A Sox2 BAC transgenic approach for targeting adult neural stem cells

Glial Populations in the Human Brain Following Ischemic Injury

There is a growing interest in glial cells in the central nervous system due to their important role in maintaining brain homeostasis under physiological conditions and after injury. A significant amount of evidence has been accumulated regarding their capacity to exert either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects under different pathological conditions. In combination with their proliferative potential, they contribute not only to the limitation of brain damage and tissue remodeling but also to neuronal repair and synaptic recovery. Moreover, reactive glial cells can modulate the processes of neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, and migration of neurons in the existing neural circuits in the adult brain. By discovering precise signals within specific niches, the regulation of sequential processes in adult neurogenesis holds the potential to unlock strategies that can stimulate the generation of functional neurons, whether in response to injury or as a means of addressing degenerative neurological conditions. Cerebral ischemic stroke, a condition falling within the realm of acute vascular disorders affecting the circulation in the brain, stands as a prominent global cause of disability and mortality. Extensive investigations into glial plasticity and their intricate interactions with other cells in the central nervous system have predominantly relied on studies conducted on experimental animals, including rodents and primates. However, valuable insights have also been gleaned from in vivo studies involving poststroke patients, utilizing highly specialized imaging techniques. Following the attempts to map brain cells, the role of various transcription factors in modulating gene expression in response to cerebral ischemia is gaining increasing popularity. Although the results obtained thus far remain incomplete and occasionally ambiguous, they serve as a solid foundation for the development of strategies aimed at influencing the recovery process after ischemic brain injury.

Singular Adult Neural Stem Cells Do Not Exist

Adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) are the source for the continuous production of new neurons throughout life. This so-called adult neurogenesis has been extensively studied; the intermediate cellular stages are well documented. Recent discoveries have raised new controversies in the field, such as the notion that progenitor cells hold similar self-renewal potential as stem cells, or whether different types of aNSCs exist. Here, we discuss evidence for heterogeneity of aNSCs, including short-term and long-term self-renewing aNSCs, regional and temporal differences in aNSC function, and single cell transcriptomics. Reviewing various genetic mouse models used for targeting aNSCs and lineage tracing, we consider potential lineage relationships between Ascl1-, Gli1-, and Nestin-targeted aNSCs. We present a multidimensional model of adult neurogenesis that incorporates recent findings and conclude that stemness is a phenotype, a state of properties that can change with time, rather than a cell property, which is static and immutable. We argue that singular aNSCs do not exist.

NRSF deficiency leads to abnormal postnatal development of dentate gyrus and impairment of progenitors in subgranular zone of hippocampus

Neuron-restrictive silencing factor (NRSF) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that regulates expression of a diverse set of genes. However, NRSF function in brain development still remains elusive. In the present study, we generated NRSF-conditional knockout (NRSF-cKO) mice by hGFAP-Cre/loxp system to study the effect of NRSF deficiency on brain development. Results showed that NRSF conditional knockout caused a smaller hippocampus and a thinner granule cell layer (GCL) in mice. Moreover, the reduction and disarrangement of GFAP+ cells in subgranular zone (SGZ) of NRSF-cKO mice was accompanied with the decreased number of premature neurons, neural stem cells (NSCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs), as well as compromising the majority of mitotically active cells. The analysis of postnatal development of hippocampus indicated the existence of an abnormality at postnatal day (P) 8, rather than at P1, in NRSF-cKO mice, although the densities of Ki67+ cells with mitotic ability in dentate gyrus were relatively unaffected at P1 and P8. Meanwhile, NRSF deficiency led to abnormal organization of SGZ at P8 during postnatal development. RNA-Seq analysis revealed 79 deregulated genes in hippocampus of NRSF-cKO mice at P8, which were involved in p53 signal transduction, neuron migration and negative regulation of cell proliferation, etc. The deregulation of p53 pathway in NRSF-cKO mice at P1 and P8 was evidenced, of which p21/Cdkn1a was accumulated in a portion of NSCs and NPCs in hippocampus during postnatal development. Together, these results, for the first time, revealed that NRSF could significantly influence the postnatal development of hippocampus, especially the formation of SGZ.

