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Smith JJ, Kratsios P. Hox gene functions in the C. elegans nervous system: From early patterning to maintenance of neuronal identity. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2024; 152-153:58-69. [PMID: 36496326 PMCID: PMC10244487 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.11.012] [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: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The nervous system emerges from a series of genetic programs that generate a remarkable array of neuronal cell types. Each cell type must acquire a distinct anatomical position, morphology, and function, enabling the generation of specialized circuits that drive animal behavior. How are these diverse cell types and circuits patterned along the anterior-posterior (A-P) axis of the animal body? Hox genes encode transcription factors that regulate cell fate and patterning events along the A-P axis of the nervous system. While most of our understanding of Hox-mediated control of neuronal development stems from studies in segmented animals like flies, mice, and zebrafish, important new themes are emerging from work in a non-segmented animal: the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Studies in C. elegans support the idea that Hox genes are needed continuously and across different life stages in the nervous system; they are not only required in dividing progenitor cells, but also in post-mitotic neurons during development and adult life. In C. elegans embryos and young larvae, Hox genes control progenitor cell specification, cell survival, and neuronal migration, consistent with their neural patterning roles in other animals. In late larvae and adults, C. elegans Hox genes control neuron type-specific identity features critical for neuronal function, thereby extending the Hox functional repertoire beyond early patterning. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of Hox studies in the C. elegans nervous system. To relate to readers outside the C. elegans community, we highlight conserved roles of Hox genes in patterning the nervous system of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. We end by calling attention to new functions in adult post-mitotic neurons for these paradigmatic regulators of cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayson J Smith
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, 947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; University of Chicago Neuroscience Institute, 947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Paschalis Kratsios
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, 947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; University of Chicago Neuroscience Institute, 947 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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2
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Needham J, Metzis V. Heads or tails: Making the spinal cord. Dev Biol 2022; 485:80-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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3
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Dasen JS. Establishing the Molecular and Functional Diversity of Spinal Motoneurons. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 28:3-44. [PMID: 36066819 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-07167-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Spinal motoneurons are a remarkably diverse class of neurons responsible for facilitating a broad range of motor behaviors and autonomic functions. Studies of motoneuron differentiation have provided fundamental insights into the developmental mechanisms of neuronal diversification, and have illuminated principles of neural fate specification that operate throughout the central nervous system. Because of their relative anatomical simplicity and accessibility, motoneurons have provided a tractable model system to address multiple facets of neural development, including early patterning, neuronal migration, axon guidance, and synaptic specificity. Beyond their roles in providing direct communication between central circuits and muscle, recent studies have revealed that motoneuron subtype-specific programs also play important roles in determining the central connectivity and function of motor circuits. Cross-species comparative analyses have provided novel insights into how evolutionary changes in subtype specification programs may have contributed to adaptive changes in locomotor behaviors. This chapter focusses on the gene regulatory networks governing spinal motoneuron specification, and how studies of spinal motoneurons have informed our understanding of the basic mechanisms of neuronal specification and spinal circuit assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy S Dasen
- NYU Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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4
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James OG, Selvaraj BT, Magnani D, Burr K, Connick P, Barton SK, Vasistha NA, Hampton DW, Story D, Smigiel R, Ploski R, Brophy PJ, Ffrench-Constant C, Lyons DA, Chandran S. iPSC-derived myelinoids to study myelin biology of humans. Dev Cell 2021; 56:1346-1358.e6. [PMID: 33945785 PMCID: PMC8098746 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Myelination is essential for central nervous system (CNS) formation, health, and function. Emerging evidence of oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in health and disease and divergent CNS gene expression profiles between mice and humans supports the development of experimentally tractable human myelination systems. Here, we developed human iPSC-derived myelinating organoids ("myelinoids") and quantitative tools to study myelination from oligodendrogenesis through to compact myelin formation and myelinated axon organization. Using patient-derived cells, we modeled a monogenetic disease of myelinated axons (Nfasc155 deficiency), recapitulating impaired paranodal axo-glial junction formation. We also validated the use of myelinoids for pharmacological assessment of myelination-both at the level of individual oligodendrocytes and globally across whole myelinoids-and demonstrated reduced myelination in response to suppressed synaptic vesicle release. Our study provides a platform to investigate human myelin development, disease, and adaptive myelination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen G James
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Bhuvaneish T Selvaraj
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Dario Magnani
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Karen Burr
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Peter Connick
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Samantha K Barton
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Navneet A Vasistha
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, Copenhagen N 2200, Denmark
| | - David W Hampton
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - David Story
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Robert Smigiel
- Department of Pediatrics and Rare Disorders, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław 51-618, Poland
| | - Rafal Ploski
- Department of Medical Genetics, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
| | - Peter J Brophy
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | | | - David A Lyons
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK
| | - Siddharthan Chandran
- UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, UK; Centre for Brain Development and Repair, inStem, Bangalore 560065, India.
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5
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Chelban V, Breza M, Szaruga M, Vandrovcova J, Murphy D, Lee C, Alikhwan S, Bourinaris T, Vavougios G, Ilyas M, Halim SA, Al‐Harrasi A, Kartanou C, Ronald C, Blumcke I, Alexoudi A, Gatzonis S, Stefanis L, Karadima G, Wood NW, Chávez‐Gutiérrez L, Hardy J, Houlden H, Koutsis G. Spastic paraplegia preceding PSEN1-related familial Alzheimer's disease. ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 13:e12186. [PMID: 33969176 PMCID: PMC8088589 DOI: 10.1002/dad2.12186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We investigated the frequency, neuropathology, and phenotypic characteristics of spastic paraplegia (SP) that precedes dementia in presenilin 1 (PSEN1) related familial Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) in 60 probands with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) phenotype that was negative for variants in known HSP-related genes. Where PSEN1 mutation was identified, brain biopsy was performed. We investigated the link between HSP and AD with PSEN1 in silico pathway analysis and measured in vivo the stability of PSEN1 mutant γ-secretase. RESULTS We identified a PSEN1 variant (p.Thr291Pro) in an individual presenting with pure SP at 30 years of age. Three years later, SP was associated with severe, fast cognitive decline and amyloid deposition with diffuse cortical plaques on brain biopsy. Biochemical analysis of p.Thr291Pro PSEN1 revealed that although the mutation does not alter active γ-secretase reconstitution, it destabilizes γ-secretase-amyloid precursor protein (APP)/amyloid beta (Aβn) interactions during proteolysis, enhancing the production of longer Aβ peptides. We then extended our analysis to all 226 PSEN1 pathogenic variants reported and show that 7.5% were associated with pure SP onset followed by cognitive decline later in the disease. We found that PSEN1 cases manifesting initially as SP have a later age of onset, are associated with mutations located beyond codon 200, and showed larger diffuse, cored plaques, amyloid-ring arteries, and severe CAA. DISCUSSION We show that pure SP can precede dementia onset in PSEN1-related familial AD. We recommend PSEN1 genetic testing in patients presenting with SP with no variants in known HSP-related genes, particularly when associated with a family history of cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viorica Chelban
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Department of Neurology and NeurosurgeryInstitute of Emergency MedicineToma Ciorbă 1ChisinauRepublic of Moldova
| | - Marianthi Breza
- Neurogenetics Unit1st Department of NeurologyEginition HospitalSchool of MedicineNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensAthensGreece
| | - Maria Szaruga
- KU Leuven‐VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of NeurosciencesLeuven Institute for Neuroscience and Disease (LIND)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
- Neurobiology DivisionMRC Laboratory of Molecular BiologyFrancis Crick AvenueCambridgeCB2 0QHUK
| | - Jana Vandrovcova
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - David Murphy
- Department of Clinical and Movement NeurosciencesQueen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Chia‐Ju Lee
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Sondos Alikhwan
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Thomas Bourinaris
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Muhammad Ilyas
- Centre for Omic ScienceIslamia College PeshawarPeshawarPakistan
| | - Sobia Ahsan Halim
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research CenterUniversity of NizwaPakistan
| | - Ahmed Al‐Harrasi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research CenterUniversity of NizwaPakistan
| | - Chrisoula Kartanou
- Neurogenetics Unit1st Department of NeurologyEginition HospitalSchool of MedicineNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensAthensGreece
| | - Coras Ronald
- Institute of NeuropathologyUniversitätsklinikum ErlangenErlangenGermany
| | - Ingmar Blumcke
- Institute of NeuropathologyUniversitätsklinikum ErlangenErlangenGermany
| | - Athanasia Alexoudi
- Department of NeurosurgeryEvangelismos HospitalUniversity of AthensGreece
| | - Stylianos Gatzonis
- Department of NeurosurgeryEvangelismos HospitalUniversity of AthensGreece
| | - Leonidas Stefanis
- 1st Department of NeurologySchool of MedicineEginition HospitalNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensAthensGreece
| | - Georgia Karadima
- Neurogenetics Unit1st Department of NeurologyEginition HospitalSchool of MedicineNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensAthensGreece
| | - Nicholas W. Wood
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Neurogenetics LaboratoryNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryQueen SquareLondonUK
| | - Lucía Chávez‐Gutiérrez
- KU Leuven‐VIB Center for Brain & Disease ResearchLeuvenBelgium
- Department of NeurosciencesLeuven Institute for Neuroscience and Disease (LIND)KU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - John Hardy
- Department of Neurodegenerative DiseaseReta Lila Weston LaboratoriesQueen Square GenomicsUCL Dementia Research InstituteLondonUK
| | - Henry Houlden
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Neurogenetics LaboratoryNational Hospital for Neurology and NeurosurgeryQueen SquareLondonUK
| | - Georgios Koutsis
- Neurogenetics Unit1st Department of NeurologyEginition HospitalSchool of MedicineNational and Kapodistrian University of AthensAthensGreece
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6
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Olmsted ZT, Paluh JL. Stem Cell Neurodevelopmental Solutions for Restorative Treatments of the Human Trunk and Spine. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:667590. [PMID: 33981202 PMCID: PMC8107236 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.667590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to reliably repair spinal cord injuries (SCI) will be one of the greatest human achievements realized in regenerative medicine. Until recently, the cellular path to this goal has been challenging. However, as detailed developmental principles are revealed in mouse and human models, their application in the stem cell community brings trunk and spine embryology into efforts to advance human regenerative medicine. New models of posterior embryo development identify neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) as a major bifurcation point in generating the spinal cord and somites and is leading to production of cell types with the full range of axial identities critical for repair of trunk and spine disorders. This is coupled with organoid technologies including assembloids, circuitoids, and gastruloids. We describe a paradigm for applying developmental principles towards the goal of cell-based restorative therapies to enable reproducible and effective near-term clinical interventions.
