1
|
Li Z, Abram L, Peall KJ. Deciphering the Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underpinning Myoclonus Dystonia Using Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cellular Models. Cells 2024; 13:1520. [PMID: 39329704 PMCID: PMC11430605 DOI: 10.3390/cells13181520] [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: 08/14/2024] [Revised: 09/04/2024] [Accepted: 09/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Dystonia is a movement disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1.2% and is characterised by involuntary muscle contractions leading to abnormal postures and pain. Only symptomatic treatments are available with no disease-modifying or curative therapy, in large part due to the limited understanding of the underlying pathophysiology. However, the inherited monogenic forms of dystonia provide an opportunity for the development of disease models to examine these mechanisms. Myoclonus Dystonia, caused by SGCE mutations encoding the ε-sarcoglycan protein, represents one of now >50 monogenic forms. Previous research has implicated the involvement of the basal ganglia-cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit in dystonia pathogenesis, but further work is needed to understand the specific molecular and cellular mechanisms. Pluripotent stem cell technology enables a patient-derived disease modelling platform harbouring disease-causing mutations. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the aetiology of Myoclonus Dystonia, recent advances in producing distinct neuronal types from pluripotent stem cells, and their application in modelling Myoclonus Dystonia in vitro. Future research employing pluripotent stem cell-derived cellular models is crucial to elucidate how distinct neuronal types may contribute to dystonia and how disruption to neuronal function can give rise to dystonic disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zongze Li
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Laura Abram
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Kathryn J Peall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Do QB, Noor H, Marquez-Gomez R, Cramb KML, Ng B, Abbey A, Ibarra-Aizpurua N, Caiazza MC, Sharifi P, Lang C, Beccano-Kelly D, Baleriola J, Bengoa-Vergniory N, Wade-Martins R. Early deficits in an in vitro striatal microcircuit model carrying the Parkinson's GBA-N370S mutation. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10:82. [PMID: 38609392 PMCID: PMC11014935 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-024-00694-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding medium spiny neuron (MSN) physiology is essential to understand motor impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) given the architecture of the basal ganglia. Here, we developed a custom three-chambered microfluidic platform and established a cortico-striato-nigral microcircuit partially recapitulating the striatal presynaptic landscape in vitro using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. We found that, cortical glutamatergic projections facilitated MSN synaptic activity, and dopaminergic transmission enhanced maturation of MSNs in vitro. Replacement of wild-type iPSC-derived dopamine neurons (iPSC-DaNs) in the striatal microcircuit with those carrying the PD-related GBA-N370S mutation led to a depolarisation of resting membrane potential and an increase in rheobase in iPSC-MSNs, as well as a reduction in both voltage-gated sodium and potassium currents. Such deficits were resolved in late microcircuit cultures, and could be reversed in younger cultures with antagonism of protein kinase A activity in iPSC-MSNs. Taken together, our results highlight the unique utility of modelling striatal neurons in a modular physiological circuit to reveal mechanistic insights into GBA1 mutations in PD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quyen B Do
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Humaira Noor
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
- Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), University of Oxford, Henry Wellcome Building for Molecular Physiology, Old Road, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ricardo Marquez-Gomez
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M L Cramb
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Bryan Ng
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ajantha Abbey
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Naroa Ibarra-Aizpurua
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Maria Claudia Caiazza
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Parnaz Sharifi
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Charmaine Lang
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Dayne Beccano-Kelly
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Jimena Baleriola
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Nora Bengoa-Vergniory
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain.
- Ikerbasque-Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.
- University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Department of Neuroscience, Leioa, Spain.
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK.
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Binda CS, Lelos MJ, Rosser AE, Massey TH. Using gene or cell therapies to treat Huntington's disease. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2024; 205:193-215. [PMID: 39341655 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-90120-8.00014-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the first exon of the HTT gene, leading to the production of gain-of-toxic-function mutant huntingtin protein species and consequent transcriptional dysregulation and disrupted cell metabolism. The brunt of the disease process is borne by the striatum from the earliest disease stages, with striatal atrophy beginning approximately a decade prior to the onset of neurologic signs. Although the expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene is necessary and sufficient to cause HD, other genes can influence the age at onset of symptoms and how they progress. Many of these modifier genes have roles in DNA repair and are likely to modulate the stability of the CAG repeat in somatic cells. Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments for HD that can be prescribed to patients and few symptomatic treatments, but there is a lot of interest in therapeutics that can target the pathogenic pathways at the DNA and RNA levels, some of which have reached the stage of human studies. In contrast, cell therapies aim to replace key neural cells lost to the disease process and/or to support the host vulnerable striatum by direct delivery of cells to the brain. Ultimately it may be possible to combine gene and cell therapies to both slow disease processes and provide some level of neural repair. In this chapter we consider the current status of these therapeutic strategies along with their prospects and challenges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Caroline S Binda
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mariah J Lelos
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anne E Rosser
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; BRAIN Unit, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
| | - Thomas H Massey
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nie L, Yao D, Chen S, Wang J, Pan C, Wu D, Liu N, Tang Z. Directional induction of neural stem cells, a new therapy for neurodegenerative diseases and ischemic stroke. Cell Death Discov 2023; 9:215. [PMID: 37393356 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01532-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the limited capacity of the adult mammalian brain to self-repair and regenerate, neurological diseases, especially neurodegenerative disorders and stroke, characterized by irreversible cellular damage are often considered as refractory diseases. Neural stem cells (NSCs) play a unique role in the treatment of neurological diseases for their abilities to self-renew and form different neural lineage cells, such as neurons and glial cells. With the increasing understanding of neurodevelopment and advances in stem cell technology, NSCs can be obtained from different sources and directed to differentiate into a specific neural lineage cell phenotype purposefully, making it possible to replace specific cells lost in some neurological diseases, which provides new approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases as well as stroke. In this review, we outline the advances in generating several neuronal lineage subtypes from different sources of NSCs. We further summarize the therapeutic effects and possible therapeutic mechanisms of these fated specific NSCs in neurological disease models, with special emphasis on Parkinson's disease and ischemic stroke. Finally, from the perspective of clinical translation, we compare the strengths and weaknesses of different sources of NSCs and different methods of directed differentiation, and propose future research directions for directed differentiation of NSCs in regenerative medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luwei Nie
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Dabao Yao
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Shiling Chen
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Jingyi Wang
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Chao Pan
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China
| | - Dongcheng Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Wuhan Hamilton Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
| | - Zhouping Tang
- Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu GH, Smith-Geater C, Galaz-Montoya JG, Gu Y, Gupte SR, Aviner R, Mitchell PG, Hsu J, Miramontes R, Wang KQ, Geller NR, Hou C, Danita C, Joubert LM, Schmid MF, Yeung S, Frydman J, Mobley W, Wu C, Thompson LM, Chiu W. CryoET reveals organelle phenotypes in huntington disease patient iPSC-derived and mouse primary neurons. Nat Commun 2023; 14:692. [PMID: 36754966 PMCID: PMC9908936 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36096-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by an expanded CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene, yielding a Huntingtin protein with an expanded polyglutamine tract. While experiments with patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can help understand disease, defining pathological biomarkers remains challenging. Here, we used cryogenic electron tomography to visualize neurites in HD patient iPSC-derived neurons with varying CAG repeats, and primary cortical neurons from BACHD, deltaN17-BACHD, and wild-type mice. In HD models, we discovered sheet aggregates in double membrane-bound organelles, and mitochondria with distorted cristae and enlarged granules, likely mitochondrial RNA granules. We used artificial intelligence to quantify mitochondrial granules, and proteomics experiments reveal differential protein content in isolated HD mitochondria. Knockdown of Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT1 ameliorated aberrant phenotypes in iPSC- and BACHD neurons. We show that integrated ultrastructural and proteomic approaches may uncover early HD phenotypes to accelerate diagnostics and the development of targeted therapeutics for HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gong-Her Wu
- Department of Bioengineering, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Charlene Smith-Geater
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Jesús G Galaz-Montoya
- Department of Bioengineering, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Yingli Gu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037-0662, USA
| | - Sanket R Gupte
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ranen Aviner
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Patrick G Mitchell
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Joy Hsu
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Ricardo Miramontes
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Keona Q Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 96267, USA
| | - Nicolette R Geller
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 96267, USA
| | - Cathy Hou
- Department of Bioengineering, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Cristina Danita
- Department of Bioengineering, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Lydia-Marie Joubert
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Michael F Schmid
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Serena Yeung
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Judith Frydman
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - William Mobley
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037-0662, USA
| | - Chengbiao Wu
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92037-0662, USA
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. .,Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. .,Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 96267, USA. .,Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 96267, USA. .,Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
| | - Wah Chiu
- Department of Bioengineering, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA. .,Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Brocchetti S, Conforti P. Differentiation of hPSCs to Study PRC2 Role in Cell-Fate Specification and Neurodevelopment. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2655:211-220. [PMID: 37212999 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3143-0_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Several studies highlighted the importance of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) already at the beginning of development. Although the crucial function of PRC2 in regulating lineage commitment and cell-fate specification has been well-established, the in vitro study of the exact mechanisms for which H3K27me3 is indispensable for proper differentiation is still challenging. In this chapter, we report a well-established and reproducible differentiation protocol to generate striatal medium spiny neurons as a tool to explore PRC2 role in brain development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola Conforti
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan and INGM, Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Aslan A, Yuka SA. Stem Cell-Based Therapeutic Approaches in Genetic Diseases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2023; 1436:19-53. [PMID: 36735185 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2023_761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Stem cells, which can self-renew and differentiate into different cell types, have become the keystone of regenerative medicine due to these properties. With the achievement of superior clinical results in the therapeutic approaches of different diseases, the applications of these cells in the treatment of genetic diseases have also come to the fore. Foremost, conventional approaches of stem cells to genetic diseases are the first approaches in this manner, and they have brought safety issues due to immune reactions caused by allogeneic transplantation. To eliminate these safety issues and phenotypic abnormalities caused by genetic defects, firstly, basic genetic engineering practices such as vectors or RNA modulators were combined with stem cell-based therapeutic approaches. However, due to challenges such as immune reactions and inability to target cells effectively in these applications, advanced molecular methods have been adopted in ZFN, TALEN, and CRISPR/Cas genome editing nucleases, which allow modular designs in stem cell-based genetic diseases' therapeutic approaches. Current studies in genetic diseases are in the direction of creating permanent treatment regimens by genomic manipulation of stem cells with differentiation potential through genome editing tools. In this chapter, the stem cell-based therapeutic approaches of various vital genetic diseases were addressed wide range from conventional applications to genome editing tools.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayça Aslan
- Department of Bioengineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Selcen Arı Yuka
- Department of Bioengineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey.
