These disorders can arise through one of two mechanisms: (a) defective motor neuron specification, usually by loss of a transcription factor necessary for brainstem patterning, or (b) axon growth and guidance abnormalities of the oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves. This review focuses on our current understanding of axon guidance mechanisms in the cranial motor nerves and how disease-causing mutations disrupt axon targeting. Abnormalities of axon growth and guidance are often limited to a single nerve or subdivision, even when the causative gene is ubiquitously expressed. Additionally, when one nerve is absent, its normal target muscles attract other motor neurons. Study of these disorders highlights the complexities of axon guidance and how each population of neurons uses a unique but overlapping set of axon guidance pathways. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 7 is September 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary C Whitman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
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12
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Generation of a Novel Nkx6-1 Venus Fusion Reporter Mouse Line. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22073434. [PMID: 33810480 PMCID: PMC8036392 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Nkx6-1 is a member of the Nkx family of homeodomain transcription factors (TFs) that regulates motor neuron development, neuron specification and pancreatic endocrine and β-cell differentiation. To facilitate the isolation and tracking of Nkx6-1-expressing cells, we have generated a novel Nkx6-1 Venus fusion (Nkx6-1-VF) reporter allele. The Nkx6-1-VF knock-in reporter is regulated by endogenous cis-regulatory elements of Nkx6-1 and the fluorescent protein fusion does not interfere with the TF function, as homozygous mice are viable and fertile. The nuclear localization of Nkx6-1-VF protein reflects the endogenous Nkx6-1 protein distribution. During embryonic pancreas development, the reporter protein marks the pancreatic ductal progenitors and the endocrine lineage, but is absent in the exocrine compartment. As expected, the levels of Nkx6-1-VF reporter are upregulated upon β-cell differentiation during the major wave of endocrinogenesis. In the adult islets of Langerhans, the reporter protein is exclusively found in insulin-secreting β-cells. Importantly, the Venus reporter activities allow successful tracking of β-cells in live-cell imaging and their specific isolation by flow sorting. In summary, the generation of the Nkx6-1-VF reporter line reflects the expression pattern and dynamics of the endogenous protein and thus provides a unique tool to study the spatio-temporal expression pattern of this TF during organ development and enables isolation and tracking of Nkx6-1-expressing cells such as pancreatic β-cells, but also neurons and motor neurons in health and disease.
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13
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Jahan I, Kersigo J, Elliott KL, Fritzsch B. Smoothened overexpression causes trochlear motoneurons to reroute and innervate ipsilateral eyes. Cell Tissue Res 2021; 384:59-72. [PMID: 33409653 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03352-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The trochlear projection is unique among the cranial nerves in that it exits the midbrain dorsally to innervate the contralateral superior oblique muscle in all vertebrates. Trochlear as well as oculomotor motoneurons uniquely depend upon Phox2a and Wnt1, both of which are downstream of Lmx1b, though why trochlear motoneurons display such unusual projections is not fully known. We used Pax2-cre to drive expression of ectopically activated Smoothened (SmoM2) dorsally in the midbrain and anterior hindbrain. We documented the expansion of oculomotor and trochlear motoneurons using Phox2a as a specific marker at E9.5. We show that the initial expansion follows a demise of these neurons by E14.5. Furthermore, SmoM2 expression leads to a ventral exit and ipsilateral projection of trochlear motoneurons. We compare that data with Unc5c mutants that shows a variable ipsilateral number of trochlear fibers that exit dorsal. Our data suggest that Shh signaling is involved in trochlear motoneuron projections and that the deflected trochlear projections after SmoM2 expression is likely due to the dorsal expression of Gli1, which impedes the normal dorsal trajectory of these neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israt Jahan
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Jennifer Kersigo
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Karen L Elliott
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Bernd Fritzsch
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA. .,Department of Otolaryngology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
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14
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Murcia-Ramón R, Company V, Juárez-Leal I, Andreu-Cervera A, Almagro-García F, Martínez S, Echevarría D, Puelles E. Neuronal tangential migration from Nkx2.1-positive hypothalamus. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2857-2869. [PMID: 33145610 PMCID: PMC7674375 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02163-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
During the development of the central nervous system, the immature neurons suffer different migration processes. It is well known that Nkx2.1-positive ventricular layer give rise to critical tangential migrations into different regions of the developing forebrain. Our aim was to study this phenomenon in the hypothalamic region. With this purpose, we used a transgenic mouse line that expresses the tdTomato reporter driven by the promotor of Nkx2.1. Analysing the Nkx2.1-positive derivatives at E18.5, we found neural contributions to the prethalamic region, mainly in the zona incerta and in the mes-diencephalic tegmental region. We studied the developing hypothalamus along the embryonic period. From E10.5 we detected that the Nkx2.1 expression domain was narrower than the reporter distribution. Therefore, the Nkx2.1 expression fades in a great number of the early-born neurons from the Nkx2.1-positive territory. At the most caudal positive part, we detected a thin stream of positive neurons migrating caudally into the mes-diencephalic tegmental region using time-lapse experiments on open neural tube explants. Late in development, we found a second migratory stream into the prethalamic territory. All these tangentially migrated neurons developed a gabaergic phenotype. In summary, we have described the contribution of interneurons from the Nkx2.1-positive hypothalamic territory into two different rostrocaudal territories: the mes-diencephalic reticular formation through a caudal tangential migration and the prethalamic zona incerta complex through a dorsocaudal tangential migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Murcia-Ramón
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Verónica Company
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Iris Juárez-Leal
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Abraham Andreu-Cervera
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Francisca Almagro-García
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Salvador Martínez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Diego Echevarría
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eduardo Puelles
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, 03550, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain.
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15
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Ásgrímsdóttir ES, Arenas E. Midbrain Dopaminergic Neuron Development at the Single Cell Level: In vivo and in Stem Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:463. [PMID: 32733875 PMCID: PMC7357704 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra. Current treatment options for PD are symptomatic and typically involve the replacement of DA neurotransmission by DA drugs, which relieve the patients of some of their motor symptoms. However, by the time of diagnosis, patients have already lost about 70% of their substantia nigra DA neurons and these drugs offer only temporary relief. Therefore, cell replacement therapy has garnered much interest as a potential treatment option for PD. Early studies using human fetal tissue for transplantation in PD patients provided proof of principle for cell replacement therapy, but they also highlighted the ethical and practical difficulties associated with using human fetal tissue as a cell source. In recent years, advancements in stem cell research have made human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) an attractive source of material for cell replacement therapy. Studies on how DA neurons are specified and differentiated in the developing mouse midbrain have allowed us to recapitulate many of the positional and temporal cues needed to generate DA neurons in vitro. However, little is known about the developmental programs that govern human DA neuron development. With the advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bioinformatics, it has become possible to analyze precious human samples with unprecedented detail and extract valuable high-quality information from large data sets. This technology has allowed the systematic classification of cell types present in the human developing midbrain along with their gene expression patterns. By studying human development in such an unbiased manner, we can begin to elucidate human DA neuron development and determine how much it differs from our knowledge of the rodent brain. Importantly, this molecular description of the function of human cells has become and will increasingly be a reference to define, evaluate, and engineer cell types for PD cell replacement therapy and disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ernest Arenas
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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16
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Development and Differentiation of Midbrain Dopaminergic Neuron: From Bench to Bedside. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061489. [PMID: 32570916 PMCID: PMC7349799 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the motor system. It is primarily due to substantial loss of midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and to decreased innervation to the striatum. Although existing drug therapy available can relieve the symptoms in early-stage PD patients, it cannot reverse the pathogenic progression of PD. Thus, regenerating functional mDA neurons in PD patients may be a cure to the disease. The proof-of-principle clinical trials showed that human fetal graft-derived mDA neurons could restore the release of dopamine neurotransmitters, could reinnervate the striatum, and could alleviate clinical symptoms in PD patients. The invention of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), autologous source of neural progenitors with less ethical consideration, and risk of graft rejection can now be generated in vitro. This advancement also prompts extensive research to decipher important developmental signaling in differentiation, which is key to successful in vitro production of functional mDA neurons and the enabler of mass manufacturing of the cells required for clinical applications. In this review, we summarize the biology and signaling involved in the development of mDA neurons and the current progress and methodology in driving efficient mDA neuron differentiation from pluripotent stem cells.