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7
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Mouilleau V, Vaslin C, Robert R, Gribaudo S, Nicolas N, Jarrige M, Terray A, Lesueur L, Mathis MW, Croft G, Daynac M, Rouiller-Fabre V, Wichterle H, Ribes V, Martinat C, Nedelec S. Dynamic extrinsic pacing of the HOX clock in human axial progenitors controls motor neuron subtype specification. Development 2021; 148:148/6/dev194514. [PMID: 33782043 DOI: 10.1242/dev.194514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Rostro-caudal patterning of vertebrates depends on the temporally progressive activation of HOX genes within axial stem cells that fuel axial embryo elongation. Whether the pace of sequential activation of HOX genes, the 'HOX clock', is controlled by intrinsic chromatin-based timing mechanisms or by temporal changes in extrinsic cues remains unclear. Here, we studied HOX clock pacing in human pluripotent stem cell-derived axial progenitors differentiating into diverse spinal cord motor neuron subtypes. We show that the progressive activation of caudal HOX genes is controlled by a dynamic increase in FGF signaling. Blocking the FGF pathway stalled induction of HOX genes, while a precocious increase of FGF, alone or with GDF11 ligand, accelerated the HOX clock. Cells differentiated under accelerated HOX induction generated appropriate posterior motor neuron subtypes found along the human embryonic spinal cord. The pacing of the HOX clock is thus dynamically regulated by exposure to secreted cues. Its manipulation by extrinsic factors provides synchronized access to multiple human neuronal subtypes of distinct rostro-caudal identities for basic and translational applications.This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Mouilleau
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France.,I-STEM, UMR 861, Inserm, UEPS, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Célia Vaslin
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Rémi Robert
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Simona Gribaudo
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Nour Nicolas
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, Unit of Genetic Stability, Stem Cells and Radiation, UMR 967, INSERM, CEA/DSV/iRCM/SCSR, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay aux Roses F-92265, France
| | - Margot Jarrige
- I-STEM, UMR 861, Inserm, UEPS, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Angélique Terray
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Léa Lesueur
- I-STEM, UMR 861, Inserm, UEPS, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Mackenzie W Mathis
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Gist Croft
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Mathieu Daynac
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France.,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Virginie Rouiller-Fabre
- Laboratory of Development of the Gonads, Unit of Genetic Stability, Stem Cells and Radiation, UMR 967, INSERM, CEA/DSV/iRCM/SCSR, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay aux Roses F-92265, France
| | - Hynek Wichterle
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Vanessa Ribes
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Institut Jacques Monod, 15 rue Hélène Brion, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Cécile Martinat
- I-STEM, UMR 861, Inserm, UEPS, 91100 Corbeil-Essonnes, France
| | - Stéphane Nedelec
- Institut du Fer à Moulin, 75005 Paris, France .,Inserm, UMR-S 1270, 75005 Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Science and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France
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8
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Wind M, Gogolou A, Manipur I, Granata I, Butler L, Andrews PW, Barbaric I, Ning K, Guarracino MR, Placzek M, Tsakiridis A. Defining the signalling determinants of a posterior ventral spinal cord identity in human neuromesodermal progenitor derivatives. Development 2021; 148:dev194415. [PMID: 33658223 PMCID: PMC8015249 DOI: 10.1242/dev.194415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The anteroposterior axial identity of motor neurons (MNs) determines their functionality and vulnerability to neurodegeneration. Thus, it is a crucial parameter in the design of strategies aiming to produce MNs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for regenerative medicine/disease modelling applications. However, the in vitro generation of posterior MNs corresponding to the thoracic/lumbosacral spinal cord has been challenging. Although the induction of cells resembling neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), the bona fide precursors of the spinal cord, offers a promising solution, the progressive specification of posterior MNs from these cells is not well defined. Here, we determine the signals guiding the transition of human NMP-like cells toward thoracic ventral spinal cord neurectoderm. We show that combined WNT-FGF activities drive a posterior dorsal pre-/early neural state, whereas suppression of TGFβ-BMP signalling pathways promotes a ventral identity and neural commitment. Based on these results, we define an optimised protocol for the generation of thoracic MNs that can efficiently integrate within the neural tube of chick embryos. We expect that our findings will facilitate the comparison of hPSC-derived spinal cord cells of distinct axial identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wind
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Antigoni Gogolou
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ichcha Manipur
- Computational and Data Science Laboratory, High Performance Computing and Networking Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Napoli 80131, Italy
| | - Ilaria Granata
- Computational and Data Science Laboratory, High Performance Computing and Networking Institute, National Research Council of Italy, Napoli 80131, Italy
| | - Larissa Butler
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Peter W Andrews
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ivana Barbaric
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Ke Ning
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2HQ, UK
| | | | - Marysia Placzek
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Biomedical Science and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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9
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de Leeuw VC, Pennings JLA, Hessel EVS, Piersma AH. Exploring the biological domain of the neural embryonic stem cell test (ESTn): Morphogenetic regulators, Hox genes and cell types, and their usefulness as biomarkers for embryotoxicity screening. Toxicology 2021; 454:152735. [PMID: 33636252 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2021.152735] [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: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Animal-free assessment of compound-induced developmental neurotoxicity will most likely be based on batteries of multiple in vitro tests. The optimal battery is built by combining tests with complementary biological domains that together ideally cover all relevant toxicity pathways. Thus, biological domain definition, i.e. which biological processes and cell types are represented, is an important assay characteristic for determining the place of assays in testing strategies. The murine neural embryonic stem cell test (ESTn) is employed to predict the developmental neurotoxicity of compounds. The aim of this study was to explore the biological domain of ESTn according to three groups of biomarker genes of early (neuro)development: morphogenetic regulators, Hox genes and cell type markers for the ectodermal and neural lineages. These biomarker groups were selected based on their crucial regulatory role in (neuro)development. Analysis of these genes in a series of previously generated whole transcriptome datasets of ESTn showed that at day 7 in culture cell differentiation resembled hindbrain/branchial/thoracic development between E6.5-E12.5 in vivo, with subsequent development into a mixed cell culture containing different neural subtypes, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes by day 13. In addition, the selected biomarkers showed common and distinct responses to compound exposure. Monitoring the biological domain of ESTn through gene expression patterns of morphogenetic regulators, Hox genes and cell type markers proved instrumental in providing mechanistic understanding of compound effects on neural differentiation in ESTn, and can aid in positioning of the test in a battery of complementary in vitro tests in integrated approaches to testing and assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C de Leeuw
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Jeroen L A Pennings
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen V S Hessel
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Aldert H Piersma
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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10
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Wymeersch FJ, Wilson V, Tsakiridis A. Understanding axial progenitor biology in vivo and in vitro. Development 2021; 148:148/4/dev180612. [PMID: 33593754 DOI: 10.1242/dev.180612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The generation of the components that make up the embryonic body axis, such as the spinal cord and vertebral column, takes place in an anterior-to-posterior (head-to-tail) direction. This process is driven by the coordinated production of various cell types from a pool of posteriorly-located axial progenitors. Here, we review the key features of this process and the biology of axial progenitors, including neuromesodermal progenitors, the common precursors of the spinal cord and trunk musculature. We discuss recent developments in the in vitro production of axial progenitors and their potential implications in disease modelling and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip J Wymeersch
- Laboratory for Human Organogenesis, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Valerie Wilson
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Science, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN UK .,Neuroscience Institute, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN UK
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11
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Sasai N, Kadoya M, Ong Lee Chen A. Neural induction: Historical views and application to pluripotent stem cells. Dev Growth Differ 2021; 63:26-37. [PMID: 33289091 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are a useful experimental material to recapitulate the differentiation steps of early embryos, which are usually invisible and inaccessible from outside of the body, especially in mammals. ES cells have greatly facilitated the analyses of gene expression profiles and cell characteristics. In addition, understanding the mechanisms during neural differentiation is important for clinical purposes, such as developing new therapeutic methods or regenerative medicine. As neurons have very limited regenerative ability, neurodegenerative diseases are usually intractable, and patients suffer from the disease throughout their lifetimes. The functional cells generated from ES cells in vitro could replace degenerative areas by transplantation. In this review, we will first demonstrate the historical views and widely accepted concepts regarding the molecular mechanisms of neural induction and positional information to produce the specific types of neurons in model animals. Next, we will describe how these concepts have recently been applied to the research in the establishment of the methodology of neural differentiation from mammalian ES cells. Finally, we will focus on examples of the applications of differentiation systems to clinical purposes. Overall, the discussion will focus on how historical developmental studies are applied to state-of-the-art stem cell research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriaki Sasai