- Health Biotechnology Joint Research and Application Center of Excellence, Istanbul, Turkey.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Conforti P, Bocchi VD, Campus I, Scaramuzza L, Galimberti M, Lischetti T, Talpo F, Pedrazzoli M, Murgia A, Ferrari I, Cordiglieri C, Fasciani A, Arenas E, Felsenfeld D, Biella G, Besusso D, Cattaneo E. In vitro-derived medium spiny neurons recapitulate human striatal development and complexity at single-cell resolution. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100367. [PMID: 36590694 PMCID: PMC9795363 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Stem cell engineering of striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) is a promising strategy to understand diseases affecting the striatum and for cell-replacement therapies in different neurological diseases. Protocols to generate cells from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are scarce and how well they recapitulate the endogenous fetal cells remains poorly understood. We have developed a protocol that modulates cell seeding density and exposure to specific morphogens that generates authentic and functional D1- and D2-MSNs with a high degree of reproducibility in 25 days of differentiation. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) shows that our cells can mimic the cell-fate acquisition steps observed in vivo in terms of cell type composition, gene expression, and signaling pathways. Finally, by modulating the midkine pathway we show that we can increase the yield of MSNs. We expect that this protocol will help decode pathogenesis factors in striatal diseases and eventually facilitate cell-replacement therapies for Huntington's disease (HD).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Conforti
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Vittoria Dickinson Bocchi
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Campus
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Linda Scaramuzza
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Maura Galimberti
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana Lischetti
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Talpo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Matteo Pedrazzoli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Alessio Murgia
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Ivan Ferrari
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Cordiglieri
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Fasciani
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Ernest Arenas
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Gerardo Biella
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Via Adolfo Ferrata, 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Dario Besusso
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacology of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
- Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, 20122 Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Limone F, Klim JR, Mordes DA. Pluripotent stem cell strategies for rebuilding the human brain. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:1017299. [PMID: 36408113 PMCID: PMC9667068 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1017299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders have been extremely challenging to treat with traditional drug-based approaches and curative therapies are lacking. Given continued progress in stem cell technologies, cell replacement strategies have emerged as concrete and potentially viable therapeutic options. In this review, we cover advances in methods used to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into several highly specialized types of neurons, including cholinergic, dopaminergic, and motor neurons, and the potential clinical applications of stem cell-derived neurons for common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, ataxia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, we summarize cellular differentiation techniques for generating glial cell populations, including oligodendrocytes and microglia, and their conceivable translational roles in supporting neural function. Clinical trials of specific cell replacement therapies in the nervous system are already underway, and several attractive avenues in regenerative medicine warrant further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Limone
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Daniel A. Mordes
- Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zayed MA, Sultan S, Alsaab HO, Yousof SM, Alrefaei GI, Alsubhi NH, Alkarim S, Al Ghamdi KS, Bagabir SA, Jana A, Alghamdi BS, Atta HM, Ashraf GM. Stem-Cell-Based Therapy: The Celestial Weapon against Neurological Disorders. Cells 2022; 11:3476. [PMID: 36359871 PMCID: PMC9655836 DOI: 10.3390/cells11213476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem cells are a versatile source for cell therapy. Their use is particularly significant for the treatment of neurological disorders for which no definitive conventional medical treatment is available. Neurological disorders are of diverse etiology and pathogenesis. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is caused by abnormal protein deposits, leading to progressive dementia. Parkinson's disease (PD) is due to the specific degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons causing motor and sensory impairment. Huntington's disease (HD) includes a transmittable gene mutation, and any treatment should involve gene modulation of the transplanted cells. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder affecting multiple neurons sporadically but induces progressive neuronal dysfunction. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) impacts upper and lower motor neurons, leading to progressive muscle degeneration. This shows the need to try to tailor different types of cells to repair the specific defect characteristic of each disease. In recent years, several types of stem cells were used in different animal models, including transgenic animals of various neurologic disorders. Based on some of the successful animal studies, some clinical trials were designed and approved. Some studies were successful, others were terminated and, still, a few are ongoing. In this manuscript, we aim to review the current information on both the experimental and clinical trials of stem cell therapy in neurological disorders of various disease mechanisms. The different types of cells used, their mode of transplantation and the molecular and physiologic effects are discussed. Recommendations for future use and hopes are highlighted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A. Zayed
- Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Menoufia 32511, Egypt
| | - Samar Sultan
- Medical Laboratory Technology Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Regenerative Medicine Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hashem O. Alsaab
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shimaa Mohammad Yousof
- Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Ghadeer I. Alrefaei
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nouf H. Alsubhi
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science & Arts, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh 21911, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Alkarim
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahad Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic Stem Cells Research Unit, Biology Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kholoud S. Al Ghamdi
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sali Abubaker Bagabir
- Genetic Unit, Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ankit Jana
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed to be University, Campus-11, Patia, Bhubaneswar 751024, Odisha, India
| | - Badrah S. Alghamdi
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Pre-Clinical Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hazem M. Atta
- Clinical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine in Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt
| | - Ghulam Md Ashraf
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, University City, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Garcia Jareño P, Bartley OJM, Precious SV, Rosser AE, Lelos MJ. Challenges in progressing cell therapies to the clinic for Huntington's disease: A review of the progress made with pluripotent stem cell derived medium spiny neurons. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 166:1-48. [PMID: 36424090 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2022.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a triad of symptoms: motor, cognitive and psychiatric. HD is caused by a genetic mutation, expansion of the CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene, which results in loss of medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum. Cell replacement therapy (CRT) has emerged as a possible therapy for HD, aiming to replace those cells lost to the disease process and alleviate its symptoms. Initial pre-clinical studies used primary fetal striatal cells to provide proof-of-principal that CRT can bring about functional recovery on some behavioral tasks following transplantation into HD models. Alternative donor cell sources are required if CRT is to become a viable therapeutic option and human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) sources, which have undergone differentiation toward the MSNs lost to the disease process, have proved to be strong candidates. The focus of this chapter is to review work conducted on the functional assessment of animals following transplantation of hPSC-derived MSNs. We discuss different ways that graft function has been assessed, and the results that have been achieved to date. In addition, this chapter presents and discusses challenges that remain in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Oliver J M Bartley
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie V Precious
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anne E Rosser
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Cardiff University Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (B.R.A.I.N.) Biomedical Research Unit, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mariah J Lelos
- Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Rosser AE, Busse ME, Gray WP, Badin RA, Perrier AL, Wheelock V, Cozzi E, Martin UP, Salado-Manzano C, Mills LJ, Drew C, Goldman SA, Canals JM, Thompson LM. Translating cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases: Huntington's disease as a model disorder. Brain 2022; 145:1584-1597. [PMID: 35262656 PMCID: PMC9166564 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