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17
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Wever I, Wagemans CMRJ, Smidt MP. EZH2 Is Essential for Fate Determination in the Mammalian Isthmic Area. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:76. [PMID: 31024250 PMCID: PMC6465967 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The polycomb group proteins (PcGs) are a group of epigenetic factors associated with gene silencing. They are found in several families of multiprotein complexes, including polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). EZH2, EED and SUZ12 form the core components of the PRC2 complex, which is responsible for the mono, di- and trimethylation of lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27Me3), the chromatin mark associated with gene silencing. Loss-of-function studies of Ezh2, the catalytic subunit of PRC2, have shown that PRC2 plays a role in regulating developmental transitions of neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs); from self-renewal to differentiation and the neurogenic-to-gliogenic fate switch. To further address the function of EZH2 and H3K27me3 during neuronal development, we generated a conditional mutant in which Ezh2 was removed in the mammalian isthmic (mid-hindbrain) region from E10.5 onward. Loss of Ezh2 changed the molecular coding of the anterior ventral hindbrain leading to a fate switch and the appearance of ectopic dopaminergic (DA) neurons. The correct specification of the isthmic region is dependent on the signaling factors produced by the Isthmic organizer (IsO), located at the border of the mid- and hindbrain. We propose that the change of cellular fate is a result of the presence of Otx2 in the hindbrain of Ezh2 conditional knock-outs (cKOs) and a dysfunctional IsO, as represented by the loss of Fgf8 and Wnt1. Our work implies that next to controlling developmental transitions, EZH2 mediated gene silencing is important for specification of the isthmic region by influencing IsO functioning and repressing Otx2 in the hindbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Wever
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Cindy M R J Wagemans
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Marten P Smidt
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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18
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Vaswani AR, Weykopf B, Hagemann C, Fried HU, Brüstle O, Blaess S. Correct setup of the substantia nigra requires Reelin-mediated fast, laterally-directed migration of dopaminergic neurons. eLife 2019; 8:41623. [PMID: 30689541 PMCID: PMC6349407 DOI: 10.7554/elife.41623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons migrate to form the laterally-located substantia nigra pars compacta (SN) and medially-located ventral tegmental area (VTA), but little is known about the underlying cellular and molecular processes. Here we visualize the dynamic cell morphologies of tangentially migrating SN-mDA neurons in 3D and identify two distinct migration modes. Slow migration is the default mode in SN-mDA neurons, while fast, laterally-directed migration occurs infrequently and is strongly associated with bipolar cell morphology. Tangential migration of SN-mDA neurons is altered in absence of Reelin signaling, but it is unclear whether Reelin acts directly on migrating SN-mDA neurons and how it affects their cell morphology and migratory behavior. By specifically inactivating Reelin signaling in mDA neurons we demonstrate its direct role in SN-mDA tangential migration. Reelin promotes laterally-biased movements in mDA neurons during their slow migration mode, stabilizes leading process morphology and increases the probability of fast, laterally-directed migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita Ravi Vaswani
- Neurodevelopmental Genetics, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Beatrice Weykopf
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Cathleen Hagemann
- Neurodevelopmental Genetics, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Hans-Ulrich Fried
- Light Microscope Facility, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany
| | - Oliver Brüstle
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Blaess
- Neurodevelopmental Genetics, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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19
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Company V, Moreno-Bravo JA, Perez-Balaguer A, Puelles E. The Amniote Oculomotor Complex. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 302:446-451. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Verónica Company
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante 03550 Spain
| | - Juan Antonio Moreno-Bravo
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante 03550 Spain
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision; 17 Rue Moreau, Paris 75012 France
| | - Ariadna Perez-Balaguer
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante 03550 Spain
| | - Eduardo Puelles
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC; Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante 03550 Spain
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20
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Abstract
The recent flood of single-cell data not only boosts our knowledge of cells and cell types, but also provides new insight into development and evolution from a cellular perspective. For example, assaying the genomes of multiple cells during development reveals developmental lineage trees-the kinship lineage-whereas cellular transcriptomes inform us about the regulatory state of cells and their gradual restriction in potency-the Waddington lineage. Beyond that, the comparison of single-cell data across species allows evolutionary changes to be tracked at all stages of development from the zygote, via different kinds of stem cells, to the differentiating cells. We discuss recent insights into the evolution of stem cells and initial attempts to reconstruct the evolutionary cell type tree of the mammalian forebrain, for example, by the comparative analysis of neuron types in the mesencephalic floor. These studies illustrate the immense potential of single-cell genomics to open up a new era in developmental and evolutionary research.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Marioni
- EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SD, United Kingdom;
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0RE, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Detlev Arendt
- Developmental Biology Unit, EMBL, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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21
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Michalak SM, Whitman MC, Park JG, Tischfield MA, Nguyen EH, Engle EC. Ocular Motor Nerve Development in the Presence and Absence of Extraocular Muscle. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2017; 58:2388-2396. [PMID: 28437527 PMCID: PMC5403115 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-21268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To spatially and temporally define ocular motor nerve development in the presence and absence of extraocular muscles (EOMs). Methods Myf5cre mice, which in the homozygous state lack EOMs, were crossed to an IslMN:GFP reporter line to fluorescently label motor neuron cell bodies and axons. Embryonic day (E) 11.5 to E15.5 wild-type and Myf5cre/cre:IslMN:GFP whole mount embryos and dissected orbits were imaged by confocal microscopy to visualize the developing oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves in the presence and absence of EOMs. E11.5 and E18.5 brainstems were serially sectioned and stained for Islet1 to determine the fate of ocular motor neurons. Results At E11.5, all three ocular motor nerves in mutant embryos approached the orbit with a trajectory similar to that of wild-type. Subsequently, while wild-type nerves send terminal branches that contact target EOMs in a stereotypical pattern, the Myf5cre/cre ocular motor nerves failed to form terminal branches, regressed, and by E18.5 two-thirds of their corresponding motor neurons died. Comparisons between mutant and wild-type embryos revealed novel aspects of trochlear and oculomotor nerve development. Conclusions We delineated mouse ocular motor nerve spatial and temporal development in unprecedented detail. Moreover, we found that EOMs are not necessary for initial outgrowth and guidance of ocular motor axons from the brainstem to the orbit but are required for their terminal branching and survival. These data suggest that intermediate targets in the mesenchyme provide cues necessary for appropriate targeting of ocular motor axons to the orbit, while EOM cues are responsible for terminal branching and motor neuron survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne M Michalak
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 2F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 4University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States 5Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States
| | - Mary C Whitman
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 6Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 7Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Jong G Park
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 2F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 5Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States 8Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States
| | - Max A Tischfield
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Elaine H Nguyen
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 6Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
| | - Elizabeth C Engle
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 2F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 3Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 5Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States 6Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States 7Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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22
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Brignani S, Pasterkamp RJ. Neuronal Subset-Specific Migration and Axonal Wiring Mechanisms in the Developing Midbrain Dopamine System. Front Neuroanat 2017; 11:55. [PMID: 28740464 PMCID: PMC5502286 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2017.00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The midbrain dopamine (mDA) system is involved in the control of cognitive and motor behaviors, and is associated with several psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. mDA neurons receive diverse afferent inputs and establish efferent connections with many brain areas. Recent studies have unveiled a high level of molecular and cellular heterogeneity within the mDA system with specific subsets of mDA neurons displaying select molecular profiles and connectivity patterns. During mDA neuron development, molecular differences between mDA neuron subsets allow the establishment of subset-specific afferent and efferent connections and functional roles. In this review, we summarize and discuss recent work defining novel mDA neuron subsets based on specific molecular signatures. Then, molecular cues are highlighted that control mDA neuron migration during embryonic development and that facilitate the formation of selective patterns of efferent connections. The review focuses largely on studies that show differences in these mechanisms between different subsets of mDA neurons and for which in vivo data is available, and is concluded by a section that discusses open questions and provides directions for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Brignani
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht, Netherlands
| | - R J Pasterkamp
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center UtrechtUtrecht, Netherlands
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23
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Nijssen J, Comley LH, Hedlund E. Motor neuron vulnerability and resistance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neuropathol 2017; 133:863-885. [PMID: 28409282 PMCID: PMC5427160 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-017-1708-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In the fatal disease-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-upper (corticospinal) motor neurons (MNs) and lower somatic MNs, which innervate voluntary muscles, degenerate. Importantly, certain lower MN subgroups are relatively resistant to degeneration, even though pathogenic proteins are typically ubiquitously expressed. Ocular MNs (OMNs), including the oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nuclei (CNIII, IV and VI), which regulate eye movement, persist throughout the disease. Consequently, eye-tracking devices are used to enable paralysed ALS patients (who can no longer speak) to communicate. Additionally, there is a gradient of vulnerability among spinal MNs. Those innervating fast-twitch muscle are most severely affected and degenerate first. MNs innervating slow-twitch muscle can compensate temporarily for the loss of their neighbours by re-innervating denervated muscle until later in disease these too degenerate. The resistant OMNs and the associated extraocular muscles (EOMs) are anatomically and functionally very different from other motor units. The EOMs have a unique set of myosin heavy chains, placing them outside the classical characterization spectrum of all skeletal muscle. Moreover, EOMs have multiple neuromuscular innervation sites per single myofibre. Spinal fast and slow motor units show differences in their dendritic arborisations and the number of myofibres they innervate. These motor units also differ in their functionality and excitability. Identifying the molecular basis of cell-intrinsic pathways that are differentially activated between resistant and vulnerable MNs could reveal mechanisms of selective neuronal resistance, degeneration and regeneration and lead to therapies preventing progressive MN loss in ALS. Illustrating this, overexpression of OMN-enriched genes in spinal MNs, as well as suppression of fast spinal MN-enriched genes can increase the lifespan of ALS mice. Here, we discuss the pattern of lower MN degeneration in ALS and review the current literature on OMN resistance in ALS and differential spinal MN vulnerability. We also reflect upon the non-cell autonomous components that are involved in lower MN degeneration in ALS.