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Minori Kadoya
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Agnes Ong Lee Chen
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
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12
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Joshi P, Skromne I. A theoretical model of neural maturation in the developing chick spinal cord. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0244219. [PMID: 33338079 PMCID: PMC7748286 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular differentiation is a tightly regulated process under the control of intricate signaling and transcription factors interaction network working in coordination. These interactions make the systems dynamic, robust and stable but also difficult to dissect. In the spinal cord, recent work has shown that a network of FGF, WNT and Retinoic Acid (RA) signaling factors regulate neural maturation by directing the activity of a transcription factor network that contains CDX at its core. Here we have used partial and ordinary (Hill) differential equation based models to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of the FGF/WNT/RA and the CDX/transcription factor networks, alone and in combination. We show that in both networks, the strength of interaction among network partners impacts the dynamics, behavior and output of the system. In the signaling network, interaction strength determine the position and size of discrete regions of cell differentiation and small changes in the strength of the interactions among networking partners can result in a signal overriding, balancing or oscillating with another signal. We also show that the spatiotemporal information generated by the signaling network can be conveyed to the CDX/transcription network to produces a transition zone that separates regions of high cell potency from regions of cell differentiation, in agreement with most in vivo observations. Importantly, one emerging property of the networks is their robustness to extrinsic disturbances, which allows the system to retain or canalize NP cells in developmental trajectories. This analysis provides a model for the interaction conditions underlying spinal cord cell maturation during embryonic axial elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyush Joshi
- Division of Pediatric Neuro-oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isaac Skromne
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America
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13
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Gonçalves CS, Le Boiteux E, Arnaud P, Costa BM. HOX gene cluster (de)regulation in brain: from neurodevelopment to malignant glial tumours. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:3797-3821. [PMID: 32239260 PMCID: PMC11105007 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-020-03508-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
HOX genes encode a family of evolutionarily conserved homeodomain transcription factors that are crucial both during development and adult life. In humans, 39 HOX genes are arranged in four clusters (HOXA, B, C, and D) in chromosomes 7, 17, 12, and 2, respectively. During embryonic development, particular epigenetic states accompany their expression along the anterior-posterior body axis. This tightly regulated temporal-spatial expression pattern reflects their relative chromosomal localization, and is critical for normal embryonic brain development when HOX genes are mainly expressed in the hindbrain and mostly absent in the forebrain region. Epigenetic marks, mostly polycomb-associated, are dynamically regulated at HOX loci and regulatory regions to ensure the finely tuned HOX activation and repression, highlighting a crucial epigenetic plasticity necessary for homeostatic development. HOX genes are essentially absent in healthy adult brain, whereas they are detected in malignant brain tumours, namely gliomas, where HOX genes display critical roles by regulating several hallmarks of cancer. Here, we review the major mechanisms involved in HOX genes (de)regulation in the brain, from embryonic to adult stages, in physiological and oncologic conditions. We focus particularly on the emerging causes of HOX gene deregulation in glioma, as well as on their functional and clinical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline S Gonçalves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Elisa Le Boiteux
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, INSERM-iGReD, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Philippe Arnaud
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, INSERM-iGReD, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Bruno M Costa
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's - PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
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14
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Olmsted ZT, Stigliano C, Badri A, Zhang F, Williams A, Koffas MAG, Xie Y, Linhardt RJ, Cibelli J, Horner PJ, Paluh JL. Fabrication of homotypic neural ribbons as a multiplex platform optimized for spinal cord delivery. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12939. [PMID: 32737387 PMCID: PMC7395100 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69274-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell therapy for the injured spinal cord will rely on combined advances in human stem cell technologies and delivery strategies. Here we encapsulate homotypic spinal cord neural stem cells (scNSCs) in an alginate-based neural ribbon delivery platform. We perform a comprehensive in vitro analysis and qualitatively demonstrate graft survival and injury site retention using a rat C4 hemi-contusion model. Pre-configured neural ribbons are transport-stable modules that enable site-ready injection, and can support scNSC survival and retention in vivo. Neural ribbons offer multifunctionality in vitro including co-encapsulation of the injury site extracellular matrix modifier chondroitinase ABC (chABC), tested here in glial scar models, and ability of cervically-patterned scNSCs to differentiate within neural ribbons and project axons for integration with 3-D external matrices. This is the first extensive in vitro characterization of neural ribbon technology, and constitutes a plausible method for reproducible delivery, placement, and retention of viable neural cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary T Olmsted
- Nanobioscience Constellation, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, NanoFab East, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY, 12203, USA
| | - Cinzia Stigliano
- Center for Neuroregeneration, Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave. R10-North, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Abinaya Badri
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Asher Williams
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Mattheos A G Koffas
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Yubing Xie
- Nanobioscience Constellation, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, NanoFab East, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY, 12203, USA
| | - Robert J Linhardt
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th St, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Jose Cibelli
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Philip J Horner
- Center for Neuroregeneration, Department of Neurosurgery, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave. R10-North, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Janet L Paluh
- Nanobioscience Constellation, Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, NanoFab East, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY, 12203, USA.
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15
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Varderidou-Minasian S, Verheijen BM, Schätzle P, Hoogenraad CC, Pasterkamp RJ, Altelaar M. Deciphering the Proteome Dynamics during Development of Neurons Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. J Proteome Res 2020; 19:2391-2403. [PMID: 32357013 PMCID: PMC7281779 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Neuronal development is a complex
multistep process that shapes
neurons by progressing though several typical stages, including axon
outgrowth, dendrite formation, and synaptogenesis. Knowledge of the
mechanisms of neuronal development is mostly derived from the study
of animal models. Advances in stem cell technology now enable us to
generate neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Here we provide a mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic signature
of human iPSC-derived neurons, i.e., iPSC-derived induced glutamatergic
neurons and iPSC-derived motor neurons, throughout neuronal differentiation.
Tandem mass tag 10-plex labeling was carried out to perform proteomic
profiling of cells at different time points. Our analysis reveals
significant expression changes (FDR < 0.001) of several key proteins
during the differentiation process, e.g., proteins involved in the
Wnt and Notch signaling pathways. Overall, our data provide a rich
resource of information on protein expression during human iPSC neuron
differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzy Varderidou-Minasian
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Bert M Verheijen
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Philipp Schätzle
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Casper C Hoogenraad
- Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - R Jeroen Pasterkamp
- Department of Translational Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten Altelaar
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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16
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Vyas B, Nandkishore N, Sambasivan R. Vertebrate cranial mesoderm: developmental trajectory and evolutionary origin. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:1933-1945. [PMID: 31722070 PMCID: PMC11105048 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03373-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate cranial mesoderm is a discrete developmental unit compared to the mesoderm below the developing neck. An extraordinary feature of the cranial mesoderm is that it includes a common progenitor pool contributing to the chambered heart and the craniofacial skeletal muscles. This striking developmental potential and the excitement it generated led to advances in our understanding of cranial mesoderm developmental mechanism. Remarkably, recent findings have begun to unravel the origin of its distinct developmental characteristics. Here, we take a detailed view of the ontogenetic trajectory of cranial mesoderm and its regulatory network. Based on the emerging evidence, we propose that cranial and posterior mesoderm diverge at the earliest step of the process that patterns the mesoderm germ layer along the anterior-posterior body axis. Further, we discuss the latest evidence and their impact on our current understanding of the evolutionary origin of cranial mesoderm. Overall, the review highlights the findings from contemporary research, which lays the foundation to probe the molecular basis of unique developmental potential and evolutionary origin of cranial mesoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhakti Vyas
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
| | - Nitya Nandkishore
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bengaluru, 560065, India
- SASTRA University, Thirumalaisamudram, Thanjavur, 613401, India
| | - Ramkumar Sambasivan
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati, Transit Campus, Karakambadi Road, Rami Reddy Nagar, Mangalam, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, 517507, India.