Enriched Environment Promotes Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis through FGFRs

The addition of new neurons to existing neural circuits in the adult brain remains of great interest to neurobiology because of its therapeutic implications. The premier model for studying this process has been the hippocampal dentate gyrus in mice, where new neurons are added to mature circuits during adulthood. Notably, external factors such as an enriched environment (EE) and exercise markedly increase hippocampal neurogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that EE acts by increasing fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) function autonomously within neurogenic cells to expand their numbers in adult male and female mice. FGFRs activated by EE signal through their mediators, FGFR substrate (FRS), to induce stem cell proliferation, and through FRS and phospholipase Cγ to increase the number of adult-born neurons, providing a mechanism for how EE promotes adult neurogenesis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How the environment we live in affects cognition remains poorly understood. In the current study, we explore the mechanism underlying the effects of an enriched environment on the production of new neurons in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus, a brain area integral in forming new memories. A mechanism is provided for how neural precursor cells in the adult mammalian dentate gyrus respond to an enriched environment to increase their neurogenic output. Namely, an enriched environment acts on stem and progenitor cells by activating fibroblast growth factor receptor signaling through phospholipase Cγ and FGF receptor substrate proteins to expand the pool of precursor cells.

Developmental dynamics of neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the postnatal mammalian brain in health and disease: Historical and future perspectives

The mature mammalian brain has long been thought to be a structurally rigid, static organ since the era of Ramón y Cajal in the early 20th century. Evidence accumulated over the past three decades, however, has completely overturned this long-held view. We now know that new neurons and glia are continuously added to the brain at postnatal stages, even in mature adults of various mammalian species, including humans. Moreover, these newly added cells contribute to structural plasticity and play important roles in higher order brain function, as well as repair after damage. A major source of these new neurons and glia is neural stem cells (NSCs) that persist in specialized niches in the brain throughout life. With this new view, our understanding of normal brain physiology and interventional approaches to various brain disorders has changed markedly in recent years. This article provides a brief overview on the historical changes in our understanding of the developmental dynamics of neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the postnatal and adult mammalian brain and discusses the roles of NSCs and other progenitor populations in such cellular dynamics in health and disease of the postnatal mammalian brain. This article is categorized under: Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Stem Cell Differentiation and Reversion Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Tissue Stem Cells and Niches Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Regeneration Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Stem Cells and Disease.

The Sox2 promoter-driven CD63-GFP transgenic rat model allows tracking of neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can modulate microenvironments by transferring biomolecules, including RNAs and proteins derived from releasing cells, to target cells. To understand the molecular mechanisms maintaining the neural stem cell (NSC) niche through EVs, a new transgenic (Tg) rat strain that can release human CD63-GFP-expressing EVs from the NSCs was established. Human CD63-GFP expression was controlled under the rat Sox2 promoter (Sox2/human CD63-GFP), and it was expressed in undifferentiated fetal brains. GFP signals were specifically observed in in vitro cultured NSCs obtained from embryonic brains of the Tg rats. We also demonstrated that embryonic NSC (eNSC)-derived EVs were labelled by human CD63-GFP. Furthermore, when we examined the transfer of EVs, eNSC-derived EVs were found to be incorporated into astrocytes and eNSCs, thus implying an EV-mediated communication between different cell types around NSCs. This new Sox2/human CD63-GFP Tg rat strain should provide resources to analyse the cell-to-cell communication via EVs in NSC microenvironments.

Sox2 is required for olfactory pit formation and olfactory neurogenesis through BMP restriction and Hes5 upregulation

The transcription factor Sox2 is necessary to maintain pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, and to regulate neural development. Neurogenesis in the vertebrate olfactory epithelium persists from embryonic stages through adulthood. The role Sox2 plays for the development of the olfactory epithelium and neurogenesis within has, however, not been determined. Here, by analysing Sox2 conditional knockout mouse embryos and chick embryos deprived of Sox2 in the olfactory epithelium using CRISPR-Cas9, we show that Sox2 activity is crucial for the induction of the neural progenitor gene Hes5 and for subsequent differentiation of the neuronal lineage. Our results also suggest that Sox2 activity promotes the neurogenic domain in the nasal epithelium by restricting Bmp4 expression. The Sox2-deficient olfactory epithelium displays diminished cell cycle progression and proliferation, a dramatic increase in apoptosis and finally olfactory pit atrophy. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation data show that Sox2 directly binds to the Hes5 promoter in both the PNS and CNS. Taken together, our results indicate that Sox2 is essential to establish, maintain and expand the neuronal progenitor pool by suppressing Bmp4 and upregulating Hes5 expression.