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24
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Chilton JK, Guthrie S. Axons get ahead: Insights into axon guidance and congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders. Dev Neurobiol 2017; 77:861-875. [DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John K. Chilton
- Wellcome Wolfson Centre for Medical Research; University of Exeter Medical School, Wellcome-Wolfson Centre for Medical Research; Exeter EX2 5DW United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Guthrie
- School of Life Sciences; University of Sussex; Falmer Brighton, BN1 9QG
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25
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Nouri N, Awatramani R. A novel floor plate boundary defined by adjacent En1 and Dbx1 microdomains distinguishes midbrain dopamine and hypothalamic neurons. Development 2017; 144:916-927. [PMID: 28174244 DOI: 10.1242/dev.144949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The mesodiencephalic floor plate (mdFP) is the source of diverse neuron types. Yet, how this structure is compartmentalized has not been clearly elucidated. Here, we identify a novel boundary subdividing the mdFP into two microdomains, defined by engrailed 1 (En1) and developing brain homeobox 1 (Dbx1). Utilizing simultaneous dual and intersectional fate mapping, we demonstrate that this boundary is precisely formed with minimal overlap between En1 and Dbx1 microdomains, unlike many other boundaries. We show that the En1 microdomain gives rise to dopaminergic (DA) neurons, whereas the Dbx1 microdomain gives rise to subthalamic (STN), premammillary (PM) and posterior hypothalamic (PH) populations. To determine whether En1 is sufficient to induce DA neuron production beyond its normal limit, we generated a mouse strain that expresses En1 in the Dbx1 microdomain. In mutants, we observed ectopic production of DA neurons derived from the Dbx1 microdomain, at the expense of STN and PM populations. Our findings provide new insights into subdivisions in the mdFP, and will impact current strategies for the conversion of stem cells into DA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Nouri
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Rajeshwar Awatramani
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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26
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La Manno G, Gyllborg D, Codeluppi S, Nishimura K, Salto C, Zeisel A, Borm LE, Stott SRW, Toledo EM, Villaescusa JC, Lönnerberg P, Ryge J, Barker RA, Arenas E, Linnarsson S. Molecular Diversity of Midbrain Development in Mouse, Human, and Stem Cells. Cell 2017; 167:566-580.e19. [PMID: 27716510 PMCID: PMC5055122 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 515] [Impact Index Per Article: 73.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Understanding human embryonic ventral midbrain is of major interest for Parkinson's disease. However, the cell types, their gene expression dynamics, and their relationship to commonly used rodent models remain to be defined. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing to examine ventral midbrain development in human and mouse. We found 25 molecularly defined human cell types, including five subtypes of radial glia-like cells and four progenitors. In the mouse, two mature fetal dopaminergic neuron subtypes diversified into five adult classes during postnatal development. Cell types and gene expression were generally conserved across species, but with clear differences in cell proliferation, developmental timing, and dopaminergic neuron development. Additionally, we developed a method to quantitatively assess the fidelity of dopaminergic neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells, at a single-cell level. Thus, our study provides insight into the molecular programs controlling human midbrain development and provides a foundation for the development of cell replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioele La Manno
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden
| | - Daniel Gyllborg
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simone Codeluppi
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kaneyasu Nishimura
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carmen Salto
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amit Zeisel
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden
| | - Lars E Borm
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden
| | - Simon R W Stott
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Enrique M Toledo
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J Carlos Villaescusa
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Psychiatric Stem Cell Group, Neurogenetics Unit, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Lönnerberg
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden
| | - Jesper Ryge
- Laboratory of Neural Microcircuitry, Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Roger A Barker
- John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PY, UK
| | - Ernest Arenas
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sten Linnarsson
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, 17121 Solna, Sweden.