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17
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Osborn TM, Hallett PJ, Schumacher JM, Isacson O. Advantages and Recent Developments of Autologous Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease Patients. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:58. [PMID: 32317934 PMCID: PMC7147334 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive degenerative disease characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity and postural instability. There are approximately 7–10 million PD patients worldwide. Currently, there are no biomarkers available or pharmaceuticals that can halt the dopaminergic neuron degeneration. At the time of diagnosis about 60% of the midbrain dopamine (mDA) neurons have already degenerated, resulting in a depletion of roughly 70% of striatal dopamine (DA) levels and synapses. Symptomatic treatment (e.g., with L-dopa) can initially restore DA levels and motor function, but with time often lead to side-effects like dyskinesia. Deep-brain-stimulation can alleviate these side-effects and some of the motor symptoms but requires repeat procedures and adds limitations for the patients. Restoration of dopaminergic synapses using neuronal cell replacement therapy has shown benefit in clinical studies using cells from fetal ventral midbrain. This approach, if done correctly, increases DA levels and restores synapses, allowing biofeedback regulation between the grafted cells and the host brain. Drawbacks are that it is not scalable for a large patient population and the patients require immunosuppression. Stem cells differentiated in vitro to mDA neurons or progenitors have shown promise in animal studies and is a scalable approach that allows for cryopreservation of transplantable cells and rigorous quality control prior to transplantation. However, all allogeneic grafts require immunosuppression. HLA-donor-matching, reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the need for immunosuppression, and is currently investigated in a clinical trial for PD in Japan. Since immune compatibility is very important in all areas of transplantation, these approaches may ultimately be of less benefit to the patients than an autologous approach. By using the patient’s own somatic cells, reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiated to mDA neurons immunosuppression is not required, and may also present with several biological and functional advantages in the patients, as described in this article. The proof-of-principle of autologous iPSC mDA restoration of function has been shown in parkinsonian non-human primates (NHPs), and this can now be investigated in clinical trials in addition to the allogeneic and HLA-matched approaches. In this review, we focus on the autologous approach of cell therapy for PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresia M Osborn
- Neuroregeneration Research Institute, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Penelope J Hallett
- Neuroregeneration Research Institute, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - James M Schumacher
- Neuroregeneration Research Institute, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
| | - Ole Isacson
- Neuroregeneration Research Institute, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, United States
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18
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Parker HJ, Krumlauf R. A Hox gene regulatory network for hindbrain segmentation. Curr Top Dev Biol 2020; 139:169-203. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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19
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Canfield SG, Stebbins MJ, Faubion MG, Gastfriend BD, Palecek SP, Shusta EV. An isogenic neurovascular unit model comprised of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived brain microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, astrocytes, and neurons. Fluids Barriers CNS 2019; 16:25. [PMID: 31387594 PMCID: PMC6685239 DOI: 10.1186/s12987-019-0145-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) astrocytes, neurons, and pericytes form the neurovascular unit (NVU). Interactions with NVU cells endow BMECs with extremely tight barriers via the expression of tight junction proteins, a host of active efflux and nutrient transporters, and reduced transcellular transport. To recreate the BMEC-enhancing functions of NVU cells, we combined BMECs, astrocytes, neurons, and brain pericyte-like cells. Methods BMECs, neurons, astrocytes, and brain like pericytes were differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and placed in a Transwell-type NVU model. BMECs were placed in co-culture with neurons, astrocytes, and/or pericytes alone or in varying combinations and critical barrier properties were monitored. Results Co-culture with pericytes followed by a mixture of neurons and astrocytes (1:3) induced the greatest barrier tightening in BMECs, supported by a significant increase in junctional localization of occludin. BMECs also expressed active P-glycoprotein (PGP) efflux transporters under baseline BMEC monoculture conditions and continued to express baseline active PGP efflux transporters regardless of co-culture conditions. Finally, brain-like pericyte co-culture significantly reduced the rate of non-specific transcytosis across BMECs. Conclusions Importantly, each cell type in the NVU model was differentiated from the same donor iPSC source, yielding an isogenic model that could prove enabling for enhanced personalized modeling of the NVU in human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott G Canfield
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA. .,Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 620 Chestnut Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809, USA.
| | - Matthew J Stebbins
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Madeline G Faubion
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Benjamin D Gastfriend
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Sean P Palecek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Eric V Shusta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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20
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β-catenin aggregation in models of ALS motor neurons: GSK3β inhibition effect and neuronal differentiation. Neurobiol Dis 2019; 130:104497. [PMID: 31176720 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104497] [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: 01/13/2019] [Revised: 05/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron death. A 20% of familial ALS cases are associated with mutations in the gene coding for superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). The accumulation of abnormal aggregates of different proteins is a common feature in motor neurons of patients and transgenic ALS mice models, which are thought to contribute to disease pathogenesis. Developmental morphogens, such as the Wnt family, regulate numerous features of neuronal physiology in the adult brain and have been implicated in neurodegeneration. β-catenin is a central mediator of both, Wnt signaling activity and cell-cell interactions. We previously reported that the expression of mutant SOD1 in the NSC34 motor neuron cell line decreases basal Wnt pathway activity, which correlates with cytosolic β-catenin accumulation and impaired neuronal differentiation. In this work, we aimed a deeper characterization of β-catenin distribution in models of ALS motor neurons. We observed extensive accumulation of β-catenin supramolecular structures in motor neuron somas of pre-symptomatic mutant SOD1 mice. In cell-cell appositional zones of NSC34 cells expressing mutant SOD1, β-catenin displays a reduced co-distribution with E-cadherin accompanied by an increased association with the gap junction protein Connexin-43; these findings correlate with impaired intercellular adhesion and exacerbated cell coupling. Remarkably, pharmacological inhibition of the glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) in both NSC34 cell lines reverted both, β-catenin aggregation and the adverse effects of mutant SOD1 expression on neuronal differentiation. Our findings suggest that early defects in β-catenin distribution could be an underlying factor affecting the onset of neurodegeneration in familial ALS.
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21
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Edri S, Hayward P, Baillie-Johnson P, Steventon BJ, Martinez Arias A. An epiblast stem cell-derived multipotent progenitor population for axial extension. Development 2019; 146:dev.168187. [PMID: 31023877 DOI: 10.1242/dev.168187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The caudal lateral epiblast of mammalian embryos harbours bipotent progenitors that contribute to the spinal cord and the paraxial mesoderm in concert with the body axis elongation. These progenitors, called neural mesodermal progenitors (NMPs), are identified as cells that co-express Sox2 and T/brachyury, a criterion used to derive NMP-like cells from embryonic stem cells in vitro However, unlike embryonic NMPs, these progenitors do not self-renew. Here, we find that the protocols that yield NMP-like cells in vitro initially produce a multipotent population that, in addition to NMPs, generates progenitors for the lateral plate and intermediate mesoderm. We show that epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are an effective source of these multipotent progenitors, which are further differentiated by a balance between BMP and Nodal signalling. Importantly, we show that NMP-like cells derived from EpiSCs exhibit limited self-renewal in vitro and a gene expression signature like their embryonic counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shlomit Edri
- Department of Genetics, Downing Site, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Penny Hayward
- Department of Genetics, Downing Site, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Peter Baillie-Johnson
- Department of Genetics, Downing Site, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Benjamin J Steventon
- Department of Genetics, Downing Site, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
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22
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Lin Y, Yu J, Wu J, Wang S, Zhang T. Abnormal level of CUL4B-mediated histone H2A ubiquitination causes disruptive HOX gene expression. Epigenetics Chromatin 2019; 12:22. [PMID: 30992047 PMCID: PMC6466687 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-019-0268-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neural tube defects (NTDs) are common birth defects involving the central nervous system. Recent studies on the etiology of human NTDs have raised the possibility that epigenetic regulation could be involved in determining susceptibility to them. Results Here, we show that the H2AK119ub1 E3 ligase CUL4B is required for the activation of retinoic acid (RA)-inducible developmentally critical homeobox (HOX) genes in NT2/D1 embryonal carcinoma cells. RA treatment led to attenuation of H2AK119ub1 due to decrease in CUL4B, further affecting HOX gene regulation. Furthermore, we found that CUL4B interacted directly with RORγ and negatively regulated its transcriptional activity. Interestingly, knockdown of RORγ decreased the expression of HOX genes along with increased H2AK119ub1 occupancy levels, at HOX gene sites in N2/D1 cells. In addition, upregulation of HOX genes was observed along with lower levels of CUL4B-mediated H2AK119ub1 in both mouse and human anencephaly NTD cases. Notably, the expression of HOXA10 genes was negatively correlated with CUL4B levels in human anencephaly NTD cases. Conclusions Our results indicate that abnormal HOX gene expression induced by aberrant CUL4B-mediated H2AK119ub1 levels may be a risk factor for NTDs, and highlight the need for further analysis of genome-wide epigenetic modifications in NTDs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13072-019-0268-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Lin
- Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Child Development and Nutriomics, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China.,Graduate Schools of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Juan Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi, China
| | - Jianxin Wu
- Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Child Development and Nutriomics, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China.,Graduate Schools of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Shan Wang
- Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Child Development and Nutriomics, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China. .,Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Ting Zhang
- Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Child Development and Nutriomics, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China. .,Graduate Schools of Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
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23
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Frank D, Sela-Donenfeld D. Hindbrain induction and patterning during early vertebrate development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2019; 76:941-960. [PMID: 30519881 PMCID: PMC11105337 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The hindbrain is a key relay hub of the central nervous system (CNS), linking the bilaterally symmetric half-sides of lower and upper CNS centers via an extensive network of neural pathways. Dedicated neural assemblies within the hindbrain control many physiological processes, including respiration, blood pressure, motor coordination and different sensations. During early development, the hindbrain forms metameric segmented units known as rhombomeres along the antero-posterior (AP) axis of the nervous system. These compartmentalized units are highly conserved during vertebrate evolution and act as the template for adult brainstem structure and function. TALE and HOX homeodomain family transcription factors play a key role in the initial induction of the hindbrain and its specification into rhombomeric cell fate identities along the AP axis. Signaling pathways, such as canonical-Wnt, FGF and retinoic acid, play multiple roles to initially induce the hindbrain and regulate Hox gene-family expression to control rhombomeric identity. Additional transcription factors including Krox20, Kreisler and others act both upstream and downstream to Hox genes, modulating their expression and protein activity. In this review, we will examine the earliest embryonic signaling pathways that induce the hindbrain and subsequent rhombomeric segmentation via Hox and other gene expression. We will examine how these signaling pathways and transcription factors interact to activate downstream targets that organize the segmented AP pattern of the embryonic vertebrate hindbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dale Frank
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 31096, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Dalit Sela-Donenfeld
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100, Rehovot, Israel.