There has been substantial progress in the development of regenerative medicine strategies for CNS disorders over the last decade, with progression to early clinical studies for some conditions. However, there are multiple challenges along the translational pipeline, many of which are common across diseases and pertinent to multiple donor cell types. These include defining the point at which the preclinical data are sufficiently compelling to permit progression to the first clinical studies; scaling-up, characterization, quality control and validation of the cell product; design, validation and approval of the surgical device; and operative procedures for safe and effective delivery of cell product to the brain. Furthermore, clinical trials that incorporate principles of efficient design and disease-specific outcomes are urgently needed (particularly for those undertaken in rare diseases, where relatively small cohorts are an additional limiting factor), and all processes must be adaptable in a dynamic regulatory environment. Here we set out the challenges associated with the clinical translation of cell therapy, using Huntington's disease as a specific example, and suggest potential strategies to address these challenges. Huntington's disease presents a clear unmet need, but, importantly, it is an autosomal dominant condition with a readily available gene test, full genetic penetrance and a wide range of associated animal models, which together mean that it is a powerful condition in which to develop principles and test experimental therapeutics. We propose that solving these challenges in Huntington's disease would provide a road map for many other neurological conditions. This white paper represents a consensus opinion emerging from a series of meetings of the international translational platforms Stem Cells for Huntington's Disease and the European Huntington's Disease Network Advanced Therapies Working Group, established to identify the challenges of cell therapy, share experience, develop guidance and highlight future directions, with the aim to expedite progress towards therapies for clinical benefit in Huntington's disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne E. Rosser
- Cardiff University Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Repair Group, School of Biosciences, Life Sciences Building, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
- Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (B.R.A.I.N.) Biomedical Research Unit, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4EP, UK
| | - Monica E. Busse
- Cardiff University Centre for Trials Research, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences Cardiff University, 4th Floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4YS, UK
| | - William P. Gray
- Cardiff University Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (B.R.A.I.N.) Biomedical Research Unit, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4EP, UK
- University Hospital of Wales Healthcare NHS Trust, Department of Neurosurgery, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
| | - Romina Aron Badin
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives: mécanismes, thérapies, imagerie, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Molecular Imaging Research Center, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Anselme L. Perrier
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Laboratoire des Maladies Neurodégénératives: mécanismes, thérapies, imagerie, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Molecular Imaging Research Center, 92265 Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Vicki Wheelock
- University of California Davis, Department of Neurology, 95817 Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Emanuele Cozzi
- Transplant Immunology Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, Padua University Hospital—Ospedale Giustinianeo, Padova, Italy
| | - Unai Perpiña Martin
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Creatio-Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Networked Biomedical Research Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Salado-Manzano
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Creatio-Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Networked Biomedical Research Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura J. Mills
- Cardiff University Centre for Trials Research, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences Cardiff University, 4th Floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4YS, UK
| | - Cheney Drew
- Cardiff University Centre for Trials Research, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences Cardiff University, 4th Floor Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4YS, UK
| | - Steven A. Goldman
- Centre for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester, 14642 Rochester, NY, USA
- University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, DK-2200 Kobenhavn, Denmark
| | - Josep M. Canals
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Creatio-Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Networked Biomedical Research Centre for Neurodegenerative Disorders (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Leslie M. Thompson
- University of California Irvine, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Center, 92697 Irvine, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Leung RF, George AM, Roussel EM, Faux MC, Wigle JT, Eisenstat DD. Genetic Regulation of Vertebrate Forebrain Development by Homeobox Genes. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:843794. [PMID: 35546872 PMCID: PMC9081933 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.843794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Forebrain development in vertebrates is regulated by transcription factors encoded by homeobox, bHLH and forkhead gene families throughout the progressive and overlapping stages of neural induction and patterning, regional specification and generation of neurons and glia from central nervous system (CNS) progenitor cells. Moreover, cell fate decisions, differentiation and migration of these committed CNS progenitors are controlled by the gene regulatory networks that are regulated by various homeodomain-containing transcription factors, including but not limited to those of the Pax (paired), Nkx, Otx (orthodenticle), Gsx/Gsh (genetic screened), and Dlx (distal-less) homeobox gene families. This comprehensive review outlines the integral role of key homeobox transcription factors and their target genes on forebrain development, focused primarily on the telencephalon. Furthermore, links of these transcription factors to human diseases, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and brain tumors are provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan F. Leung
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ankita M. George
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Enola M. Roussel
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Maree C. Faux
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeffrey T. Wigle
- Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - David D. Eisenstat
- Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Tam RW, Keung AJ. Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Medium Spiny Neuron-like Cells Exhibit Gene Desensitization. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091411. [PMID: 35563715 PMCID: PMC9100557 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene desensitization in response to a repeated stimulus is a complex phenotype important across homeostatic and disease processes, including addiction, learning, and memory. These complex phenotypes are being characterized and connected to important physiologically relevant functions in rodent systems but are difficult to capture in human models where even acute responses to important neurotransmitters are understudied. Here through transcriptomic analysis, we map the dynamic responses of human stem cell-derived medium spiny neuron-like cells (hMSN-like cells) to dopamine. Furthermore, we show that these human neurons can reflect and capture cellular desensitization to chronic versus acute administration of dopamine. These human cells are further able to capture complex receptor crosstalk in response to the pharmacological perturbations of distinct dopamine receptor subtypes. This study demonstrates the potential utility and remaining challenges of using human stem cell-derived neurons to capture and study the complex dynamic mechanisms of the brain.
Collapse
|
15
|
Modeling and Targeting Neuroglial Interactions with Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Models. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031684. [PMID: 35163606 PMCID: PMC8836094 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Generation of relevant and robust models for neurological disorders is of main importance for both target identification and drug discovery. The non-cell autonomous effects of glial cells on neurons have been described in a broad range of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, pointing to neuroglial interactions as novel alternative targets for therapeutics development. Interestingly, the recent breakthrough discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has opened a new road for studying neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders “in a dish”. Here, we provide an overview of the generation and modeling of both neuronal and glial cells from human iPSCs and a brief synthesis of recent work investigating neuroglial interactions using hiPSCs in a pathophysiological context.
Collapse
|
16
|
Do foetal transplant studies continue to be justified in Huntington's disease? Neuronal Signal 2021; 5:NS20210019. [PMID: 34956650 PMCID: PMC8674623 DOI: 10.1042/ns20210019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Early CNS transplantation studies used foetal derived cell products to provide a foundation of evidence for functional recovery in preclinical studies and early clinical trials. However, it was soon recognised that the practical limitations of foetal tissue make it unsuitable for widespread clinical use. Considerable effort has since been directed towards producing target cell phenotypes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) instead, and there now exist several publications detailing the differentiation and characterisation of PSC-derived products relevant for transplantation in Huntington's disease (HD). In light of this progress, we ask if foetal tissue transplantation continues to be justified in HD research. We argue that (i) the extent to which accurately differentiated target cells can presently be produced from PSCs is still unclear, currently making them undesirable for studying wider CNS transplantation issues; (ii) foetal derived cells remain a valuable tool in preclinical research for advancing our understanding of which products produce functional striatal grafts and as a reference to further improve PSC-derived products; and (iii) until PSC-derived products are ready for human trials, it is important to continue using foetal cells to gather clinical evidence that transplantation is a viable option in HD and to use this opportunity to optimise practical parameters (such as trial design, clinical practices, and delivery strategies) to pave the way for future PSC-derived products.