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27
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Saller MM, Huettl RE, Hanuschick P, Amend AL, Alberton P, Aszodi A, Huber AB. The role of Sema3-Npn-1 signaling during diaphragm innervation and muscle development. J Cell Sci 2016; 129:3295-308. [PMID: 27466379 PMCID: PMC5047703 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.186015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Correct innervation of the main respiratory muscle in mammals, namely the thoracic diaphragm, is a crucial pre-requisite for the functionality of this muscle and the viability of the entire organism. Systemic impairment of Sema3A-Npn-1 (Npn-1 is also known as NRP1) signaling causes excessive branching of phrenic nerves in the diaphragm and into the central tendon region, where the majority of misguided axons innervate ectopic musculature. To elucidate whether these ectopic muscles are a result of misguidance of myoblast precursors due to the loss of Sema3A-Npn-1 signaling, we conditionally ablated Npn-1 in somatic motor neurons, which led to a similar phenotype of phrenic nerve defasciculation and, intriguingly, also formation of innervated ectopic muscles. We therefore hypothesize that ectopic myocyte fusion is caused by additional factors released by misprojecting growth cones. Slit2 and its Robo receptors are expressed by phrenic motor axons and migrating myoblasts, respectively, during innervation of the diaphragm. In vitro analyses revealed a chemoattractant effect of Slit2 on primary diaphragm myoblasts. Thus, we postulate that factors released by motor neuron growth cones have an influence on the migration properties of myoblasts during establishment of the diaphragm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Michael Saller
- Experimental Surgery and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Nußbaumstraße 20, Munich 80336, Germany Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Rosa-Eva Huettl
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany Institute of Physiology, Department of Physiological Genomics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Schillerstraße 46, Munich 80336, Germany
| | - Philipp Hanuschick
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Amend
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany
| | - Paolo Alberton
- Experimental Surgery and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Nußbaumstraße 20, Munich 80336, Germany
| | - Attila Aszodi
- Experimental Surgery and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU), Nußbaumstraße 20, Munich 80336, Germany
| | - Andrea B Huber
- Institute of Developmental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg 85764, Germany Bernstein Network for Computational Neuroscience, Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany
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28
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Vaswani AR, Blaess S. Reelin Signaling in the Migration of Ventral Brain Stem and Spinal Cord Neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:62. [PMID: 27013975 PMCID: PMC4786562 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The extracellular matrix protein Reelin is an important orchestrator of neuronal migration during the development of the central nervous system. While its role and mechanism of action have been extensively studied and reviewed in the formation of dorsal laminar brain structures like the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum, its functions during the neuronal migration events that result in the nuclear organization of the ventral central nervous system are less well understood. In an attempt to delineate an underlying pattern of Reelin action in the formation of neuronal cell clusters, this review highlights the role of Reelin signaling in the migration of neuronal populations that originate in the ventral brain stem and the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankita R Vaswani
- Neurodevelopmental Genetics, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Blaess
- Neurodevelopmental Genetics, Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
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29
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Gazea M, Tasouri E, Tolve M, Bosch V, Kabanova A, Gojak C, Kurtulmus B, Novikov O, Spatz J, Pereira G, Hübner W, Brodski C, Tucker KL, Blaess S. Primary cilia are critical for Sonic hedgehog-mediated dopaminergic neurogenesis in the embryonic midbrain. Dev Biol 2015; 409:55-71. [PMID: 26542012 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.10.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons modulate various motor and cognitive functions, and their dysfunction or degeneration has been implicated in several psychiatric diseases. Both Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) and Wnt signaling pathways have been shown to be essential for normal development of mDA neurons. Primary cilia are critical for the development of a number of structures in the brain by serving as a hub for essential developmental signaling cascades, but their role in the generation of mDA neurons has not been examined. We analyzed mutant mouse lines deficient in the intraflagellar transport protein IFT88, which is critical for primary cilia function. Conditional inactivation of Ift88 in the midbrain after E9.0 results in progressive loss of primary cilia, a decreased size of the mDA progenitor domain, and a reduction in mDA neurons. We identified Shh signaling as the primary cause of these defects, since conditional inactivation of the Shh signaling pathway after E9.0, through genetic ablation of Gli2 and Gli3 in the midbrain, results in a phenotype basically identical to the one seen in Ift88 conditional mutants. Moreover, the expansion of the mDA progenitor domain observed when Shh signaling is constitutively activated does not occur in absence of Ift88. In contrast, clusters of Shh-responding progenitors are maintained in the ventral midbrain of the hypomorphic Ift88 mouse mutant, cobblestone. Despite the residual Shh signaling, the integrity of the mDA progenitor domain is severely disturbed, and consequently very few mDA neurons are generated in cobblestone mutants. Our results identify for the first time a crucial role of primary cilia in the induction of mDA progenitors, define a narrow time window in which Shh-mediated signaling is dependent upon normal primary cilia function for this purpose, and suggest that later Wnt signaling-dependent events act independently of primary cilia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Gazea
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Evangelia Tasouri
- Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marianna Tolve
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Viktoria Bosch
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Anna Kabanova
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, University of Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Gojak
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Bahtiyar Kurtulmus
- Molecular Biology of Centrosomes and Cilia, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Orna Novikov
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Joachim Spatz
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Gislene Pereira
- Molecular Biology of Centrosomes and Cilia, German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Hübner
- Molecular Biophotonics, University of Bielefeld, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Claude Brodski
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Kerry L Tucker
- Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA.
| | - Sandra Blaess
- University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA.
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30
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Sherf O, Nashelsky Zolotov L, Liser K, Tilleman H, Jovanovic VM, Zega K, Jukic MM, Brodski C. Otx2 Requires Lmx1b to Control the Development of Mesodiencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139697. [PMID: 26444681 PMCID: PMC4596855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying the development of mesodiencephalic dopaminergic (mdDA) neurons provides an important basis for better understanding dopamine-associated brain functions and disorders and is critical for establishing cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease. The transcription factors Otx2 and Lmx1b play a key role in the development of mdDA neurons. However, little is known about the genes downstream of Otx2 and Lmx1b in the pathways controlling the formation of mdDA neurons in vivo. Here we report on our investigation of Lmx1b as downstream target of Otx2 in the formation of mdDA neurons. Mouse mutants expressing Otx2 under the control of the En1 promoter (En1+/Otx2) showed increased Otx2 expression in the mid-hindbrain region, resulting in upregulation of Lmx1b and expansion of mdDA neurons there. In contrast, Lmx1b-/- mice showed decreased expression of Otx2 and impairments in several aspects of mdDA neuronal formation. To study the functional interaction between Otx2 and Lmx1b, we generated compound mutants in which Otx2 expression was restored in mice lacking Lmx1b (En1+/Otx2;Lmx1b-/-). In these animals Otx2 was not sufficient to rescue any of the aberrations in the formation of mdDA neurons caused by the loss of Lmx1b, but rescued the loss of ocular motor neurons. Gene expression studies in Lmx1b-/- embryos indicated that in these mutants Wnt1, En1 and Fgf8 expression are induced but subsequently lost in the mdDA precursor domain and the mid-hindbrain organizer in a specific, spatio-temporal manner. In summary, we demonstrate that Otx2 critically depends on Lmx1b for the formation of mdDA neurons, but not for the generation of ocular motor neurons. Moreover, our data suggest that Lmx1b precisely maintains the expression pattern of Wnt1, Fgf8 and En1, which are essential for mid-hindbrain organizer function and the formation of mdDA neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orna Sherf
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Limor Nashelsky Zolotov
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Keren Liser
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Hadas Tilleman
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Vukasin M. Jovanovic
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Ksenija Zega
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Marin M. Jukic
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
| | - Claude Brodski
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’erSheva 84105, Israel
- * E-mail:
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31
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Hara S, Kaneyama T, Inamata Y, Onodera R, Shirasaki R. Interstitial branch formation within the red nucleus by deep cerebellar nuclei-derived commissural axons during target recognition. J Comp Neurol 2015; 524:999-1014. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Hara
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Takeshi Kaneyama
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Inamata
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Ryota Onodera
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
| | - Ryuichi Shirasaki
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences; Osaka University; Suita Osaka 565-0871 Japan