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24
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Joshi P, Darr AJ, Skromne I. CDX4 regulates the progression of neural maturation in the spinal cord. Dev Biol 2019; 449:132-142. [PMID: 30825428 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The progression of cells down different lineage pathways is a collaborative effort between networks of extracellular signals and intracellular transcription factors. In the vertebrate spinal cord, FGF, Wnt and Retinoic Acid signaling pathways regulate the progressive caudal-to-rostral maturation of neural progenitors by regulating a poorly understood gene regulatory network of transcription factors. We have mapped out this gene regulatory network in the chicken pre-neural tube, identifying CDX4 as a dual-function core component that simultaneously regulates gradual loss of cell potency and acquisition of differentiation states: in a caudal-to-rostral direction, CDX4 represses the early neural differentiation marker Nkx1.2 and promotes the late neural differentiation marker Pax6. Significantly, CDX4 prevents premature PAX6-dependent neural differentiation by blocking Ngn2 activation. This regulation of CDX4 over Pax6 is restricted to the rostral pre-neural tube by Retinoic Acid signaling. Together, our results show that in the spinal cord, CDX4 is part of the gene regulatory network controlling the sequential and progressive transition of states from high to low potency during neural progenitor maturation. Given CDX well-known involvement in Hox gene regulation, we propose that CDX factors coordinate the maturation and axial specification of neural progenitor cells during spinal cord development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyush Joshi
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States; Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, 600 5th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, United States
| | - Andrew J Darr
- Department of Health Sciences Education, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 1 Illini Drive, Peoria, IL 61605, United States
| | - Isaac Skromne
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, Florida, 33146, United States; Department of Biology, University of Richmond, 138 UR Drive B322, Richmond, VA, 23173, United States.
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25
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Knight GT, Lundin BF, Iyer N, Ashton LM, Sethares WA, Willett RM, Ashton RS. Engineering induction of singular neural rosette emergence within hPSC-derived tissues. eLife 2018; 7:37549. [PMID: 30371350 PMCID: PMC6205811 DOI: 10.7554/elife.37549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neural organoids display unprecedented emergent properties. Yet in contrast to the singular neuroepithelial tube from which the entire central nervous system (CNS) develops in vivo, current organoid protocols yield tissues with multiple neuroepithelial units, a.k.a. neural rosettes, each acting as independent morphogenesis centers and thereby confounding coordinated, reproducible tissue development. Here, we discover that controlling initial tissue morphology can effectively (>80%) induce single neural rosette emergence within hPSC-derived forebrain and spinal tissues. Notably, the optimal tissue morphology for observing singular rosette emergence was distinct for forebrain versus spinal tissues due to previously unknown differences in ROCK-mediated cell contractility. Following release of geometric confinement, the tissues displayed radial outgrowth with maintenance of a singular neuroepithelium and peripheral neuronal differentiation. Thus, we have identified neural tissue morphology as a critical biophysical parameter for controlling in vitro neural tissue morphogenesis furthering advancement towards biomanufacture of CNS tissues with biomimetic anatomy and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin T Knight
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Brady F Lundin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Nisha Iyer
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Lydia Mt Ashton
- Department of Consumer Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - William A Sethares
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Rebecca M Willett
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Randolph Scott Ashton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States.,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
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26
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Metzis V, Steinhauser S, Pakanavicius E, Gouti M, Stamataki D, Ivanovitch K, Watson T, Rayon T, Mousavy Gharavy SN, Lovell-Badge R, Luscombe NM, Briscoe J. Nervous System Regionalization Entails Axial Allocation before Neural Differentiation. Cell 2018; 175:1105-1118.e17. [PMID: 30343898 PMCID: PMC6218657 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.09.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Neural induction in vertebrates generates a CNS that extends the rostral-caudal length of the body. The prevailing view is that neural cells are initially induced with anterior (forebrain) identity; caudalizing signals then convert a proportion to posterior fates (spinal cord). To test this model, we used chromatin accessibility to define how cells adopt region-specific neural fates. Together with genetic and biochemical perturbations, this identified a developmental time window in which genome-wide chromatin-remodeling events preconfigure epiblast cells for neural induction. Contrary to the established model, this revealed that cells commit to a regional identity before acquiring neural identity. This “primary regionalization” allocates cells to anterior or posterior regions of the nervous system, explaining how cranial and spinal neurons are generated at appropriate axial positions. These findings prompt a revision to models of neural induction and support the proposed dual evolutionary origin of the vertebrate CNS. Chromatin accessibility defines neural progenitor identity A limited developmental window exists to establish spinal cord competency Cells acquire axial identity prior to neural identity
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mina Gouti
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; Max-Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin 13092, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nicholas M Luscombe
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; UCL Genetics Institute, Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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27
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Steventon B, Martinez Arias A. Evo-engineering and the cellular and molecular origins of the vertebrate spinal cord. Dev Biol 2017; 432:3-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2017.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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28
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Wang J, Jenjaroenpun P, Bhinge A, Angarica VE, Del Sol A, Nookaew I, Kuznetsov VA, Stanton LW. Single-cell gene expression analysis reveals regulators of distinct cell subpopulations among developing human neurons. Genome Res 2017; 27:1783-1794. [PMID: 29030469 PMCID: PMC5668937 DOI: 10.1101/gr.223313.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The stochastic dynamics and regulatory mechanisms that govern differentiation of individual human neural precursor cells (NPC) into mature neurons are currently not fully understood. Here, we used single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of developing neurons to dissect/identify NPC subtypes and critical developmental stages of alternative lineage specifications. This study comprises an unsupervised, high-resolution strategy for identifying cell developmental bifurcations, tracking the stochastic transcript kinetics of the subpopulations, elucidating regulatory networks, and finding key regulators. Our data revealed the bifurcation and developmental tracks of the two NPC subpopulations, and we captured an early (24 h) transition phase that leads to alternative neuronal specifications. The consequent up-regulation and down-regulation of stage- and subpopulation-specific gene groups during the course of maturation revealed biological insights with regard to key regulatory transcription factors and lincRNAs that control cellular programs in the identified neuronal subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxu Wang
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore/A-STAR, Singapore 138672
| | - Piroon Jenjaroenpun
- Genome and Gene expression Data Analysis Division, Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore 138671
| | - Akshay Bhinge
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore/A-STAR, Singapore 138672
| | | | - Antonio Del Sol
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, Campus Belval, University of Luxembourg, L-4367 Luxembourg
| | - Intawat Nookaew
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA
| | - Vladimir A Kuznetsov
- Genome and Gene expression Data Analysis Division, Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore 138671
| | - Lawrence W Stanton
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Genome Institute of Singapore/A-STAR, Singapore 138672
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29
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Abstract
During vertebrate embryonic development, the spinal cord is formed by the neural derivatives of a neuromesodermal population that is specified at early stages of development and which develops in concert with the caudal regression of the primitive streak. Several processes related to spinal cord specification and maturation are coupled to this caudal extension including neurogenesis, ventral patterning and neural crest specification and all of them seem to be crucially regulated by Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling, which is prominently active in the neuromesodermal region and transiently in its derivatives. Here we review the role of FGF signaling in those processes, trying to separate its different functions and highlighting the interactions with other signaling pathways. Finally, these early functions of FGF signaling in spinal cord development may underlay partly its ability to promote regeneration in the lesioned spinal cord as well as its action promoting specific fates in neural stem cell cultures that may be used for therapeutical purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Diez Del Corral
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology, Cajal Institute, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain.,Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the UnknownLisbon, Portugal
| | - Aixa V Morales
- Department of Cellular, Molecular and Developmental Neurobiology, Cajal Institute, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasMadrid, Spain
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30