Collapse
|
17
|
Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Models for Studying Sex-Specific Differences in Neurodegenerative Diseases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1387:57-88. [PMID: 34921676 DOI: 10.1007/5584_2021_683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is steadily increasing worldwide, and epidemiological studies strongly suggest that many of the diseases are sex-biased. It has long been suggested that biological sex differences are crucial for neurodegenerative diseases; however, how biological sex affects disease initiation, progression, and severity is not well-understood. Sex is a critical biological variable that should be taken into account in basic research, and this review aims to highlight the utility of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-derived models for studying sex-specific differences in neurodegenerative diseases, with advantages and limitations. In vitro systems utilizing species-specific, renewable, and physiologically relevant cell sources can provide powerful platforms for mechanistic studies, toxicity testings, and drug discovery. Matched healthy, patient-derived, and gene-corrected human iPSCs, from both sexes, can be utilized to generate neuronal and glial cell types affected by specific neurodegenerative diseases to study sex-specific differences in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) human culture systems. Such relatively simple and well-controlled systems can significantly contribute to the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying sex-specific differences, which can yield effective, and potentially sex-based strategies, against neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
|
18
|
McTague A, Rossignoli G, Ferrini A, Barral S, Kurian MA. Genome Editing in iPSC-Based Neural Systems: From Disease Models to Future Therapeutic Strategies. Front Genome Ed 2021; 3:630600. [PMID: 34713254 PMCID: PMC8525405 DOI: 10.3389/fgeed.2021.630600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic advances for neurological disorders are challenging due to limited accessibility of the human central nervous system and incomplete understanding of disease mechanisms. Many neurological diseases lack precision treatments, leading to significant disease burden and poor outcome for affected patients. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provides human neuronal cells that facilitate disease modeling and development of therapies. The use of genome editing, in particular CRISPR-Cas9 technology, has extended the potential of iPSCs, generating new models for a number of disorders, including Alzheimers and Parkinson Disease. Editing of iPSCs, in particular with CRISPR-Cas9, allows generation of isogenic pairs, which differ only in the disease-causing mutation and share the same genetic background, for assessment of phenotypic differences and downstream effects. Moreover, genome-wide CRISPR screens allow high-throughput interrogation for genetic modifiers in neuronal phenotypes, leading to discovery of novel pathways, and identification of new therapeutic targets. CRISPR-Cas9 has now evolved beyond altering gene expression. Indeed, fusion of a defective Cas9 (dCas9) nuclease with transcriptional repressors or activation domains allows down-regulation or activation of gene expression (CRISPR interference, CRISPRi; CRISPR activation, CRISPRa). These new tools will improve disease modeling and facilitate CRISPR and cell-based therapies, as seen for epilepsy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Genome engineering holds huge promise for the future understanding and treatment of neurological disorders, but there are numerous barriers to overcome. The synergy of iPSC-based model systems and gene editing will play a vital role in the route to precision medicine and the clinical translation of genome editing-based therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy McTague
- Developmental Neurosciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giada Rossignoli
- Developmental Neurosciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arianna Ferrini
- Developmental Neurosciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Serena Barral
- Developmental Neurosciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Manju A Kurian
- Developmental Neurosciences, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Neurology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
van der Plas E, Schultz JL, Nopoulos PC. The Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis of Huntington's Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2021; 9:217-229. [PMID: 32925079 PMCID: PMC7683043 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-200394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The current dogma of HD pathoetiology posits it is a degenerative disease affecting primarily the striatum, caused by a gain of function (toxicity) of the mutant mHTT that kills neurons. However, a growing body of evidence supports an alternative theory in which loss of function may also influence the pathology.This theory is predicated on the notion that HTT is known to be a vital gene for brain development. mHTT is expressed throughout life and could conceivably have deleterious effects on brain development. The end event in the disease is, of course, neurodegeneration; however the process by which that occurs may be rooted in the pathophysiology of aberrant development.To date, there have been multiple studies evaluating molecular and cellular mechanisms of abnormal development in HD, as well as studies investigating abnormal brain development in HD animal models. However, direct study of how mHTT could affect neurodevelopment in humans has not been approached until recent years. The current review will focus on the most recent findings of a unique study of children at-risk for HD, the Kids-HD study. This study evaluates brain structure and function in children ages 6-18 years old who are at risk for HD (have a parent or grand-parent with HD).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen van der Plas
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jordan L Schultz
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Peg C Nopoulos
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Iowa City, IA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Porciúncula LO, Goto-Silva L, Ledur PF, Rehen SK. The Age of Brain Organoids: Tailoring Cell Identity and Functionality for Normal Brain Development and Disease Modeling. Front Neurosci 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.674563
expr 918028134 + 817050540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past years, brain development has been investigated in rodent models, which were particularly relevant to establish the role of specific genes in this process. However, the cytoarchitectonic features, which determine neuronal network formation complexity, are unique to humans. This implies that the developmental program of the human brain and neurological disorders can only partly be reproduced in rodents. Advancement in the study of the human brain surged with cultures of human brain tissue in the lab, generated from induced pluripotent cells reprogrammed from human somatic tissue. These cultures, termed brain organoids, offer an invaluable model for the study of the human brain. Brain organoids reproduce the cytoarchitecture of the cortex and can develop multiple brain regions and cell types. Integration of functional activity of neural cells within brain organoids with genetic, cellular, and morphological data in a comprehensive model for human development and disease is key to advance in the field. Because the functional activity of neural cells within brain organoids relies on cell repertoire and time in culture, here, we review data supporting the gradual formation of complex neural networks in light of cell maturity within brain organoids. In this context, we discuss how the technology behind brain organoids brought advances in understanding neurodevelopmental, pathogen-induced, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
|
21
|
Porciúncula LO, Goto-Silva L, Ledur PF, Rehen SK. The Age of Brain Organoids: Tailoring Cell Identity and Functionality for Normal Brain Development and Disease Modeling. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:674563. [PMID: 34483818 PMCID: PMC8414411 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.674563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past years, brain development has been investigated in rodent models, which were particularly relevant to establish the role of specific genes in this process. However, the cytoarchitectonic features, which determine neuronal network formation complexity, are unique to humans. This implies that the developmental program of the human brain and neurological disorders can only partly be reproduced in rodents. Advancement in the study of the human brain surged with cultures of human brain tissue in the lab, generated from induced pluripotent cells reprogrammed from human somatic tissue. These cultures, termed brain organoids, offer an invaluable model for the study of the human brain. Brain organoids reproduce the cytoarchitecture of the cortex and can develop multiple brain regions and cell types. Integration of functional activity of neural cells within brain organoids with genetic, cellular, and morphological data in a comprehensive model for human development and disease is key to advance in the field. Because the functional activity of neural cells within brain organoids relies on cell repertoire and time in culture, here, we review data supporting the gradual formation of complex neural networks in light of cell maturity within brain organoids. In this context, we discuss how the technology behind brain organoids brought advances in understanding neurodevelopmental, pathogen-induced, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisiane O. Porciúncula
- Department of Biochemistry, Program of Biological Sciences - Biochemistry, Institute of Health and Basic Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Livia Goto-Silva
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pitia F. Ledur
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Stevens K. Rehen
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Aishwarya L, Arun D, Kannan S. Stem cells as a potential therapeutic option for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 17:590-605. [PMID: 35135464 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x16666210810105136] [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: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In future, neurodegenerative diseases will take over cancer's place and become the major cause of death in the world, especially in developed countries. Advancements in the medical field and its facilities have led to an increase in the old age population, and thus contributing to the increase in number of people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Economically it is of a great burden to society and the affected family. No current treatment aims to replace, protect, and regenerate lost neurons; instead, it alleviates the symptoms, extends the life span by a few months and creates severe side effects. Moreover, people who are affected are physically dependent for performing their basic activities, which makes their life miserable. There is an urgent need for therapy that could be able to overcome the deficits of conventional therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cells, the unspecialized cells with the properties of self-renewing and potency to differentiate into various cells types can become a potent therapeutic option for neurodegenerative diseases. Stem cells have been widely used in clinical trials to evaluate their potential in curing different types of ailments. In this review, we discuss the various types of stem cells and their potential use in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease based on published preclinical and clinical studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aishwarya L
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai-600 116. India
| | - Dharmarajan Arun
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai-600 116. India
| | - Suresh Kannan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai-600 116. India
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Amimoto N, Nishimura K, Shimohama S, Takata K. Generation of striatal neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells by controlling extrinsic signals with small molecules. Stem Cell Res 2021; 55:102486. [PMID: 34385043 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2021.102486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are powerful tools for modeling human brain development and treating neurodegenerative diseases. Here we established a robust protocol with high scalability for generating striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) from hiPSCs using small molecules under two- and three-dimensional culture conditions. Using this protocol, GSH2+ lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) progenitors were generated in two-dimensional culture by Sonic hedgehog signaling activation using purmorphamine, WNT signaling inhibition using XAV939, and dual-SMAD inhibition using LDN193189 and A83-01. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed sequential expression of LGE and striatal genes during differentiation. These LGE progenitors subsequently gave rise to DARPP32+ MSNs exhibiting spontaneous and evoked monophasic spiking activity. Applying this protocol in three-dimensional culture, we generated striatal neurospheres with gene expression profiles and cell layer organization resembling that of the developing striatum, including distinct ventricular and subventricular zones and DARPP32+ neurons at the surface. This protocol provides a useful experimental model for studying striatal development and yields cells potentially applicable for regenerative medicine to treat striatum-related disorders such as Huntington's disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Amimoto
- Division of Integrated Pharmaceutical Science, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan
| | - Kaneyasu Nishimura
- Division of Integrated Pharmaceutical Science, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan.