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32
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Nouri N, Patel MJ, Joksimovic M, Poulin JF, Anderegg A, Taketo MM, Ma YC, Awatramani R. Excessive Wnt/beta-catenin signaling promotes midbrain floor plate neurogenesis, but results in vacillating dopamine progenitors. Mol Cell Neurosci 2015; 68:131-42. [PMID: 26164566 PMCID: PMC4633300 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2015.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The floor plate (FP), a ventral midline structure of the developing neural tube, has differential neurogenic capabilities along the anterior-posterior axis. The midbrain FP, unlike the hindbrain and spinal cord floor plate, is highly neurogenic and produces midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons. Canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, at least in part, is thought to account for the difference in neurogenic capability. Removal of beta-catenin results in mDA progenitor specification defects as well as a profound reduction of neurogenesis. To examine the effects of excessive Wnt/beta-catenin signaling on mDA specification and neurogenesis, we have analyzed a model wherein beta-catenin is conditionally stabilized in the Shh+domain. Here, we show that the Foxa2+/Lmx1a+ domain is extended rostrally in mutant embryos, suggesting that canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling can drive FP expansion along the rostrocaudal axis. Although excess canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling generally promotes neurogenesis at midbrain levels, less tyrosine hydroxylase (Th)+, mDA neurons are generated, particularly impacting the Substantia Nigra pars compacta. This is likely because of improper progenitor specification. Excess canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling causes downregulation of net Lmx1b, Shh and Foxa2 levels in mDA progenitors. Moreover, these progenitors assume a mixed identity to that of Lmx1a+/Lmx1b+/Nkx6-1+/Neurog1+ progenitors. We also show by lineage tracing analysis that normally, Neurog1+ progenitors predominantly give rise to Pou4f1+ neurons, but not Th+ neurons. Accordingly, in the mutant embryos, Neurog1+ progenitors at the midline generate ectopic Pou4f1+ neurons at the expense of Th+ mDA neurons. Our study suggests that an optimal dose of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is critical for proper establishment of the mDA progenitor character. Our findings will impact embryonic stem cell protocols that utilize Wnt pathway reagents to derive mDA neuron models and therapeutics for Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Nouri
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Meera J Patel
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Committee on Neurobiology, University of Chicago, 924 E 57th St. R222, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Milan Joksimovic
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Jean-Francois Poulin
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - Angela Anderegg
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
| | - M Mark Taketo
- Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Konoé-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
| | - Yong-Chao Ma
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Chicago Research Center, 2430 North Halsted Street, Room C321, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
| | - Rajeshwar Awatramani
- Northwestern University, Feinberg Medical School, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, 7-113 Lurie Bldg., 303 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
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33
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Tian C, Li Y, Huang Y, Wang Y, Chen D, Liu J, Deng X, Sun L, Anderson K, Qi X, Li Y, Lee Mosley R, Chen X, Huang J, Zheng JC. Selective Generation of Dopaminergic Precursors from Mouse Fibroblasts by Direct Lineage Conversion. Sci Rep 2015. [PMID: 26224135 PMCID: PMC4519786 DOI: 10.1038/srep12622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons is a key pathological event of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Limited adult dopaminergic neurogenesis has led to novel therapeutic strategies such as transplantation of dopaminergic precursors (DPs). However, this strategy is currently restrained by a lack of cell source, the tendency for the DPs to become a glial-restricted state, and the tumor formation after transplantation. Here, we demonstrate the direct conversion of mouse fibroblasts into induced DPs (iDPs) by ectopic expression of Brn2, Sox2 and Foxa2. Besides expression with neural progenitor markers and midbrain genes including Corin, Otx2 and Lmx1a, the iDPs were restricted to dopaminergic neuronal lineage upon differentiation. After transplantation into MPTP-lesioned mice, iDPs differentiated into DA neurons, functionally alleviated the motor deficits, and reduced the loss of striatal DA neuronal axonal termini. Importantly, no iDPs-derived astroctyes and neoplasia were detected in mouse brains after transplantation. We propose that the iDPs from direct reprogramming provides a safe and efficient cell source for PD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changhai Tian
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Yuju Li
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Yunlong Huang
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Yongxiang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Dapeng Chen
- Department of Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P. R. China
| | - Jinxu Liu
- Department of Emergency Medicine.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Xiaobei Deng
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Lijun Sun
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Kristi Anderson
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Xinrui Qi
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Yulong Li
- Department of Emergency Medicine.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - R Lee Mosley
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Xiangmei Chen
- Department of Nephrology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P. R. China
| | - Jian Huang
- Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai 201203, P.R. China
| | - Jialin C Zheng
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China.,Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience.,Department of Pathology and Microbiology.,University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
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Martinez-Lopez JE, Moreno-Bravo JA, Madrigal MP, Martinez S, Puelles E. Red nucleus and rubrospinal tract disorganization in the absence of Pou4f1. Front Neuroanat 2015; 9:8. [PMID: 25698939 PMCID: PMC4318420 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2015.00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The red nucleus (RN) is a neuronal population that plays an important role in forelimb motor control and locomotion. Histologically it is subdivided into two subpopulations, the parvocellular RN (pRN) located in the diencephalon and the magnocellular RN (mRN) in the mesencephalon. The RN integrates signals from motor cortex and cerebellum and projects to spinal cord interneurons and motor neurons through the rubrospinal tract (RST). Pou4f1 is a transcription factor highly expressed in this nucleus that has been related to its specification. Here we profoundly analyzed consequences of Pou4f1 loss-of-function in development, maturation and axonal projection of the RN. Surprisingly, RN neurons are specified and maintained in the mutant, no cell death was detected. Nevertheless, the nucleus appeared disorganized with a strong delay in radial migration and with a wider neuronal distribution; the neurons did not form a compacted population as they do in controls, Robo1 and Slit2 were miss-expressed. Cplx1 and Npas1, expressed in the RN, are transcription factors involved in neurotransmitter release, neuronal maturation and motor function processes among others. In our mutant mice, both transcription factors are lost, suggesting an abnormal maturation of the RN. The resulting altered nucleus occupied a wider territory. Finally, we examined RST development and found that the RN neurons were able to project to the spinal cord but their axons appeared defasciculated. These data suggest that Pou4f1 is necessary for the maturation of RN neurons but not for their specification and maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesus E Martinez-Lopez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC) San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan A Moreno-Bravo
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC) San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - M Pilar Madrigal
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC) San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Salvador Martinez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC) San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain ; Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biomédica Virgen de la Arrixaca IMIB-Arrixaca, Universidad de Murcia Murcia, Spain
| | - Eduardo Puelles
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (UMH-CSIC) San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
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Creppe C, Palau A, Malinverni R, Valero V, Buschbeck M. A Cbx8-containing polycomb complex facilitates the transition to gene activation during ES cell differentiation. PLoS Genet 2014; 10:e1004851. [PMID: 25500566 PMCID: PMC4263398 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/25/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Polycomb proteins play an essential role in maintaining the repression of developmental genes in self-renewing embryonic stem cells. The exact mechanism allowing the derepression of polycomb target genes during cell differentiation remains unclear. Our project aimed to identify Cbx8 binding sites in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells. Therefore, we used a genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation of endogenous Cbx8 coupled to direct massive parallel sequencing (ChIP-Seq). Our analysis identified 171 high confidence peaks. By crossing our data with previously published microarray analysis, we show that several differentiation genes transiently recruit Cbx8 during their early activation. Depletion of Cbx8 partially impairs the transcriptional activation of these genes. Both interaction analysis, as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments support the idea that activating Cbx8 acts in the context of an intact PRC1 complex. Prolonged gene activation results in eviction of PRC1 despite persisting H3K27me3 and H2A ubiquitination. The composition of PRC1 is highly modular and changes when embryonic stem cells commit to differentiation. We further demonstrate that the exchange of Cbx7 for Cbx8 is required for the effective activation of differentiation genes. Taken together, our results establish a function for a Cbx8-containing complex in facilitating the transition from a Polycomb-repressed chromatin state to an active state. As this affects several key regulatory differentiation genes this mechanism is likely to contribute to the robust execution of differentiation programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Creppe
- Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Palau
- Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roberto Malinverni
- Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vanesa Valero
- Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marcus Buschbeck
- Institute of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (IMPPC), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Okamura-Oho Y, Shimokawa K, Nishimura M, Takemoto S, Sato A, Furuichi T, Yokota H. Broad integration of expression maps and co-expression networks compassing novel gene functions in the brain. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6969. [PMID: 25382412 PMCID: PMC4225549 DOI: 10.1038/srep06969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a recently invented technique for gene expression mapping in the whole-anatomy context, termed transcriptome tomography, we have generated a dataset of 36,000 maps of overall gene expression in the adult-mouse brain. Here, using an informatics approach, we identified a broad co-expression network that follows an inverse power law and is rich in functional interaction and gene-ontology terms. Our framework for the integrated analysis of expression maps and graphs of co-expression networks revealed that groups of combinatorially expressed genes, which regulate cell differentiation during development, were present in the adult brain and each of these groups was associated with a discrete cell types. These groups included non-coding genes of unknown function. We found that these genes specifically linked developmentally conserved groups in the network. A previously unrecognized robust expression pattern covering the whole brain was related to the molecular anatomy of key biological processes occurring in particular areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Okamura-Oho
- Brain Research Network (BReNt), 2-2-41 Sakurayama, Zushi-shi, Kanagawa, 249-0005, Japan
- Image Processing Research Team, Extreme Photonics Research Group, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako-shi Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Kazuro Shimokawa
- Department of Health Record Informatics, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-chou Aoba-ku Sendai-shi Miyagi, 980-8573, Japan
| | - Masaomi Nishimura
- Image Processing Research Team, Extreme Photonics Research Group, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako-shi Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Satoko Takemoto
- Image Processing Research Team, Extreme Photonics Research Group, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako-shi Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
| | - Akira Sato
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda-shi, Chiba, 278-8510, Japan
| | - Teiichi Furuichi
- Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda-shi, Chiba, 278-8510, Japan
| | - Hideo Yokota
- Image Processing Research Team, Extreme Photonics Research Group, RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics, 2-1 Hirosawa Wako-shi Saitama, 351-0198, Japan
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Allodi I, Hedlund E. Directed midbrain and spinal cord neurogenesis from pluripotent stem cells to model development and disease in a dish. Front Neurosci 2014; 8:109. [PMID: 24904255 PMCID: PMC4033221 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Induction of specific neuronal fates is restricted in time and space in the developing CNS through integration of extrinsic morphogen signals and intrinsic determinants. Morphogens impose regional characteristics on neural progenitors and establish distinct progenitor domains. Such domains are defined by unique expression patterns of fate determining transcription factors. These processes of neuronal fate specification can be recapitulated in vitro using pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we focus on the generation of dopamine neurons and motor neurons, which are induced at ventral positions of the neural tube through Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, and defined at anteroposterior positions by fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) 8, Wnt1, and retinoic acid (RA). In vitro utilization of these morphogenic signals typically results in the generation of multiple neuronal cell types, which are defined at the intersection of these signals. If the purpose of in vitro neurogenesis is to generate one cell type only, further lineage restriction can be accomplished by forced expression of specific transcription factors in a permissive environment. Alternatively, cell-sorting strategies allow for selection of neuronal progenitors or mature neurons. However, modeling development, disease and prospective therapies in a dish could benefit from structured heterogeneity, where desired neurons are appropriately synaptically connected and thus better reflect the three-dimensional structure of that region. By modulating the extrinsic environment to direct sequential generation of neural progenitors within a domain, followed by self-organization and synaptic establishment, a reductionist model of that brain region could be created. Here we review recent advances in neuronal fate induction in vitro, with a focus on the interplay between cell intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and discuss the implications for studying development and disease in a dish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilary Allodi
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eva Hedlund
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet Stockholm, Sweden
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Inamata Y, Shirasaki R. Dbx1 triggers crucial molecular programs required for midline crossing by midbrain commissural axons. Development 2014; 141:1260-71. [PMID: 24553291 DOI: 10.1242/dev.102327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Axon guidance by commissural neurons has been well documented, providing us with a molecular logic of how midline crossing is achieved during development. Despite these advances, knowledge of the intrinsic genetic programs is still limited and it remains obscure whether the expression of a single transcription factor is sufficient to activate transcriptional programs that ultimately enable midline crossing. Here, we show in the mouse that the homeodomain transcription factor Dbx1 is expressed by a subset of progenitor cells that give rise to commissural neurons in the dorsal midbrain. Gain- and loss-of-function analyses indicate that the expression of Dbx1 alone is sufficient and necessary to trigger midline crossing in vivo. We also show that Robo3 controls midline crossing as a crucial downstream effector of the Dbx1-activated molecular programs. Furthermore, Dbx1 suppresses the expression of the transcriptional program for ipsilateral neuron differentiation in parallel. These results suggest that a single transcription factor, Dbx1, has an essential function in assigning midline-crossing identity, thereby contributing crucially to the establishment of the wiring laterality in the developing nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuyuki Inamata
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Anderegg A, Lin HP, Chen JA, Caronia-Brown G, Cherepanova N, Yun B, Joksimovic M, Rock J, Harfe BD, Johnson R, Awatramani R. An Lmx1b-miR135a2 regulatory circuit modulates Wnt1/Wnt signaling and determines the size of the midbrain dopaminergic progenitor pool. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003973. [PMID: 24348261 PMCID: PMC3861205 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs regulate gene expression in diverse physiological scenarios. Their role in the control of morphogen related signaling pathways has been less studied, particularly in the context of embryonic Central Nervous System (CNS) development. Here, we uncover a role for microRNAs in limiting the spatiotemporal range of morphogen expression and function. Wnt1 is a key morphogen in the embryonic midbrain, and directs proliferation, survival, patterning and neurogenesis. We reveal an autoregulatory negative feedback loop between the transcription factor Lmx1b and a newly characterized microRNA, miR135a2, which modulates the extent of Wnt1/Wnt signaling and the size of the dopamine progenitor domain. Conditional gain of function studies reveal that Lmx1b promotes Wnt1/Wnt signaling, and thereby increases midbrain size and dopamine progenitor allocation. Conditional removal of Lmx1b has the opposite effect, in that expansion of the dopamine progenitor domain is severely compromised. Next, we provide evidence that microRNAs are involved in restricting dopamine progenitor allocation. Conditional loss of Dicer1 in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) results in expanded Lmx1a/b+ progenitors. In contrast, forced elevation of miR135a2 during an early window in vivo phenocopies the Lmx1b conditional knockout. When En1::Cre, but not Shh::Cre or Nes::Cre, is used for recombination, the expansion of Lmx1a/b+ progenitors is selectively reduced. Bioinformatics and luciferase assay data suggests that miR135a2 targets Lmx1b and many genes in the Wnt signaling pathway, including Ccnd1, Gsk3b, and Tcf7l2. Consistent with this, we demonstrate that this mutant displays reductions in the size of the Lmx1b/Wnt1 domain and range of canonical Wnt signaling. We posit that microRNA modulation of the Lmx1b/Wnt axis in the early midbrain/isthmus could determine midbrain size and allocation of dopamine progenitors. Since canonical Wnt activity has recently been recognized as a key ingredient for programming ESCs towards a dopaminergic fate in vitro, these studies could impact the rational design of such protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Anderegg
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Hsin-Pin Lin
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jun-An Chen
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Giuliana Caronia-Brown
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Natalya Cherepanova
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Beth Yun
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Milan Joksimovic
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jason Rock
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Brian D. Harfe
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Randy Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rajeshwar Awatramani
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Neurology and Center for Genetic Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Di Giovannantonio LG, Di Salvio M, Omodei D, Prakash N, Wurst W, Pierani A, Acampora D, Simeone A. Otx2 cell-autonomously determines dorsal mesencephalon versus cerebellum fate independently of isthmic organizing activity. Development 2013; 141:377-88. [PMID: 24335253 DOI: 10.1242/dev.102954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