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Gouti M, Delile J, Stamataki D, Wymeersch FJ, Huang Y, Kleinjung J, Wilson V, Briscoe J. A Gene Regulatory Network Balances Neural and Mesoderm Specification during Vertebrate Trunk Development. Dev Cell 2017; 41:243-261.e7. [PMID: 28457792 PMCID: PMC5425255 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2017.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 04/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional networks, regulated by extracellular signals, control cell fate decisions and determine the size and composition of developing tissues. One example is the network controlling bipotent neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) that fuel embryo elongation by generating spinal cord and trunk mesoderm tissue. Here, we use single-cell transcriptomics to identify the molecular signature of NMPs and reverse engineer the mechanism that regulates their differentiation. Together with genetic perturbations, this reveals a transcriptional network that integrates opposing retinoic acid (RA) and Wnt signals to determine the rate at which cells enter and exit the NMP state. RA, produced by newly generated mesodermal cells, provides feedback that initiates NMP generation and induces neural differentiation, thereby coordinating the production of neural and mesodermal tissue. Together, the data define a regulatory network architecture that balances the generation of different cell types from bipotential progenitors in order to facilitate orderly axis elongation. Single-cell RNA-seq reveals a signature of neuromesodermal progenitors In vitro NMPs resemble and differentiate similar to their in vivo counterparts Dual role for retinoic acid signaling in NMP induction and neural differentiation A transcriptional network regulates neural versus mesodermal allocation
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Gouti
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK; Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Julien Delile
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | | | - Filip J Wymeersch
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Yali Huang
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - Jens Kleinjung
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Valerie Wilson
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
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31
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Suzuki IK, Vanderhaeghen P. Is this a brain which I see before me? Modeling human neural development with pluripotent stem cells. Development 2016; 142:3138-50. [PMID: 26395142 DOI: 10.1242/dev.120568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The human brain is arguably the most complex structure among living organisms. However, the specific mechanisms leading to this complexity remain incompletely understood, primarily because of the poor experimental accessibility of the human embryonic brain. Over recent years, technologies based on pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have been developed to generate neural cells of various types. While the translational potential of PSC technologies for disease modeling and/or cell replacement therapies is usually put forward as a rationale for their utility, they are also opening novel windows for direct observation and experimentation of the basic mechanisms of human brain development. PSC-based studies have revealed that a number of cardinal features of neural ontogenesis are remarkably conserved in human models, which can be studied in a reductionist fashion. They have also revealed species-specific features, which constitute attractive lines of investigation to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development of the human brain, and its link with evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikuo K Suzuki
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM), and ULB Institute of Neuroscience (UNI), 808 Route de Lennik, Brussels B-1070, Belgium
| | - Pierre Vanderhaeghen
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM), and ULB Institute of Neuroscience (UNI), 808 Route de Lennik, Brussels B-1070, Belgium WELBIO, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808 Route de Lennik, Brussels B-1070, Belgium
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32
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Henrique D, Abranches E, Verrier L, Storey KG. Neuromesodermal progenitors and the making of the spinal cord. Development 2015; 142:2864-75. [PMID: 26329597 PMCID: PMC4958456 DOI: 10.1242/dev.119768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Neuromesodermal progenitors (NMps) contribute to both the elongating spinal cord and the adjacent paraxial mesoderm. It has been assumed that these cells arise as a result of patterning of the anterior neural plate. However, as the molecular mechanisms that specify NMps in vivo are uncovered, and as protocols for generating these bipotent cells from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells in vitro are established, the emerging data suggest that this view needs to be revised. Here, we review the characteristics, regulation, in vitro derivation and in vivo induction of NMps. We propose that these cells arise within primitive streak-associated epiblast via a mechanism that is separable from that which establishes neural fate in the anterior epiblast. We thus argue for the existence of two distinct routes for making central nervous system progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domingos Henrique
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular and Instituto de Histologia e Biologia do Desenvolvimento, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisboa 1649-028, Portugal
| | - Elsa Abranches
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular and Instituto de Histologia e Biologia do Desenvolvimento, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, Lisboa 1649-028, Portugal
| | - Laure Verrier
- Division of Cell & Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Kate G Storey
- Division of Cell & Developmental Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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33
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Deterministic HOX patterning in human pluripotent stem cell-derived neuroectoderm. Stem Cell Reports 2015; 4:632-44. [PMID: 25843047 PMCID: PMC4400649 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2015.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Colinear HOX expression during hindbrain and spinal cord development diversifies and assigns regional neural phenotypes to discrete rhombomeric and vertebral domains. Despite the precision of HOX patterning in vivo, in vitro approaches for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to posterior neural fates coarsely pattern HOX expression thereby generating cultures broadly specified to hindbrain or spinal cord regions. Here, we demonstrate that successive activation of fibroblast growth factor, Wnt/β-catenin, and growth differentiation factor signaling during hPSC differentiation generates stable, homogenous SOX2+/Brachyury+ neuromesoderm that exhibits progressive, full colinear HOX activation over 7 days. Switching to retinoic acid treatment at any point during this process halts colinear HOX activation and transitions the neuromesoderm into SOX2+/PAX6+ neuroectoderm with predictable, discrete HOX gene/protein profiles that can be further differentiated into region-specific cells, e.g., motor neurons. This fully defined approach significantly expands capabilities to derive regional neural phenotypes from diverse hindbrain and spinal cord domains. Deterministic HOX expression in hPSC-derived neuromesoderm progenitors (NMPs) Wnt/β-catenin, FGF, and GDF signaling regulate HOX activation in NMPs Retinoic acid (RA) transitions NMPs to neuroectoderm and halts HOX activation Neural cells can be patterned to any rostrocaudal hindbrain or spinal cord domain
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34
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Gouti M, Metzis V, Briscoe J. The route to spinal cord cell types: a tale of signals and switches. Trends Genet 2015; 31:282-9. [PMID: 25823696 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 02/28/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms that control induction and elaboration of the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) requires an analysis of the extrinsic signals and downstream transcriptional networks that assign cell fates in the correct space and time. We focus on the generation and patterning of the spinal cord. We summarize evidence that the origin of the spinal cord is distinct from the anterior regions of the CNS. We discuss how this affects the gene regulatory networks and cell state transitions that specify spinal cord cell subtypes, and we highlight how the timing of extracellular signals and dynamic control of transcriptional networks contribute to the correct spatiotemporal generation of different neural cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Gouti
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, UK
| | - Vicki Metzis
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, UK
| | - James Briscoe
- The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London, NW7 1AA, UK.
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35
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Debebe Z, Rathmell WK. Ror2 as a therapeutic target in cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2015; 150:143-8. [PMID: 25614331 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2015.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Ror2 is a signaling receptor for Wnt ligands that is known to play important roles in limb development, but having no essential roles known in adult tissues. Recent evidence has implicated Ror2 in mediating both canonical and non-canonical signaling pathways. Ror2 was initially found to be highly expressed in osteosarcoma and renal cell carcinomas, and has recently been found in an increasingly long list of cancers currently including melanoma, colon cancer, melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and breast cancer. In the majority of these cancer types, Ror2 expression is associated with more aggressive disease states, consistent with a role mediating Wnt signaling regardless of the canonical or noncanonical signal. Because of the pattern of tissue distribution, the association with high-risk diseases, and the cell surface localization of this receptor, Ror2 has been identified as a potential high value target for therapeutic development. However, the recent discovery that Ror2 may function through non-kinase activities challenges this strategy and opens up opportunities to target this important molecule through alternative means.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zufan Debebe
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States
| | - W Kimryn Rathmell
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Urology, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States; Department of Genetics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States.