| | - Shun Shimohama
- Department of Neurology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8543, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Takata
- Division of Integrated Pharmaceutical Science, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607-8414, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Chen Y, Song F, Tu M, Wu S, He X, Liu H, Xu C, Zhang K, Zhu Y, Zhou R, Jin C, Wang P, Zhang H, Tian M. Quantitative proteomics revealed extensive microenvironmental changes after stem cell transplantation in ischemic stroke. Front Med 2021; 16:429-441. [PMID: 34241786 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-021-0842-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The local microenvironment is essential to stem cell-based therapy for ischemic stroke, and spatiotemporal changes of the microenvironment in the pathological process provide vital clues for understanding the therapeutic mechanisms. However, relevant studies on microenvironmental changes were mainly confined in the acute phase of stroke, and long-term changes remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the microenvironmental changes in the subacute and chronic phases of ischemic stroke after stem cell transplantation. Herein, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and neural stem cells (NSCs) were transplanted into the ischemic brain established by middle cerebral artery occlusion surgery. Positron emission tomography imaging and neurological tests were applied to evaluate the metabolic and neurofunctional alterations of rats transplanted with stem cells. Quantitative proteomics was employed to investigate the protein expression profiles in iPSCs-transplanted brain in the subacute and chronic phases of stroke. Compared with NSCs-transplanted rats, significantly increased glucose metabolism and neurofunctional scores were observed in iPSCs-transplanted rats. Subsequent proteomic data of iPSCs-transplanted rats identified a total of 39 differentially expressed proteins in the subacute and chronic phases, which are involved in various ischemic stroke-related biological processes, including neuronal survival, axonal remodeling, antioxidative stress, and mitochondrial function restoration. Taken together, our study indicated that iPSCs have a positive therapeutic effect in ischemic stroke and emphasized the wide-ranging microenvironmental changes in the subacute and chronic phases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Chen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, 310030, China
| | - Fahuan Song
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Mengjiao Tu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Department of PET Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Shuang Wu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Xiao He
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Caiyun Xu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Yuankai Zhu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Rui Zhou
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Chentao Jin
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.,College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China. .,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China. .,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China. .,Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China. .,Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China. .,College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
| | - Mei Tian
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, China. .,Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310009, China. .,Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310009, China.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Beatriz M, Lopes C, Ribeiro ACS, Rego ACC. Revisiting cell and gene therapies in Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Res 2021; 99:1744-1762. [PMID: 33881180 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative movement disorders, such as Huntington's disease (HD), share a progressive and relentless course with increasing motor disability, linked with neuropsychiatric impairment. These diseases exhibit diverse pathophysiological processes and are a topic of intense experimental and clinical research due to the lack of therapeutic options. Restorative therapies are promising approaches with the potential to restore brain circuits. However, there were less compelling results in the few clinical trials. In this review, we discuss cell replacement therapies applied to animal models and HD patients. We thoroughly describe the initial trials using fetal neural tissue transplantation and recent approaches based on alternative cell sources tested in several animal models. Stem cells were shown to generate the desired neuron phenotype and/or provide growth factors to the degenerating host cells. Besides, genetic approaches such as RNA interference and the CRISPR/Cas9 system have been studied in animal models and human-derived cells. New genetic manipulations have revealed the capability to control or counteract the effect of human gene mutations as described by the use of antisense oligonucleotides in a clinical trial. In HD, innovative strategies are at forefront of human testing and thus other brain genetic diseases may follow similar therapeutic strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margarida Beatriz
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra - Polo I, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Carla Lopes
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra - Polo I, Coimbra, Portugal.,IIIUC-Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra - Polo II, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Ana Cristina Carvalho Rego
- CNC-Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra - Polo I, Coimbra, Portugal.,FMUC-Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra - Polo III, Coimbra, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Le Cann K, Foerster A, Rösseler C, Erickson A, Hautvast P, Giesselmann S, Pensold D, Kurth I, Rothermel M, Mattis VB, Zimmer-Bensch G, von Hörsten S, Denecke B, Clarner T, Meents J, Lampert A. The difficulty to model Huntington's disease in vitro using striatal medium spiny neurons differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6934. [PMID: 33767215 PMCID: PMC7994641 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85656-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded polyglutamine repeat in the huntingtin gene. The neuropathology of HD is characterized by the decline of a specific neuronal population within the brain, the striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). The origins of this extreme vulnerability remain unknown. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPS cell)-derived MSNs represent a powerful tool to study this genetic disease. However, the differentiation protocols published so far show a high heterogeneity of neuronal populations in vitro. Here, we compared two previously published protocols to obtain hiPS cell-derived striatal neurons from both healthy donors and HD patients. Patch-clamp experiments, immunostaining and RT-qPCR were performed to characterize the neurons in culture. While the neurons were mature enough to fire action potentials, a majority failed to express markers typical for MSNs. Voltage-clamp experiments on voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels revealed a large variability between the two differentiation protocols. Action potential analysis did not reveal changes induced by the HD mutation. This study attempts to demonstrate the current challenges in reproducing data of previously published differentiation protocols and in generating hiPS cell-derived striatal MSNs to model a genetic neurodegenerative disorder in vitro.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Le Cann
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alec Foerster
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Corinna Rösseler
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Andelain Erickson
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Petra Hautvast
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Pensold
- Institute of Biology II, Division of Functional Epigenetics in the Animal Model, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ingo Kurth
- Intitute of Human Genetic, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Markus Rothermel
- Institute Für Biology II, Department Chemosensation, AG Neuromodulation, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Virginia B Mattis
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
- Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics, Madison, WI, 53711, USA
| | - Geraldine Zimmer-Bensch
- Institute of Biology II, Division of Functional Epigenetics in the Animal Model, RWTH Aachen University, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Stephan von Hörsten
- Intitute of Virology, Clinical and Molecular Virology, Animal Center of Preclinical Experiments (PETZ), 91054, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Tim Clarner
- Intitute for Neuroanatomy, MIT 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jannis Meents
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
- Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH, Aspenhaustrasse 21, 72770, Reutlingen, Germany.
| | - Angelika Lampert
- Institute of Physiology, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Dell' Amico C, Tata A, Pellegrino E, Onorati M, Conti L. Genome editing in stem cells for genetic neurodisorders. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2021; 182:403-438. [PMID: 34175049 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The recent advent of genome editing techniques and their rapid improvement paved the way in establishing innovative human neurological disease models and in developing new therapeutic opportunities. Human pluripotent (both induced or naive) stem cells and neural stem cells represent versatile tools to be applied to multiple research needs and, together with genomic snip and fix tools, have recently made possible the creation of unique platforms to directly investigate several human neural affections. In this chapter, we will discuss genome engineering tools, and their recent improvements, applied to the stem cell field, focusing on how these two technologies may be pivotal instruments to deeply unravel molecular mechanisms underlying development and function, as well as disorders, of the human brain. We will review how these frontier technologies may be exploited to investigate or treat severe neurodevelopmental disorders, such as microcephaly, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, as well as neurodegenerative conditions, including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and spinal muscular atrophy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Dell' Amico
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alice Tata
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology-CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Enrica Pellegrino
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Host-Pathogen Interactions in Tuberculosis Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Onorati
- Unit of Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Luciano Conti
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology-CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Monk R, Connor B. Cell Replacement Therapy for Huntington's Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1266:57-69. [PMID: 33105495 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-4370-8_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder which is characterised by a triad of highly debilitating motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. While cell death occurs in many brain regions, GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum experience preferential and extensive degeneration. Unlike most neurodegenerative disorders, HD is caused by a single genetic mutation resulting in a CAG repeat expansion and the production of a mutant Huntingtin protein (mHTT). Despite identifying the mutation causative of HD in 1993, there are currently no disease-modifying treatments for HD. One potential strategy for the treatment of HD is the development of cell-based therapies. Cell-based therapies aim to restore neuronal circuitry and function by replacing lost neurons, as well as providing neurotropic support to prevent further degeneration. In order to successfully restore basal ganglia functioning in HD, cell-based therapies would need to reconstitute the complex signalling network disrupted by extensive MSN degeneration. This chapter will discuss the potential use of foetal tissue grafts, pluripotent stem cells, neural stem cells, and somatic cell reprogramming to develop cell-based therapies for treating HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Monk
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Brain Research, SMS, FMHS, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Bronwen Connor
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Centre for Brain Research, SMS, FMHS, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Miura Y, Li MY, Birey F, Ikeda K, Revah O, Thete MV, Park JY, Puno A, Lee SH, Porteus MH, Pașca SP. Generation of human striatal organoids and cortico-striatal assembloids from human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:1421-1430. [PMID: 33273741 PMCID: PMC9042317 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-00763-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 49.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cortico-striatal projections are critical components of forebrain circuitry that regulate motivated behaviors. To enable the study of the human cortico-striatal pathway and how its dysfunction leads to neuropsychiatric disease, we developed a method to convert human pluripotent stem cells into region-specific brain organoids that resemble the developing human striatum and include electrically active medium spiny neurons. We then assembled these organoids with cerebral cortical organoids in three-dimensional cultures to form cortico-striatal assembloids. Using viral tracing and functional assays in intact or sliced assembloids, we show that cortical neurons send axonal projections into striatal organoids and form synaptic connections. Medium spiny neurons mature electrophysiologically following assembly and display calcium activity after optogenetic stimulation of cortical neurons. Moreover, we derive cortico-striatal assembloids from patients with a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a deletion on chromosome 22q13.3 and capture disease-associated defects in calcium activity, showing that this approach will allow investigation of the development and functional assembly of cortico-striatal connectivity using patient-derived cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Miura
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Min-Yin Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Fikri Birey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kazuya Ikeda
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Omer Revah
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mayuri Vijay Thete
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jin-Young Park
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alyssa Puno
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Samuel H Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Sergiu P Pașca
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Human Brain Organogenesis Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Besusso D, Cossu A, Mohamed A, Cernigoj M, Codega P, Galimberti M, Campus I, Conforti P, Cattaneo E. A CRISPR-strategy for the generation of a detectable fluorescent hESC reporter line (WAe009-A-37) for the subpallial determinant GSX2. Stem Cell Res 2020; 49:102016. [PMID: 33039807 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2020.102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
GSX2 is a homeobox transcription factor (TF) controlling the specification of the ventral lateral ganglionic eminence and its major derivative, the corpus striatum. Medium spiny neurons (MSNs) represent the largest cell component of the striatum and they are primarily affected in Huntington disease (HD). Here, we used CRISPR technology to generate a pluripotent GSX2-reporter human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line that can be leveraged to monitor striatal differentiation in real-time and to enrich for MSN-committed progenitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dario Besusso
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Andrea Cossu
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Ayat Mohamed
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Manuel Cernigoj
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Paolo Codega
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Maura Galimberti
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Ilaria Campus
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Paola Conforti
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan 20122, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan 20133, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Pfaff D, Barbas H. Mechanisms for the Approach/Avoidance Decision Applied to Autism. Trends Neurosci 2020; 42:448-457. [PMID: 31253250 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
As a neurodevelopmental disorder with serious lifelong consequences, autism has received considerable attention from neuroscientists and geneticists. We present a hypothesis of mechanisms plausibly affected during brain development in autism, based on neural pathways that are associated with social behavior and connect the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to the basal ganglia (BG). We consider failure of social approach in autism as a special case of imbalance in the fundamental dichotomy between behavioral approach and avoidance. Differential combinations of genes mutated, differences in the timing of their impact during development, and graded degrees of hormonal influences may help explain the heterogeneity in symptomatology in autism and predominance in boys.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Donald Pfaff
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, Rockefeller University, New York, NY USA.