Summary: Analysis of Sox2 mutant mouse and Sox2 CRISPR-targeted chick embryos reveals that Sox2 controls the establishment of sensory progenitors in the olfactory epithelium by suppressing Bmp4 and upregulating Hes5 expression.

Allele-specific repression of Sox2 through the long non-coding RNA Sox2ot

The transcription factor Sox2 controls the fate of pluripotent stem cells and neural stem cells. This gatekeeper function requires well-regulated Sox2 levels. We postulated that Sox2 regulation is partially controlled by the Sox2 overlapping long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) gene Sox2ot. Here we show that the RNA levels of Sox2ot and Sox2 are inversely correlated during neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Through allele-specific enhanced transcription of Sox2ot in mouse Sox2eGFP knockin ESCs we demonstrate that increased Sox2ot transcriptional activity reduces Sox2 RNA levels in an allele-specific manner. Enhanced Sox2ot transcription, yielding lower Sox2 RNA levels, correlates with a decreased chromatin interaction of the upstream regulatory sequence of Sox2 and the ESC-specific Sox2 super enhancer. Our study indicates that, in addition to previously reported in trans mechanisms, Sox2ot can regulate Sox2 by an allele-specific mechanism, in particular during development.

The Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are special types of cells with the potential for self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation. NSCs are regulated by multiple pathways and pathway related transcription factors during the process of proliferation and differentiation. Numerous studies have shown that the compound medicinal preparations, single herbs, and herb extracts in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have specific roles in regulating the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs. In this study, we investigate the markers of NSCs in various stages of differentiation, the related pathways regulating the proliferation and differentiation, and the corresponding transcription factors in the pathways. We also review the influence of TCM on NSC proliferation and differentiation, to facilitate the development of TCM in neural regeneration and neurodegenerative diseases.

A mosaic world: puzzles revealed by adult neural stem cell heterogeneity

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in specialized niches in the adult mammalian brain. The ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ), adjacent to the lateral ventricles, gives rise to olfactory bulb (OB) neurons, and some astrocytes and oligodendrocytes throughout life. In vitro assays have been widely used to retrospectively identify NSCs. However, cells that behave as stem cells in vitro do not reflect the identity, diversity, and behavior of NSCs in vivo. Novel tools including fluorescence activated cell sorting, lineage-tracing, and clonal analysis have uncovered multiple layers of adult V-SVZ NSC heterogeneity, including proliferation state and regional identity. In light of these findings, we reexamine the concept of adult NSCs, considering heterogeneity as a key parameter for analyzing their dynamics in vivo. V-SVZ NSCs form a mosaic of quiescent (qNSCs) and activated cells (aNSCs) that reside in regionally distinct microdomains, reflecting their regional embryonic origins, and give rise to specific subtypes of OB interneurons. Prospective purification and transcriptome analysis of qNSCs and aNSCs has illuminated their molecular and functional properties. qNSCs are slowly dividing, have slow kinetics of neurogenesis in vivo, can be recruited to regenerate the V-SVZ, and only rarely give rise to in vitro colonies. aNSCs are highly proliferative, undergo rapid clonal expansion of the neurogenic lineage in vivo, and readily form in vitro colonies. Key open questions remain about stem cell dynamics in vivo and the lineage relationship between qNSCs and aNSCs under homeostasis and regeneration, as well as context-dependent plasticity of regionally distinct adult NSCs under different external stimuli. WIREs Dev Biol 2016, 5:640-658. doi: 10.1002/wdev.248 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Transgenic mouse models for studying adult neurogenesis

The mammalian hippocampus shows a remarkable capacity for continued neurogenesis throughout life. Newborn neurons, generated by the radial neural stem cells (NSCs), are important for learning and memory as well as mood control. During aging, the number and responses of NSCs to neurogenic stimuli diminish, leading to decreased neurogenesis and age-associated cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders. Thus, adult hippocampal neurogenesis has garnered significant interest because targeting it could be a novel potential therapeutic strategy for these disorders. However, if we are to use neurogenesis to halt or reverse hippocampal-related pathology, we need to understand better the core molecular machinery that governs NSC and their progeny. In this review, we summarize a wide variety of mouse models used in adult neurogenesis field, present their advantages and disadvantages based on specificity and efficiency of labeling of different cell types, and review their contribution to our understanding of the biology and the heterogeneity of different cell types found in adult neurogenic niches.