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36
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Lee K, Skromne I. Retinoic acid regulates size, pattern and alignment of tissues at the head-trunk transition. Development 2015; 141:4375-84. [PMID: 25371368 DOI: 10.1242/dev.109603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
At the head-trunk transition, hindbrain and spinal cord alignment to occipital and vertebral bones is crucial for coherent neural and skeletal system organization. Changes in neural or mesodermal tissue configuration arising from defects in the specification, patterning or relative axial placement of territories can severely compromise their integration and function. Here, we show that coordination of neural and mesodermal tissue at the zebrafish head-trunk transition crucially depends on two novel activities of the signaling factor retinoic acid (RA): one specifying the size and the other specifying the axial position relative to mesodermal structures of the hindbrain territory. These activities are each independent but coordinated with the well-established function of RA in hindbrain patterning. Using neural and mesodermal landmarks we demonstrate that the functions of RA in aligning neural and mesodermal tissues temporally precede the specification of hindbrain and spinal cord territories and the activation of hox transcription. Using cell transplantation assays we show that RA activity in the neuroepithelium regulates hindbrain patterning directly and territory size specification indirectly. This indirect function is partially dependent on Wnts but independent of FGFs. Importantly, RA specifies and patterns the hindbrain territory by antagonizing the activity of the spinal cord specification gene cdx4; loss of Cdx4 rescues the defects associated with the loss of RA, including the reduction in hindbrain size and the loss of posterior rhombomeres. We propose that at the head-trunk transition, RA coordinates specification, patterning and alignment of neural and mesodermal tissues that are essential for the organization and function of the neural and skeletal systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keun Lee
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Isaac Skromne
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
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37
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Turner DA, Hayward PC, Baillie-Johnson P, Rué P, Broome R, Faunes F, Martinez Arias A. Wnt/β-catenin and FGF signalling direct the specification and maintenance of a neuromesodermal axial progenitor in ensembles of mouse embryonic stem cells. Development 2015; 141:4243-53. [PMID: 25371361 PMCID: PMC4302903 DOI: 10.1242/dev.112979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The development of the central nervous system is known to result from two sequential events. First, an inductive event of the mesoderm on the overlying ectoderm that generates a neural plate that, after rolling into a neural tube, acts as the main source of neural progenitors. Second, the axial regionalization of the neural plate that will result in the specification of neurons with different anteroposterior identities. Although this description of the process applies with ease to amphibians and fish, it is more difficult to confirm in amniote embryos. Here, a specialized population of cells emerges at the end of gastrulation that, under the influence of Wnt and FGF signalling, expands and generates the spinal cord and the paraxial mesoderm. This population is known as the long-term neuromesodermal precursor (NMp). Here, we show that controlled increases of Wnt/β-catenin and FGF signalling during adherent culture differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) generates a population with many of the properties of the NMp. A single-cell analysis of gene expression within this population reveals signatures that are characteristic of stem cell populations. Furthermore, when this activation is triggered in three-dimensional aggregates of mESCs, the population self-organizes macroscopically and undergoes growth and axial elongation that mimics some of the features of the embryonic spinal cord and paraxial mesoderm. We use both adherent and three-dimensional cultures of mESCs to probe the establishment and maintenance of NMps and their differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Turner
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | | | | | - Pau Rué
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Rebecca Broome
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
| | - Fernando Faunes
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
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38
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Maury Y, Côme J, Piskorowski RA, Salah-Mohellibi N, Chevaleyre V, Peschanski M, Martinat C, Nedelec S. Combinatorial analysis of developmental cues efficiently converts human pluripotent stem cells into multiple neuronal subtypes. Nat Biotechnol 2014; 33:89-96. [PMID: 25383599 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.3049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 255] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Specification of cell identity during development depends on exposure of cells to sequences of extrinsic cues delivered at precise times and concentrations. Identification of combinations of patterning molecules that control cell fate is essential for the effective use of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for basic and translational studies. Here we describe a scalable, automated approach to systematically test the combinatorial actions of small molecules for the targeted differentiation of hPSCs. Applied to the generation of neuronal subtypes, this analysis revealed an unappreciated role for canonical Wnt signaling in specifying motor neuron diversity from hPSCs and allowed us to define rapid (14 days), efficient procedures to generate spinal and cranial motor neurons as well as spinal interneurons and sensory neurons. Our systematic approach to improving hPSC-targeted differentiation should facilitate disease modeling studies and drug screening assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Maury
- CECS, I-STEM (Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases), AFM, Evry, France
| | - Julien Côme
- CECS, I-STEM (Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases), AFM, Evry, France
| | | | | | - Vivien Chevaleyre
- CNRS UMR 8118, Université Paris Descartes Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Gouti M, Tsakiridis A, Wymeersch FJ, Huang Y, Kleinjung J, Wilson V, Briscoe J. In vitro generation of neuromesodermal progenitors reveals distinct roles for wnt signalling in the specification of spinal cord and paraxial mesoderm identity. PLoS Biol 2014; 12:e1001937. [PMID: 25157815 PMCID: PMC4144800 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells of the spinal cord and somites arise from shared, dual-fated precursors, located towards the posterior of the elongating embryo. Here we show that these neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) can readily be generated in vitro from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells by activating Wnt and Fgf signalling, timed to emulate in vivo development. Similar to NMPs in vivo, these cells co-express the neural factor Sox2 and the mesodermal factor Brachyury and differentiate into neural and paraxial mesoderm in vitro and in vivo. The neural cells produced by NMPs have spinal cord but not anterior neural identity and can differentiate into spinal cord motor neurons. This is consistent with the shared origin of spinal cord and somites and the distinct ontogeny of the anterior and posterior nervous system. Systematic analysis of the transcriptome during differentiation identifies the molecular correlates of each of the cell identities and the routes by which they are obtained. Moreover, we take advantage of the system to provide evidence that Brachyury represses neural differentiation and that signals from mesoderm are not necessary to induce the posterior identity of spinal cord cells. This indicates that the mesoderm inducing and posteriorising functions of Wnt signalling represent two molecularly separate activities. Together the data illustrate how reverse engineering normal developmental mechanisms allows the differentiation of specific cell types in vitro and the analysis of previous difficult to access aspects of embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Gouti
- MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anestis Tsakiridis
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Filip J. Wymeersch
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Yali Huang
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jens Kleinjung
- MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Valerie Wilson
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - James Briscoe
- MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, London, United Kingdom
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40
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Chu M, Wang L, Wang H, Shen T, Yang Y, Sun Y, Tang N, Ni T, Zhu J, Mailman RB, Wang Y. A novel role of CDX1 in embryonic epicardial development. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103271. [PMID: 25068460 PMCID: PMC4113346 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanism that regulates epicardial development has yet to be understood. In this study, we explored the function of CDX1, a Caudal-related family member, in epicardial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and in the migration and the differentiation of epicardium-derived progenitors into vascular smooth muscle cells. We detected a transient expression of CDX1 in murine embryonic hearts at 11.5 days post coitum (dpc). Using a doxycycline-inducible CDX1 mouse model, primary epicardium, and ex vivo heart culture, we further demonstrated that ectopic expression of CDX1 promoted epicardial EMT. In addition, a low-dose CDX1 induction led to enhanced migration and differentiation of epicardium-derived cells into α-SMA+ vascular smooth muscles. In contrast, either continued high-level induction of CDX1 or CDX1 deficiency attenuated the ability of epicardium-derived cells to migrate and to mature into smooth muscles induced by TGF-β1. Further RNA-seq analyses showed that CDX1 induction altered the transcript levels of genes involved in neuronal development, angiogenesis, and cell adhesions required for EMT. Our data have revealed a previously undefined role of CDX1 during epicardial development, and suggest that transient expression of CDX1 promotes epicardial EMT, whereas subsequent down-regulation of CDX1 after 11.5 dpc in mice is necessary for further subepicardial invasion of EPDCs and contribution to coronary vascular endothelium or smooth muscle cells.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Adhesion/genetics
- Cell Differentiation/genetics
- Cell Line
- Cell Movement/genetics
- Cells, Cultured
- Coronary Vessel Anomalies/genetics
- Embryonic Stem Cells
- Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism
- Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics
- Gene Expression
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- Heart/embryology
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/cytology
- Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/cytology
- Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism
- Neurogenesis/genetics
- Organogenesis/genetics
- Pericardium/embryology
- Pericardium/metabolism
- Phenotype
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Chu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Libo Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ting Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetics Engineering & MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanqin Yang
- Systems Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yun Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nannan Tang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ting Ni
- State Key Laboratory of Genetics Engineering & MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Zhu
- Systems Biology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Richard B. Mailman
- Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Yuan Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail:
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41
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42
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Williams AJ, Umemori H. The best-laid plans go oft awry: synaptogenic growth factor signaling in neuropsychiatric disease. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2014; 6:4. [PMID: 24672476 PMCID: PMC3957327 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2014.00004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Growth factors play important roles in synapse formation. Mouse models of neuropsychiatric diseases suggest that defects in synaptogenic growth factors, their receptors, and signaling pathways can lead to disordered neural development and various behavioral phenotypes, including anxiety, memory problems, and social deficits. Genetic association studies in humans have found evidence for similar relationships between growth factor signaling pathways and neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Accumulating data suggest that dysfunction in neuronal circuitry, caused by defects in growth factor-mediated synapse formation, contributes to the susceptibility to multiple neuropsychiatric diseases, including epilepsy, autism, and disorders of thought and mood (e.g., schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, respectively). In this review, we will focus on how specific synaptogenic growth factors and their downstream signaling pathways might be involved in the development of neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aislinn J Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA ; Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Hisashi Umemori
- Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA ; Department of Neurology, F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital Boston, MA, USA
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43