| | - Helen Barbas
- Neural Systems Laboratory, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
A role for TGFβ signalling in medium spiny neuron differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. Neuronal Signal 2020; 4:NS20200004. [PMID: 32714602 PMCID: PMC7373249 DOI: 10.1042/ns20200004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Activin A and other TGFβ family members have been shown to exhibit a certain degree of promiscuity between their family of receptors. We previously developed an efficient differentiation protocol using Activin A to obtain medium spiny neurons (MSNs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). However, the mechanism underlying Activin A-induced MSN fate specification remains largely unknown. Here we begin to tease apart the different components of TGFβ pathways involved in MSN differentiation and demonstrate that Activin A acts exclusively via ALK4/5 receptors to induce MSN progenitor fate during differentiation. Moreover, we show that Alantolactone, an indirect activator of SMAD2/3 signalling, offers an alternative approach to differentiate hPSC-derived forebrain progenitors into MSNs. Further fine tuning of TGFβ pathway by inhibiting BMP signalling with LDN193189 achieves accelerated MSN fate specification. The present study therefore establishes an essential role for TGFβ signalling in human MSN differentiation and provides a fully defined and highly adaptable small molecule-based protocol to obtain MSNs from hPSCs.
Collapse
|
33
|
Barilani M, Cherubini A, Peli V, Polveraccio F, Bollati V, Guffanti F, Del Gobbo A, Lavazza C, Giovanelli S, Elvassore N, Lazzari L. A circular RNA map for human induced pluripotent stem cells of foetal origin. EBioMedicine 2020; 57:102848. [PMID: 32574961 PMCID: PMC7322262 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adult skin fibroblasts represent the most common starting cell type used to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (F-hiPSC) for clinical studies. Yet, a foetal source would offer unique advantages, primarily the absence of accumulated somatic mutations. Herein, we generated hiPSC from cord blood multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC-hiPSC) and compared them with F-hiPSC. Assessment of the full activation of the pluripotency gene regulatory network (PGRN) focused on circular RNA (circRNA), recently proposed to participate in the control of pluripotency. METHODS Reprogramming was achieved by a footprint-free strategy. Self-renewal and pluripotency of cord blood MSC-hiPSC were investigated in vitro and in vivo, compared to parental MSC, to embryonic stem cells and to F-hiPSC. High-throughput array-based approaches and bioinformatics analyses were applied to address the PGRN. FINDINGS Cord blood MSC-hiPSC successfully acquired a complete pluripotent identity. Functional comparison with F-hiPSC showed no differences in terms of i) generation of mesenchymal-like derivatives, ii) their subsequent adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic commitment, and iii) their hematopoietic support ability. At the transcriptional level, specific subsets of mRNA, miRNA and circRNA (n = 4,429) were evidenced, casting a further layer of complexity on the PGRN regulatory crosstalk. INTERPRETATION A circRNA map of transcripts associated to naïve and primed pluripotency is provided for hiPSC of clinical-grade foetal origin, offering insights on still unreported regulatory circuits of the PGRN to consider for the optimization and development of efficient differentiation protocols for clinical translation. FUNDING This research was funded by Ricerca Corrente 2012-2018 by the Italian Ministry of Health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mario Barilani
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy; EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessandro Cherubini
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Valeria Peli
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Polveraccio
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy; Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Valentina Bollati
- EPIGET Lab, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Del Gobbo
- Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristiana Lavazza
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Giovanelli
- Milano Cord Blood Bank, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Nicola Elvassore
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy; Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS), ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China; Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy; Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lorenza Lazzari
- Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine - Cell Factory, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Björklund A, Parmar M. Neuronal Replacement as a Tool for Basal Ganglia Circuitry Repair: 40 Years in Perspective. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:146. [PMID: 32547369 PMCID: PMC7272540 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of new neurons to promote repair of brain circuitry depends on their capacity to re-establish afferent and efferent connections with the host. In this review article, we give an overview of past and current efforts to restore damaged connectivity in the adult mammalian brain using implants of fetal neuroblasts or stem cell-derived neuronal precursors, with a focus on strategies aimed to repair damaged basal ganglia circuitry induced by lesions that mimic the pathology seen in humans affected by Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease. Early work performed in rodents showed that neuroblasts obtained from striatal primordia or fetal ventral mesencephalon can become anatomically and functionally integrated into lesioned striatal and nigral circuitry, establish afferent and efferent connections with the lesioned host, and reverse the lesion-induced behavioral impairments. Recent progress in the generation of striatal and nigral progenitors from pluripotent stem cells have provided compelling evidence that they can survive and mature in the lesioned brain and re-establish afferent and efferent axonal connectivity with a remarkable degree of specificity. The studies of cell-based circuitry repair are now entering a new phase. The introduction of genetic and virus-based techniques for brain connectomics has opened entirely new possibilities for studies of graft-host integration and connectivity, and the access to more refined experimental techniques, such as chemo- and optogenetics, has provided new powerful tools to study the capacity of grafted neurons to impact the function of the host brain. Progress in this field will help to guide the efforts to develop therapeutic strategies for cell-based repair in Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions involving damage to basal ganglia circuitry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anders Björklund
- Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Malin Parmar
- Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Yousefi N, Abdollahii S, Kouhbanani MAJ, Hassanzadeh A. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as game-changing tools in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease: Mirage or reality? J Cell Physiol 2020; 235:9166-9184. [PMID: 32437029 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 05/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Based on investigations, there exist tight correlations between neurodegenerative diseases' incidence and progression and aberrant protein aggregreferates in nervous tissue. However, the pathology of these diseases is not well known, leading to an inability to find an appropriate therapeutic approach to delay occurrence or slow many neurodegenerative diseases' development. The accessibility of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in mimicking the phenotypes of various late-onset neurodegenerative diseases presents a novel strategy for in vitro disease modeling. The iPSCs provide a valuable and well-identified resource to clarify neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, as well as prepare a promising human stem cell platform for drug screening. Undoubtedly, neurodegenerative disease modeling using iPSCs has established innovative opportunities for both mechanistic types of research and recognition of novel disease treatments. Most important, the iPSCs have been considered as a novel autologous cell origin for cell-based therapy of neurodegenerative diseases following differentiation to varied types of neural lineage cells (e.g. GABAergic neurons, dopamine neurons, cortical neurons, and motor neurons). In this review, we summarize iPSC-based disease modeling in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Moreover, we discuss the efficacy of cell-replacement therapies for neurodegenerative disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niloufar Yousefi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Pasteur Instittableute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahla Abdollahii
- Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
| | - Mohammad Amin Jadidi Kouhbanani
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Hassanzadeh
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Besusso D, Schellino R, Boido M, Belloli S, Parolisi R, Conforti P, Faedo A, Cernigoj M, Campus I, Laporta A, Bocchi VD, Murtaj V, Parmar M, Spaiardi P, Talpo F, Maniezzi C, Toselli MG, Biella G, Moresco RM, Vercelli A, Buffo A, Cattaneo E. Stem Cell-Derived Human Striatal Progenitors Innervate Striatal Targets and Alleviate Sensorimotor Deficit in a Rat Model of Huntington Disease. Stem Cell Reports 2020; 14:876-891. [PMID: 32302555 PMCID: PMC7220987 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited late-onset neurological disorder characterized by progressive neuronal loss and disruption of cortical and basal ganglia circuits. Cell replacement using human embryonic stem cells may offer the opportunity to repair the damaged circuits and significantly ameliorate disease conditions. Here, we showed that in-vitro-differentiated human striatal progenitors undergo maturation and integrate into host circuits upon intra-striatal transplantation in a rat model of HD. By combining graft-specific immunohistochemistry, rabies virus-mediated synaptic tracing, and ex vivo electrophysiology, we showed that grafts can extend projections to the appropriate target structures, including the globus pallidus, the subthalamic nucleus, and the substantia nigra, and receive synaptic contact from both host and graft cells with 6.6 ± 1.6 inputs cell per transplanted neuron. We have also shown that transplants elicited a significant improvement in sensory-motor tasks up to 2 months post-transplant further supporting the therapeutic potential of this approach.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dario Besusso
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy.