During embryonic development, the rostral neuroectoderm is regionalized into broad areas that are subsequently subdivided into progenitor compartments with specialized identity and fate. These events are controlled by signals emitted by organizing centers and interpreted by target progenitors, which activate superimposing waves of intrinsic factors restricting their identity and fate. The transcription factor Otx2 plays a crucial role in mesencephalic development by positioning the midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) and its organizing activity. Here, we investigated whether Otx2 is cell-autonomously required to control identity and fate of dorsal mesencephalic progenitors. With this aim, we have inactivated Otx2 in the Pax7(+) dorsal mesencephalic domain, previously named m1, without affecting MHB integrity. We found that the Pax7(+) m1 domain can be further subdivided into a dorsal Zic1(+) m1a and a ventral Zic1(-) m1b sub-domain. Loss of Otx2 in the m1a (Pax7(+) Zic1(+)) sub-domain impairs the identity and fate of progenitors, which undergo a full switch into a coordinated cerebellum differentiation program. By contrast, in the m1b sub-domain (Pax7(+) Zic1(-)) Otx2 is prevalently required for post-mitotic transition of mesencephalic GABAergic precursors. Moreover, genetic cell fate, BrdU cell labeling and Otx2 conditional inactivation experiments indicate that in Otx2 mutants all ectopic cerebellar cell types, including external granule cell layer (EGL) precursors, originate from the m1a progenitor sub-domain and that reprogramming of mesencephalic precursors into EGL or cerebellar GABAergic progenitors depends on temporal sensitivity to Otx2 ablation. Together, these findings indicate that Otx2 intrinsically controls different aspects of dorsal mesencephalic neurogenesis. In this context, Otx2 is cell-autonomously required in the m1a sub-domain to suppress cerebellar fate and promote mesencephalic differentiation independently of the MHB organizing activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca G Di Giovannantonio
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", CNR, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Marklund U, Alekseenko Z, Andersson E, Falci S, Westgren M, Perlmann T, Graham A, Sundström E, Ericson J. Detailed expression analysis of regulatory genes in the early developing human neural tube. Stem Cells Dev 2013; 23:5-15. [PMID: 24007338 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2013.0309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in model organisms constitute the basis of our understanding of the principal molecular mechanisms of cell fate determination in the developing central nervous system. Considering the emergent applications in stem cell-based regenerative medicine, it is important to demonstrate conservation of subtype specific gene expression programs in human as compared to model vertebrates. We have examined the expression patterns of key regulatory genes in neural progenitor cells and their neuronal and glial descendants in the developing human spinal cord, hindbrain, and midbrain, and compared these with developing mouse and chicken embryos. As anticipated, gene expression patterns are highly conserved between these vertebrate species, but there are also features that appear unique to human development. In particular, we find that neither tyrosine hydroxylase nor Nurr1 are specific markers for mesencephalic dopamine neurons, as these genes also are expressed in other neuronal subtypes in the human ventral midbrain and in human embryonic stem cell cultures directed to differentiate towards a ventral mesencephalic identity. Moreover, somatic motor neurons in the ventral spinal cord appear to be produced by two molecularly distinct ventral progenitor populations in the human, raising the possibility that the acquisition of unique ventral progenitor identities may have contributed to the emergence of neural subtypes in higher vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrika Marklund
- 1 Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Sweden
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Tang M, Luo SX, Tang V, Huang EJ. Temporal and spatial requirements of Smoothened in ventral midbrain neuronal development. Neural Dev 2013; 8:8. [PMID: 23618354 PMCID: PMC3680293 DOI: 10.1186/1749-8104-8-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Several studies have indicated that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) regulates the expansion of dopaminergic (DA) progenitors and the subsequent generation of mature DA neurons. This prevailing view has been based primarily on in vitro culture results, and the exact in vivo function of Shh signaling in the patterning and neurogenesis of the ventral midbrain (vMB) remains unclear. Methods We characterized the transcriptional codes for the vMB progenitor domains, and correlated them with the expression patterns of Shh signaling effectors, including Shh, Smoothened, Patched, Gli1, Gli2 and Gli3. Results While Shh and its downstream effectors showed robust expression in the neurogenic niche for DA progenitors at embryonic day (E)8 to E8.5, their expression shifted to the lateral domains from E9.5 to E12.5. Consistent with this dynamic change, conditional mutants with region-specific removal of the Shh receptor Smoothened in the vMB progenitors (Shh-Cre;Smofl/fl) showed a transient reduction in DA progenitors and DA neurons at E10.5, but had more profound defects in neurons derived from the more lateral domains, including those in the red nucleus, oculomotor nucleus, and raphe nuclei. Conversely, constitutive activation of Smoothened signaling in vMB (Shh-Cre;SmoM2) showed transient expansion of the same progenitor population. To further characterize the nature of Shh-Smoothened signaling in vMB, we examined the BAT-GAL reporter and the expression of Wnt1 in vMB, and found that the antagonistic effects of Shh and Wnt signaling critically regulate the development of DA progenitors and DA neurons. Conclusion These results highlight previously unrecognized effects of Shh-Smoothened signaling in the region-specific neurogenesis within the vMB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mianzhi Tang
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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Coppola E, D'autréaux F, Nomaksteinsky M, Brunet JF. Phox2b expression in the taste centers of fish. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:3633-49. [PMID: 22473338 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The homeodomain transcription factor Phox2b controls the formation of the sensory-motor reflex circuits of the viscera in vertebrates. Among Phox2b-dependent structures characterized in rodents is the nucleus of the solitary tract, the first relay for visceral sensory input, including taste. Here we show that Phox2b is expressed throughout the primary taste centers of two cyprinid fish, Danio rerio and Carassius auratus, i.e., in their vagal, glossopharyngeal, and facial lobes, providing the first molecular evidence for their homology with the nucleus of the solitary tract of mammals and suggesting that a single ancestral Phox2b-positive neuronal type evolved to give rise to both fish and mammalian structures. In zebrafish larvae, the distribution of Phox2b²⁺ neurons, combined with the expression pattern of Olig4 (a homologue of Olig3, determinant of the nucleus of the solitary tract in mice), reveals that the superficial position and sheet-like architecture of the viscerosensory column in cyprinid fish, ideally suited for the somatotopic representation of oropharyngeal and bodily surfaces, arise by radial migration from a dorsal progenitor domain, in contrast to the tangential migration observed in amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Coppola
- École Normale Supérieure, Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, Paris F-75005, France
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Rabe TI, Griesel G, Blanke S, Kispert A, Leitges M, van der Zwaag B, Burbach JPH, Varoqueaux F, Mansouri A. The transcription factor Uncx4.1 acts in a short window of midbrain dopaminergic neuron differentiation. Neural Dev 2012; 7:39. [PMID: 23217170 PMCID: PMC3558320 DOI: 10.1186/1749-8104-7-39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 11/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The homeobox containing transcription factor Uncx4.1 is, amongst others, expressed in the mouse midbrain. The early expression of this transcription factor in the mouse, as well as in the chick midbrain, points to a conserved function of Uncx4.1, but so far a functional analysis in this brain territory is missing. The goal of the current study was to analyze in which midbrain neuronal subgroups Uncx4.1 is expressed and to examine whether this factor plays a role in the early development of these neuronal subgroups. Results We have shown that Uncx4.1 is expressed in GABAergic, glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurons in the mouse midbrain. In midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons Uncx4.1 expression is particularly high around E11.5 and strongly diminished already at E17.5. The analysis of knockout mice revealed that the loss of Uncx4.1 is accompanied with a 25% decrease in the population of mDA neurons, as marked by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporter (DAT), Pitx3 and Ngn2. In contrast, the number of glutamatergic Pax6-positive cells was augmented, while the GABAergic neuron population appears not affected in Uncx4.1-deficient embryos. Conclusion We conclude that Uncx4.1 is implicated in the development of mDA neurons where it displays a unique temporal expression profile in the early postmitotic stage. Our data indicate that the mechanism underlying the role of Uncx4.1 in mDA development is likely related to differentiation processes in postmitotic stages, and where Ngn2 is engaged. Moreover, Uncx4.1 might play an important role during glutamatergic neuronal differentiation in the mouse midbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara I Rabe
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, Goettingen, 37077, Germany
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A unilateral negative feedback loop between miR-200 microRNAs and Sox2/E2F3 controls neural progenitor cell-cycle exit and differentiation. J Neurosci 2012; 32:13292-308. [PMID: 22993445 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2124-12.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs have emerged as key posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression during vertebrate development. We show that the miR-200 family plays a crucial role for the proper generation and survival of ventral neuronal populations in the murine midbrain/hindbrain region, including midbrain dopaminergic neurons, by directly targeting the pluripotency factor Sox2 and the cell-cycle regulator E2F3 in neural stem/progenitor cells. The lack of a negative regulation of Sox2 and E2F3 by miR-200 in conditional Dicer1 mutants (En1(+/Cre); Dicer1(flox/flox) mice) and after miR-200 knockdown in vitro leads to a strongly reduced cell-cycle exit and neuronal differentiation of ventral midbrain/hindbrain (vMH) neural progenitors, whereas the opposite effect is seen after miR-200 overexpression in primary vMH cells. Expression of miR-200 is in turn directly regulated by Sox2 and E2F3, thereby establishing a unilateral negative feedback loop required for the cell-cycle exit and neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells. Our findings suggest that the posttranscriptional regulation of Sox2 and E2F3 by miR-200 family members might be a general mechanism to control the transition from a pluripotent/multipotent stem/progenitor cell to a postmitotic and more differentiated cell.