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Francius C, Clotman F. Generating spinal motor neuron diversity: a long quest for neuronal identity. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:813-29. [PMID: 23765105 PMCID: PMC11113339 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-013-1398-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2013] [Revised: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/31/2013] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how thousands of different neuronal types are generated in the CNS constitutes a major challenge for developmental neurobiologists and is a prerequisite before considering cell or gene therapies of nervous lesions or pathologies. During embryonic development, spinal motor neurons (MNs) segregate into distinct subpopulations that display specific characteristics and properties including molecular identity, migration pattern, allocation to specific motor columns, and innervation of defined target. Because of the facility to correlate these different characteristics, the diversification of spinal MNs has become the model of choice for studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the generation of multiple neuronal populations in the developing CNS. Therefore, how spinal motor neuron subpopulations are produced during development has been extensively studied during the last two decades. In this review article, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic and molecular mechanisms that contribute to the diversification of spinal MNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Francius
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, 55 Avenue Hippocrate, Box (B1.55.11), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frédéric Clotman
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, 55 Avenue Hippocrate, Box (B1.55.11), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
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44
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Lippmann ES, Al-Ahmad A, Azarin SM, Palecek SP, Shusta EV. A retinoic acid-enhanced, multicellular human blood-brain barrier model derived from stem cell sources. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4160. [PMID: 24561821 PMCID: PMC3932448 DOI: 10.1038/srep04160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 323] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Blood-brain barrier (BBB) models are often used to investigate BBB function and screen brain-penetrating therapeutics, but it has been difficult to construct a human model that possesses an optimal BBB phenotype and is readily scalable. To address this challenge, we developed a human in vitro BBB model comprising brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), pericytes, astrocytes and neurons derived from renewable cell sources. First, retinoic acid (RA) was used to substantially enhance BBB phenotypes in human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived BMECs, particularly through adherens junction, tight junction, and multidrug resistance protein regulation. RA-treated hPSC-derived BMECs were subsequently co-cultured with primary human brain pericytes and human astrocytes and neurons derived from human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) to yield a fully human BBB model that possessed significant tightness as measured by transendothelial electrical resistance (~5,000 Ωxcm(2)). Overall, this scalable human BBB model may enable a wide range of neuroscience studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan S Lippmann
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Abraham Al-Ahmad
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Samira M Azarin
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sean P Palecek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Eric V Shusta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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45
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Schlosser G, Patthey C, Shimeld SM. The evolutionary history of vertebrate cranial placodes II. Evolution of ectodermal patterning. Dev Biol 2014; 389:98-119. [PMID: 24491817 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cranial placodes are evolutionary innovations of vertebrates. However, they most likely evolved by redeployment, rewiring and diversification of preexisting cell types and patterning mechanisms. In the second part of this review we compare vertebrates with other animal groups to elucidate the evolutionary history of ectodermal patterning. We show that several transcription factors have ancient bilaterian roles in dorsoventral and anteroposterior regionalisation of the ectoderm. Evidence from amphioxus suggests that ancestral chordates then concentrated neurosecretory cells in the anteriormost non-neural ectoderm. This anterior proto-placodal domain subsequently gave rise to the oral siphon primordia in tunicates (with neurosecretory cells being lost) and anterior (adenohypophyseal, olfactory, and lens) placodes of vertebrates. Likewise, tunicate atrial siphon primordia and posterior (otic, lateral line, and epibranchial) placodes of vertebrates probably evolved from a posterior proto-placodal region in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor. Since both siphon primordia in tunicates give rise to sparse populations of sensory cells, both proto-placodal domains probably also gave rise to some sensory receptors in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor. However, proper cranial placodes, which give rise to high density arrays of specialised sensory receptors and neurons, evolved from these domains only in the vertebrate lineage. We propose that this may have involved rewiring of the regulatory network upstream and downstream of Six1/2 and Six4/5 transcription factors and their Eya family cofactors. These proteins, which play ancient roles in neuronal differentiation were first recruited to the dorsal non-neural ectoderm in the tunicate-vertebrate ancestor but subsequently probably acquired new target genes in the vertebrate lineage, allowing them to adopt new functions in regulating proliferation and patterning of neuronal progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Schlosser
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences & Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), National University of Ireland, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Cedric Patthey
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Sebastian M Shimeld
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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46
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Philippidou P, Dasen JS. Hox genes: choreographers in neural development, architects of circuit organization. Neuron 2013; 80:12-34. [PMID: 24094100 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The neural circuits governing vital behaviors, such as respiration and locomotion, are comprised of discrete neuronal populations residing within the brainstem and spinal cord. Work over the past decade has provided a fairly comprehensive understanding of the developmental pathways that determine the identity of major neuronal classes within the neural tube. However, the steps through which neurons acquire the subtype diversities necessary for their incorporation into a particular circuit are still poorly defined. Studies on the specification of motor neurons indicate that the large family of Hox transcription factors has a key role in generating the subtypes required for selective muscle innervation. There is also emerging evidence that Hox genes function in multiple neuronal classes to shape synaptic specificity during development, suggesting a broader role in circuit assembly. This Review highlights the functions and mechanisms of Hox gene networks and their multifaceted roles during neuronal specification and connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polyxeni Philippidou
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NYU Neuroscience Institute, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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47
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Schulte D, Frank D. TALE transcription factors during early development of the vertebrate brain and eye. Dev Dyn 2013; 243:99-116. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2013] [Revised: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/13/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Schulte
- Institute of Neurology (Edinger Institute); University Hospital Frankfurt, J.W. Goethe University; Frankfurt Germany
| | - Dale Frank
- Department of Biochemistry; The Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa Israel
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48
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Mazzoni EO, Mahony S, Peljto M, Patel T, Thornton SR, McCuine S, Reeder C, Boyer LA, Young RA, Gifford DK, Wichterle H. Saltatory remodeling of Hox chromatin in response to rostrocaudal patterning signals. Nat Neurosci 2013; 16:1191-1198. [PMID: 23955559 PMCID: PMC3799941 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Hox genes controlling motor neuron subtype identity are expressed in rostro-caudal patterns that are spatially and temporally collinear with their chromosomal organization. Here we demonstrate that Hox chromatin is subdivided into discrete domains, controlled by rostro-caudal patterning signals that trigger rapid, domain-wide clearance of repressive H3K27me3 Polycomb modifications. Treatment of differentiating mouse neural progenitors with retinoic acid (RA) leads to activation and binding of RA receptors (RARs) to Hox1-5 chromatin domains, followed by a rapid domain-wide removal of H3K27me3 and acquisition of cervical spinal identity. Wnt and FGF signals induce expression of Cdx2 transcription factor that binds and clears H3K27me3 from Hox1-9 chromatin domains, leading to specification of brachial/thoracic spinal identity. We propose that rapid clearance of repressive modifications in response to transient patterning signals encodes global rostro-caudal neural identity and that maintenance of these chromatin domains ensures transmission of the positional identity to postmitotic motor neurons later in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban O Mazzoni
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.,Department of Biology, New York University. 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Shaun Mahony
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Center for Eukaryotic Gene Regulation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | - Mirza Peljto
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tulsi Patel
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Seraphim R Thornton
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Scott McCuine
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Christopher Reeder
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Laurie A Boyer
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - David K Gifford
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Hynek Wichterle
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neurology, and Neuroscience, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Medical Center, 630 W 168 Street, New York, NY 10032, USA
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49
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Francius C, Harris A, Rucchin V, Hendricks TJ, Stam FJ, Barber M, Kurek D, Grosveld FG, Pierani A, Goulding M, Clotman F. Identification of multiple subsets of ventral interneurons and differential distribution along the rostrocaudal axis of the developing spinal cord. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70325. [PMID: 23967072 PMCID: PMC3744532 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The spinal cord contains neuronal circuits termed Central Pattern Generators (CPGs) that coordinate rhythmic motor activities. CPG circuits consist of motor neurons and multiple interneuron cell types, many of which are derived from four distinct cardinal classes of ventral interneurons, called V0, V1, V2 and V3. While significant progress has been made on elucidating the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control ventral interneuron differentiation, little is known about their distribution along the antero-posterior axis of the spinal cord and their diversification. Here, we report that V0, V1 and V2 interneurons exhibit distinct organizational patterns at brachial, thoracic and lumbar levels of the developing spinal cord. In addition, we demonstrate that each cardinal class of ventral interneurons can be subdivided into several subsets according to the combinatorial expression of different sets of transcription factors, and that these subsets are differentially distributed along the rostrocaudal axis of the spinal cord. This comprehensive molecular profiling of ventral interneurons provides an important resource for investigating neuronal diversification in the developing spinal cord and for understanding the contribution of specific interneuron subsets on CPG circuits and motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Francius
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Audrey Harris
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vincent Rucchin
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Timothy J. Hendricks
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Floor J. Stam
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Melissa Barber
- CNRS UMR 7592, Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Dorota Kurek
- Erasmus MC Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frank G. Grosveld
- Erasmus MC Stem Cell Institute, Department of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alessandra Pierani
- CNRS UMR 7592, Institut Jacques Monod, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Martyn Goulding
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Frédéric Clotman
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Laboratory of Neural Differentiation, Brussels, Belgium
- * E-mail:
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50
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Signaling pathways regulating ectodermal cell fate choices. Exp Cell Res 2013; 321:11-6. [PMID: 23939346 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2013.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Although embryonic patterning and early development of the nervous system have been studied for decades, our understanding of how signals instruct ectodermal derivatives to acquire specific identities has only recently started to form a coherent picture. In this mini-review, we summarize recent findings and models of how a handful of well-known secreted signals influence progenitor cells in successive binary decisions to adopt various cell type specific differentiation programs.
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