| | - Roberta Schellino
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi-Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin 10124, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Italy
| | - Marina Boido
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi-Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin 10124, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Italy
| | - Sara Belloli
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology of CNR, Segrate, Milan, 20090 Italy; PET and Nuclear Medicine Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan 20132, Italy
| | - Roberta Parolisi
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi-Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin 10124, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Italy
| | - Paola Conforti
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Andrea Faedo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Manuel Cernigoj
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Ilaria Campus
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Angela Laporta
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Vittoria Dickinson Bocchi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy
| | - Valentina Murtaj
- PET and Nuclear Medicine Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan 20132, Italy; PhD Program in Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza MB, 20900 Italy
| | - Malin Parmar
- Wallenberg Neuroscience Center and Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, 22184 Lund, Sweden
| | - Paolo Spaiardi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100 Italy
| | - Francesca Talpo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100 Italy
| | - Claudia Maniezzi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100 Italy
| | | | - Gerardo Biella
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100 Italy
| | - Rosa Maria Moresco
- Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology of CNR, Segrate, Milan, 20090 Italy; PET and Nuclear Medicine Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan 20132, Italy; Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza MB, 20900 Italy
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi-Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin 10124, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Italy
| | - Annalisa Buffo
- Department of Neuroscience Rita Levi-Montalcini, University of Turin, Turin 10124, Italy; Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Italy.
| | - Elena Cattaneo
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, 20133 Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare "Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi", Milan, 20122 Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Smith-Geater C, Hernandez SJ, Lim RG, Adam M, Wu J, Stocksdale JT, Wassie BT, Gold MP, Wang KQ, Miramontes R, Kopan L, Orellana I, Joy S, Kemp PJ, Allen ND, Fraenkel E, Thompson LM. Aberrant Development Corrected in Adult-Onset Huntington's Disease iPSC-Derived Neuronal Cultures via WNT Signaling Modulation. Stem Cell Reports 2020; 14:406-419. [PMID: 32109367 PMCID: PMC7066322 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant neuronal development and the persistence of mitotic cellular populations have been implicated in a multitude of neurological disorders, including Huntington's disease (HD). However, the mechanism underlying this potential pathology remains unclear. We used a modified protocol to differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from HD patients and unaffected controls into neuronal cultures enriched for medium spiny neurons, the cell type most affected in HD. We performed single-cell and bulk transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses and demonstrated that a persistent cyclin D1+ neural stem cell (NSC) population is observed selectively in adult-onset HD iPSCs during differentiation. Treatment with a WNT inhibitor abrogates this NSC population while preserving neurons. Taken together, our findings identify a mechanism that may promote aberrant neurodevelopment and adult neurogenesis in adult-onset HD striatal neurons with the potential for therapeutic compensation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlene Smith-Geater
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Sarah J Hernandez
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Ryan G Lim
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Miriam Adam
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jie Wu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
| | - Jennifer T Stocksdale
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | | | - Maxwell Philip Gold
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Keona Q Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Ricardo Miramontes
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Lexi Kopan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA
| | - Iliana Orellana
- Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Shona Joy
- Neural Stem Cell Institute, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
| | - Paul J Kemp
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
| | | | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Leslie M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 96267, USA; Department of Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Cohen-Carmon D, Sorek M, Lerner V, Divya MS, Nissim-Rafinia M, Yarom Y, Meshorer E. Progerin-Induced Transcriptional Changes in Huntington's Disease Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 57:1768-1777. [PMID: 31834602 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01839-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative late-onset genetic disorder caused by CAG expansions in the coding region of the Huntingtin (HTT) gene, resulting in a poly-glutamine (polyQ) expanded HTT protein. Considerable efforts have been devoted for studying HD and other polyQ diseases using animal models and cell culture systems, but no treatment currently exists. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer an elegant solution for modeling human diseases. However, as embryonic or rejuvenated cells, respectively, these pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) do not recapitulate the late-onset feature of the disease. Here, we applied a robust and rapid differentiation protocol to derive electrophysiologically active striatal GABAergic neurons from human wild-type (WT) and HD ESCs and iPSCs. RNA-seq analyses revealed that HD and WT PSC-derived neurons are highly similar in their gene expression patterns. Interestingly, ectopic expression of Progerin in both WT and HD neurons exacerbated the otherwise non-significant changes in gene expression between these cells, revealing IGF1 and genes involved in neurogenesis and nervous system development as consistently altered in the HD cells. This work provides a useful tool for modeling HD in human PSCs and reveals potential molecular targets altered in HD neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorit Cohen-Carmon
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Matan Sorek
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vitaly Lerner
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurobiology, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Mundackal S Divya
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Pathology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India
| | - Malka Nissim-Rafinia
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yosef Yarom
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurobiology, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eran Meshorer
- Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel. .,The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 91904, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Naphade S, Tshilenge KT, Ellerby LM. Modeling Polyglutamine Expansion Diseases with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Neurotherapeutics 2019; 16:979-998. [PMID: 31792895 PMCID: PMC6985408 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-019-00810-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyglutamine expansion disorders, which include Huntington's disease, have expanded CAG repeats that result in polyglutamine expansions in affected proteins. How this specific feature leads to distinct neuropathies in 11 different diseases is a fascinating area of investigation. Most proteins affected by polyglutamine expansions are ubiquitously expressed, yet their mechanisms of selective neurotoxicity are unknown. Induced pluripotent stem cells have emerged as a valuable tool to model diseases, understand molecular mechanisms, and generate relevant human neural and glia subtypes, cocultures, and organoids. Ideally, this tool will generate specific neuronal populations that faithfully recapitulate specific polyglutamine expansion disorder phenotypes and mimic the selective vulnerability of a given disease. Here, we review how induced pluripotent technology is used to understand the effects of the disease-causing polyglutamine protein on cell function, identify new therapeutic targets, and determine how polyglutamine expansion affects human neurodevelopment and disease. We will discuss ongoing challenges and limitations in our use of induced pluripotent stem cells to model polyglutamine expansion diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Swati Naphade
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA, 94945, USA
| | | | - Lisa M Ellerby
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Blvd, Novato, CA, 94945, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Suzuki IK. Molecular drivers of human cerebral cortical evolution. Neurosci Res 2019; 151:1-14. [PMID: 31175883 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
One of the most important questions in human evolutionary biology is how our ancestor has acquired an expanded volume of the cerebral cortex, which may have significantly impacted on improving our cognitive abilities. Recent comparative approaches have identified developmental features unique to the human or hominid cerebral cortex, not shared with other animals including conventional experimental models. In addition, genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic signatures associated with human- or hominid-specific processes of the cortical development are becoming identified by virtue of technical progress in the deep nucleotide sequencing. This review discusses ontogenic and phylogenetic processes of the human cerebral cortex, followed by the introduction of recent comprehensive approaches identifying molecular mechanisms potentially driving the evolutionary changes in the cortical development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ikuo K Suzuki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 Japan; VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KULeuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.), Institut de Recherches en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire (IRIBHM), ULB Neuroscience Institute (UNI), 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
McComish SF, Caldwell MA. Generation of defined neural populations from pluripotent stem cells. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0214. [PMID: 29786550 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective and efficient generation of human neural stem cells and subsequently functional neural populations from pluripotent stem cells has facilitated advancements in the study of human development and disease modelling. This review will discuss the established protocols for the generation of defined neural populations including regionalized neurons and astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia. Early protocols were established in embryonic stem cells (ESC) but the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) in 2006 provided a new platform for modelling human disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). The ability to produce patient- and disease-specific iPSC lines has created a new age of disease modelling. Human iPSC may be derived from adult somatic cells and subsequently patterned into numerous distinct cell types. The ability to derive defined and regionalized neural populations from iPSC provides a powerful in vitro model of CNS disorders.This article is part of the theme issue 'Designer human tissue: coming to a lab near you'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F McComish
- Department of Physiology, Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Maeve A Caldwell
- Department of Physiology, Trinity College Institute for Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Buijsen RAM, Toonen LJA, Gardiner SL, van Roon-Mom WMC. Genetics, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Progress in Polyglutamine Spinocerebellar Ataxias. Neurotherapeutics 2019; 16:263-286. [PMID: 30607747 PMCID: PMC6554265 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-018-00696-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias (ADCAs) are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by degeneration of the cerebellum and its connections. All ADCAs have progressive ataxia as their main clinical feature, frequently accompanied by dysarthria and oculomotor deficits. The most common spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are 6 polyglutamine (polyQ) SCAs. These diseases are all caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of a gene. Currently, no curative treatment is available for any of the polyQ SCAs, but increasing knowledge on the genetics and the pathological mechanisms of these polyQ SCAs has provided promising therapeutic targets to potentially slow disease progression. Potential treatments can be divided into pharmacological and gene therapies that target the toxic downstream effects, gene therapies that target the polyQ SCA genes, and stem cell replacement therapies. Here, we will provide a review on the genetics, mechanisms, and therapeutic progress in polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ronald A M Buijsen
- Department of Human Genetics, LUMC, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Lodewijk J A Toonen
- Department of Human Genetics, LUMC, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah L Gardiner
- Department of Human Genetics, LUMC, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Neurology, LUMC, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Abstract
Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder caused by expanded polyglutamine (polyQ)-encoding repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene. Traditionally, HD cellular models consisted of either patient cells not affected by disease or rodent neurons expressing expanded polyQ repeats in HTT. As these models can be limited in their disease manifestation or proper genetic context, respectively, human HD pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are currently under investigation as a way to model disease in patient-derived neurons and other neural cell types. This chapter reviews embryonic stem cell (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models of disease, including published differentiation paradigms for neurons and their associated phenotypes, as well as current challenges to the field such as validation of the PSCs and PSC-derived cells. Highlighted are potential future technical advances to HD PSC modeling, including transdifferentiation, complex in vitro multiorgan/system reconstruction, and personalized medicine. Using a human HD patient model of the central nervous system, hopefully one day researchers can tease out the consequences of mutant HTT (mHTT) expression on specific cell types within the brain in order to identify and test novel therapies for disease.