Lineage tracing of Sox2-expressing progenitor cells in the mouse inner ear reveals a broad contribution to non-sensory tissues and insights into the origin of the organ of Corti

The transcription factor Sox2 is both necessary and sufficient for the generation of sensory regions of the inner ear. It regulates expression of the Notch ligand Jag1 in prosensory progenitors, which signal to neighboring cells to up-regulate Sox2 and sustain prosensory identity. However, the expression pattern of Sox2 in the early inner ear is very broad, suggesting that Sox2-expressing progenitors form a wide variety of cell types in addition to generating the sensory regions of the ear. We used Sox2-CreER mice to follow the fates of Sox2-expressing cells at different stages in ear development. We find that Sox2-expressing cells in the early otocyst give rise to large numbers of non-sensory structures throughout the inner ear, and that Sox2 only becomes a truly prosensory marker at embryonic day (E)11.5. Our fate map reveals the organ of Corti derives from a central domain on the medial side of the otocyst and shows that a significant amount of the organ of Corti derives from a Sox2-negative population in this region.

Comprehensive expression map of transcription regulators in the adult zebrafish telencephalon reveals distinct neurogenic niches

The zebrafish has become a model to study adult vertebrate neurogenesis. In particular, the adult telencephalon has been an intensely studied structure in the zebrafish brain. Differential expression of transcriptional regulators (TRs) is a key feature of development and tissue homeostasis. Here we report an expression map of 1,202 TR genes in the telencephalon of adult zebrafish. Our results are summarized in a database with search and clustering functions to identify genes expressed in particular regions of the telencephalon. We classified 562 genes into 13 distinct patterns, including genes expressed in the proliferative zone. The remaining 640 genes displayed unique and complex patterns of expression and could thus not be grouped into distinct classes. The neurogenic ventricular regions express overlapping but distinct sets of TR genes, suggesting regional differences in the neurogenic niches in the telencephalon. In summary, the small telencephalon of the zebrafish shows a remarkable complexity in TR gene expression.

The adult zebrafish telencephalon has become a model to study neurogenesis. We established the expression pattern of more than 1200 transcription regulators (TR) in the adult telencephalon. The neurogenic regions express overlapping but distinct sets of TR genes suggesting regional differences in the neurogenic potential. J. Comp. Neurol. 523:1202–1221, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of BAC-end sequences in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) towards the development and characterization of long motifs SSRs

The increasing volume of genomic data on the Phaseolus vulgaris species have contributed to its importance as a model genetic species and positively affected the investigation of other legumes of scientific and economic value. To expand and gain a more in-depth knowledge of the common bean genome, the ends of a number of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) were sequenced, annotated and the presence of repetitive sequences was determined. In total, 52,270 BESs (BAC-end sequences), equivalent to 32 Mbp (~6 %) of the genome, were processed. In total, 3,789 BES-SSRs were identified, with a distribution of one SSR (simple sequence repeat) per 8.36 kbp and 2,000 were suitable for the development of SSRs, of which 194 were evaluated in low-resolution screening. From 40 BES-SSRs based on long motifs SSRs (≥ trinucleotides) analyzed in high-resolution genotyping, 34 showed an equally good amplification for the Andean and for the Mesoamerican genepools, exhibiting an average gene diversity (H E) of 0.490 and 5.59 alleles/locus, of which six classified as Class I showed a H E ≥ 0.7. The PCoA and structure analysis allowed to discriminate the gene pools (K = 2, FST = 0.733). From the 52,270 BESs, 2 % corresponded to transcription factors and 3 % to transposable elements. Putative functions for 24,321 BESs were identified and for 19,363 were assigned functional categories (gene ontology). This study identified highly polymorphic BES-SSRs containing tri- to hexanucleotides motifs and bringing together relevant genetic characteristics useful for breeding programs. Additionally, the BESs were incorporated into the international genome-sequencing project for the common bean.