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Vasudevan A, Won C, Li S, Erdélyi F, Szabó G, Kim KS. Dopaminergic neurons modulate GABA neuron migration in the embryonic midbrain. Development 2012; 139:3136-41. [PMID: 22872083 DOI: 10.1242/dev.078394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal migration, a key event during brain development, remains largely unexplored in the mesencephalon, where dopaminergic (DA) and GABA neurons constitute two major neuronal populations. Here we study the migrational trajectories of DA and GABA neurons and show that they occupy ventral mesencephalic territory in a temporally and spatially specific manner. Our results from the Pitx3-deficient aphakia mouse suggest that pre-existing DA neurons modulate GABA neuronal migration to their final destination, providing novel insights and fresh perspectives concerning neuronal migration and connectivity in the mesencephalon in normal as well as diseased brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Vasudevan
- Angiogenesis and Brain Development Laboratory, Division of Basic Neuroscience, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA.
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Salti A, Nat R, Neto S, Puschban Z, Wenning G, Dechant G. Expression of early developmental markers predicts the efficiency of embryonic stem cell differentiation into midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Stem Cells Dev 2012; 22:397-411. [PMID: 22889265 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2012.0238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dopaminergic neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells are among the best investigated products of in vitro stem cell differentiation owing to their potential use for neurorestorative therapy of Parkinson's disease. However, the classical differentiation protocols for both mouse and human pluripotent stem cells generate a limited percentage of dopaminergic neurons and yield a considerable cellular heterogeneity comprising numerous scarcely characterized cell populations. To improve pluripotent stem cell differentiation protocols for midbrain dopaminergic neurons, we established extensive and strictly quantitative gene expression profiles, including markers for pluripotent cells, neural progenitors, non-neural cells, pan-neuronal and glial cells, neurotransmitter phenotypes, midbrain and nonmidbrain populations, floor plate and basal plate populations, as well as for Hedgehog, Fgf, and Wnt signaling pathways. The profiles were applied to discrete stages of in vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells toward the dopaminergic lineage and after transplantation into the striatum of 6-hydroxy-dopamine-lesioned rats. The comparison of gene expression in vitro with stages in the developing ventral midbrain between embryonic day 11.5 and 13.5 ex vivo revealed dynamic changes in the expression of transcription factors and signaling molecules. Based on these profiles, we propose quantitative gene expression milestones that predict the efficiency of dopaminergic differentiation achieved at the end point of the protocol, already at earlier stages of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Salti
- Institute for Neuroscience, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
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Lance-Jones C, Shah V, Noden DM, Sours E. Intrinsic properties guide proximal abducens and oculomotor nerve outgrowth in avian embryos. Dev Neurobiol 2012; 72:167-85. [PMID: 21739615 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.20948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Proper movement of the vertebrate eye requires the formation of precisely patterned axonal connections linking cranial somatic motoneurons, located at defined positions in the ventral midbrain and hindbrain, with extraocular muscles. The aim of this research was to assess the relative contributions of intrinsic, population-specific properties and extrinsic, outgrowth site-specific cues during the early stages of abducens and oculomotor nerve development in avian embryos. This was accomplished by surgically transposing midbrain and caudal hindbrain segments, which had been pre-labeled by electroporation with an EGFP construct. Graft-derived EGFP+ oculomotor axons entering a hindbrain microenvironment often mimicked an abducens initial pathway and coursed cranially. Similarly, some EGFP+ abducens axons entering a midbrain microenvironment mimicked an oculomotor initial pathway and coursed ventrally. Many but not all of these axons subsequently projected to extraocular muscles that they would not normally innervate. Strikingly, EGFP+ axons also took initial paths atypical for their new location. Upon exiting from a hindbrain position, most EGFP+ oculomotor axons actually coursed ventrally and joined host branchiomotor nerves, whose neurons share molecular features with oculomotor neurons. Similarly, upon exiting from a midbrain position, some EGFP+ abducens axons turned caudally, elongated parallel to the brainstem, and contacted the lateral rectus muscle, their originally correct target. These data reveal an interplay between intrinsic properties that are unique to oculomotor and abducens populations and shared ability to recognize and respond to extrinsic directional cues. The former play a prominent role in initial pathway choices, whereas the latter appear more instructive during subsequent directional choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Lance-Jones
- Department of Neurobiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
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Lahti L, Peltopuro P, Piepponen TP, Partanen J. Cell-autonomous FGF signaling regulates anteroposterior patterning and neuronal differentiation in the mesodiencephalic dopaminergic progenitor domain. Development 2012; 139:894-905. [PMID: 22278924 DOI: 10.1242/dev.071936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The structure and projection patterns of adult mesodiencephalic dopaminergic (DA) neurons are one of the best characterized systems in the vertebrate brain. However, the early organization and development of these nuclei remain poorly understood. The induction of midbrain DA neurons requires sonic hedgehog (Shh) from the floor plate and fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) from the isthmic organizer, but the way in which FGF8 regulates DA neuron development is unclear. We show that, during early embryogenesis, mesodiencephalic neurons consist of two distinct populations: a diencephalic domain, which is probably independent of isthmic FGFs; and a midbrain domain, which is dependent on FGFs. Within these domains, DA progenitors and precursors use partly different genetic programs. Furthermore, the diencephalic DA domain forms a distinct cell population, which also contains non-DA Pou4f1(+) cells. FGF signaling operates in proliferative midbrain DA progenitors, but is absent in postmitotic DA precursors. The loss of FGFR1/2-mediated signaling results in a maturation failure of the midbrain DA neurons and altered patterning of the midbrain floor. In FGFR mutants, the DA domain adopts characteristics that are typical for embryonic diencephalon, including the presence of Pou4f1(+) cells among TH(+) cells, and downregulation of genes typical of midbrain DA precursors. Finally, analyses of chimeric embryos indicate that FGF signaling regulates the development of the ventral midbrain cell autonomously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lahti
- Department of Biosciences, Division of Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Waite MR, Skaggs K, Kaviany P, Skidmore JM, Causeret F, Martin JF, Martin DM. Distinct populations of GABAergic neurons in mouse rhombomere 1 express but do not require the homeodomain transcription factor PITX2. Mol Cell Neurosci 2012; 49:32-43. [PMID: 21925604 PMCID: PMC3244529 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2011.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2011] [Revised: 08/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hindbrain rhombomere 1 (r1) is located caudal to the isthmus, a critical organizer region, and rostral to rhombomere 2 in the developing mouse brain. Dorsal r1 gives rise to the cerebellum, locus coeruleus, and several brainstem nuclei, whereas cells from ventral r1 contribute to the trochlear and trigeminal nuclei as well as serotonergic and GABAergic neurons of the dorsal raphe. Recent studies have identified several molecular events controlling dorsal r1 development. In contrast, very little is known about ventral r1 gene expression and the genetic mechanisms regulating its formation. Neurons with distinct neurotransmitter phenotypes have been identified in ventral r1 including GABAergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic neurons. Here we show that PITX2 marks a distinct population of GABAergic neurons in mouse embryonic ventral r1. This population appears to retain its GABAergic identity even in the absence of PITX2. We provide a comprehensive map of markers that places these PITX2-positive GABAergic neurons in a region of r1 that intersects and is potentially in communication with the dorsal raphe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mindy R Waite
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, 2966 Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0619, USA.
| | - Kaia Skaggs
- Department of Neurology, 3520A MSRB I, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48019-5652, USA.
| | - Parisa Kaviany
- Department of Pediatrics, 3520A MSRB I, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48019-5652, USA.
| | - Jennifer M Skidmore
- Department of Pediatrics, 3520A MSRB I, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48019-5652, USA.
| | - Frédéric Causeret
- Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS UMR 7592, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
| | - James F Martin
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Cardiomyocyte Renewal Lab Texas Heart Institute, Houston Texas, 77030, USA.
| | - Donna M Martin
- Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, 2966 Taubman Medical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0619, USA; Department of Pediatrics, 3520A MSRB I, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48019-5652, USA; Department of Human Genetics, 3520A MSRB I, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48019-5652, USA.
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