Collapse
|
44
|
Crane AT, Voth JP, Shen FX, Low WC. Concise Review: Human-Animal Neurological Chimeras: Humanized Animals or Human Cells in an Animal? Stem Cells 2019; 37:444-452. [PMID: 30629789 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Blastocyst complementation is an emerging methodology in which human stem cells are transferred into genetically engineered preimplantation animal embryos eventually giving rise to fully developed human tissues and organs within the animal host for use in regenerative medicine. The ethical issues surrounding this method have caused the National Institutes of Health to issue a moratorium on funding for blastocyst complementation citing the potential for human cells to substantially contribute to the brain of the chimeric animal. To address this concern, we performed an in-depth review of the neural transplantation literature to determine how the integration of human cells into the nonhuman neural circuitry has altered the behavior of the host. Despite reports of widespread integration of human cell transplants, our review of 150 transplantation studies found no evidence suggestive of humanization of the animal host, and we thus conclude that, at present, concerns over humanization should not prevent research on blastocyst complementation to continue. We suggest proceeding in a controlled and transparent manner, however, and include recommendations for future research with careful consideration for how human cells may contribute to the animal host nervous system. Stem Cells 2019;37:444-452.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Crane
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Minnesota Craniofacial Research Training Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Joseph P Voth
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Francis X Shen
- University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Walter C Low
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Sassone J, Papadimitriou E, Thomaidou D. Regenerative Approaches in Huntington's Disease: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic Protocols. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:800. [PMID: 30450032 PMCID: PMC6224350 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG expansion in the exon-1 of the IT15 gene encoding the protein Huntingtin. Expression of mutated Huntingtin in humans leads to dysfunction and ultimately degeneration of selected neuronal populations of the striatum and cerebral cortex. Current available HD therapy relies on drugs to treat chorea and control psychiatric symptoms, however, no therapy has been proven to slow down disease progression or prevent disease onset. Thus, although 24 years have passed since HD gene identification, HD remains a relentless progressive disease characterized by cognitive dysfunction and motor disability that leads to death of the majority of patients, on average 10–20 years after its onset. Up to now several molecular pathways have been implicated in the process of neurodegeneration involved in HD and have provided potential therapeutic targets. Based on these data, approaches currently under investigation for HD therapy aim on the one hand at getting insight into the mechanisms of disease progression in a human-based context and on the other hand at silencing mHTT expression by using antisense oligonucleotides. An innovative and still poorly investigated approach is to identify new factors that increase neurogenesis and/or induce reprogramming of endogenous neuroblasts and parenchymal astrocytes to generate new healthy neurons to replace lost ones and/or enforce neuroprotection of pre-existent striatal and cortical neurons. Here, we review studies that use human disease-in-a-dish models to recapitulate HD pathogenesis or are focused on promoting in vivo neurogenesis of endogenous striatal neuroblasts and direct neuronal reprogramming of parenchymal astrocytes, which combined with neuroprotective protocols bear the potential to re-establish brain homeostasis lost in HD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Sassone
- Vita-Salute University and San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Dimitra Thomaidou
- Department of Neurobiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Wu M, Zhang D, Bi C, Mi T, Zhu W, Xia L, Teng Z, Hu B, Wu Y. A Chemical Recipe for Generation of Clinical-Grade Striatal Neurons from hESCs. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 11:635-650. [PMID: 30174316 PMCID: PMC6135866 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) promises a cell-based therapy for Huntington's disease. However, clinical-grade MSNs remain unavailable. Here, we developed a chemical recipe named XLSBA to generate clinical-grade MSNs from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We introduced the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT into the recipe to accelerate neural differentiation, and replaced protein components with small molecules. Using this optimized protocol we could efficiently direct regular human ESCs (hESCs) as well as clinical-grade hESCs to lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE)-like progenitors and striatal MSNs within less than half of the time than previous protocols (within 14 days and 21 days, respectively). These striatal cells expressed appropriate MSN markers and electrophysiologically acted like authentic MSNs. Upon transplantation into brains of neonatal mice or mouse model of Huntington's disease, they exhibited sufficient safety and reasonable efficacy. Therefore, this quick and highly efficient derivation of MSNs offers unprecedented access to clinical application.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Menghua Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Da Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chunying Bi
- College of Life Science, QUFU Normal University, Qufu, Shandong 273165, China
| | - Tingwei Mi
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Wenliang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Longkuo Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhaoqian Teng
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Baoyang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Yihui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Golas MM. Human cellular models of medium spiny neuron development and Huntington disease. Life Sci 2018; 209:179-196. [PMID: 30031060 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2018.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The loss of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum is the hallmark of Huntington disease (HD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor, psychiatric, and cognitive symptoms. Transplantation of MSNs or their precursors represents a promising treatment strategy for HD. In initial clinical trials in which HD patients received fetal neurografts directly into the striatum without a pretransplant cell-differentiation step, some patients exhibited temporary benefits. Meanwhile, major challenges related to graft overgrowth, insufficient survival of grafted cells, and limited availability of donated fetal tissue remain. Thus, the development of approaches that allow modeling of MSN differentiation and HD development in cell culture platforms may improve our understanding of HD and translate, ultimately, into HD treatment options. Here, recent advances in the in vitro differentiation of MSNs derived from fetal neural stem cells/progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and induced NSCs (iNSCs) as well as advances in direct transdifferentiation are reviewed. Progress in non-allele specific and allele specific gene editing of HTT is presented as well. Cell characterization approaches involving phenotyping as well as in vitro and in vivo functional assays are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Monika M Golas
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Alle 3, Building 1233, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Human Genetics, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
hPSC-Derived Striatal Cells Generated Using a Scalable 3D Hydrogel Promote Recovery in a Huntington Disease Mouse Model. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 10:1481-1491. [PMID: 29628395 PMCID: PMC5995679 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited, progressive neurological disorder characterized by degenerating striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). One promising approach for treating HD is cell replacement therapy, where lost cells are replaced by MSN progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). While there has been remarkable progress in generating hPSC-derived MSNs, current production methods rely on two-dimensional culture systems that can include poorly defined components, limit scalability, and yield differing preclinical results. To facilitate clinical translation, here, we generated striatal progenitors from hPSCs within a fully defined and scalable PNIPAAm-PEG three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel. Transplantation of 3D-derived striatal progenitors into a transgenic mouse model of HD slowed disease progression, improved motor coordination, and increased survival. In addition, the transplanted cells developed an MSN-like phenotype and formed synaptic connections with host cells. Our results illustrate the potential of scalable 3D biomaterials for generating striatal progenitors for HD cell therapy. 3D-generated striatal cells rapidly achieve functional maturity Transplanted cells delayed disease onset and alleviated symptoms in HD mice Transplanted striatal cells increased lifespan in HD mice HTT aggregates were observed in striatal cells transplanted into HD mice
Collapse
|
49
|
Faulty neuronal determination and cell polarization are reverted by modulating HD early phenotypes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E762-E771. [PMID: 29311338 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715865115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that early neurodevelopmental defects in Huntington's disease (HD) patients could contribute to the later adult neurodegenerative phenotype. Here, by using HD-derived induced pluripotent stem cell lines, we report that early telencephalic induction and late neural identity are affected in cortical and striatal populations. We show that a large CAG expansion causes complete failure of the neuro-ectodermal acquisition, while cells carrying shorter CAGs repeats show gross abnormalities in neural rosette formation as well as disrupted cytoarchitecture in cortical organoids. Gene-expression analysis showed that control organoid overlapped with mature human fetal cortical areas, while HD organoids correlated with the immature ventricular zone/subventricular zone. We also report that defects in neuroectoderm and rosette formation could be rescued by molecular and pharmacological approaches leading to a recovery of striatal identity. These results show that mutant huntingtin precludes normal neuronal fate acquisition and highlights a possible connection between mutant huntingtin and abnormal neural development in HD.
Collapse
|
50
|
Dissection and Preparation of Human Primary Fetal Ganglionic Eminence Tissue for Research and Clinical Applications. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1780:573-583. [PMID: 29856036 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7825-0_26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Here, we describe detailed dissection and enzymatic dissociation protocols for the ganglionic eminences from the developing human brain to generate viable quasi-single cell suspensions for subsequent use in transplantation or cell culture. These reliable and reproducible protocols can provide tissue for use in the study of the developing human brain, as well as for the preparation of donor cells for transplantation in Huntington's disease (HD). For use in the clinic as a therapy for HD, the translation of these protocols from the research laboratory to the GMP suite is described, including modification to reagents used and appropriate monitoring and tissue release criteria.
Collapse
|