Finding degrees of separation: experimental approaches for astroglial and oligodendroglial cell isolation and genetic targeting

The study of CNS glial cell function requires experimental methods to detect, purify, and manipulate each cell population with fidelity and specificity. With the identification and cloning of cell- and stage-specific markers, glial cell analysis techniques have grown beyond physical methods of tissue dissociation and cell culture, and become highly specific with immunoselection of cell cultures in vitro and genetic targeting in vivo. The unique plasticity of glial cells offers the potential for cell replacement therapies in neurological disease that utilize neural cells derived from transplanted neural stem and progenitor cells. In this mini-review, we outline general physical and genetic approaches for macroglial cell generation. We summarize cell culture methods to obtain astrocytes and oligodendrocytes and their precursors, from developing and adult tissue, as well as approaches to obtain human neural progenitor cells through the establishment of stem cells. We discuss popular targeting rodent strains designed for cell-specific detection, selection and manipulation of neuroglial cell progenitors and their committed progeny. Based on shared markers between astrocytes and stem cells, we discuss genetically modified mouse strains with overlapping expression, and highlight SOX-expressing strains available for targeting of stem and progenitor cell populations. We also include recently established mouse strains for detection, and tag-assisted RNA and miRNA analysis. This discussion aims to provide a brief overview of the rapidly expanding collection of experimental approaches and genetic resources for the isolation and targeting of macroglial cells, their sources, progeny and gene products to facilitate our understanding of their properties and potential application in pathology.

Specificity and efficiency of reporter expression in adult neural progenitors vary substantially among nestin-CreER(T2) lines

Transgenic lines expressing a controllable form of Cre recombinase have become valuable tools for manipulating gene expression in adult neural progenitors and their progeny. Neural progenitors express several proteins that distinguish them from mature neurons, and the promoters for these genes have been co-opted to produce selective transgene expression within this population. To date, nine CreER(T2) transgenic lines have been designed using the nestin promoter; however, only a subset are capable of eliciting expression within both neurogenic zones of the adult brain. Here we compare three such nestin-CreER(T2) lines to evaluate specificity of expression and efficiency of recombination. Each line was examined by using three different Cre reporter strains that varied in sensitivity. We found that all three nestin-CreER(T2) strains induced reporter expression within the main neurogenic areas, albeit to varying degrees depending on the reporter. Unexpectedly, we found that two of the three lines induced substantial reporter expression outside of neurogenic areas. These lines produced strong labeling in cerebellar granule neurons, with additional expression in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, and thalamus. Reporter expression in the third nestin-CreER(T2) line was considerably more specific, but was also less efficient, labeling a smaller percentage of the target population than the other two drivers. Our findings suggest that each nestin-CreER(T2) line may best serve different experimental needs, depending on whether specificity or efficiency is of greatest concern. Our study further demonstrates that each new pair of driver and responder lines should be evaluated independently, as both components can significantly influence the resulting expression pattern.

Neuronal expression of SOX2 is enriched in specific hypothalamic cell groups

The transcription factor SOX2 has many established roles in neural development but is generally considered to have limited activity in the adult brain. As part of a study of neuronal phenotypes in the adult rodent hypothalamus, we have now used immunohistochemical analysis to investigate the expression of SOX2 in the adult rat and mouse hypothalamus. Our analysis has revealed that SOX2 protein is extensively expressed in cells of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Co-localization with the nuclear marker proteins NeuN and MeCP2 confirmed SOX2 expression in mature neurons of the rat SCN, and the functional integrity of these SOX2+ neurons was also confirmed by demonstrating co-localization with light-induced EGR1 protein. In addition to the SCN, we have also revealed a population of SOX2+/(NeuN+/MeCP2+) neurons in the rat periventricular nucleus (PeN). However, in other hypothalamic nuclei such as the supraoptic nucleus (SON) SOX2+ cells were rare. In extra-hypothalamic areas, SOX2+ cells were also scarce although we have confirmed populations of non-neuronal SOX2+ cells in both the rat sub-ventricular zone (SVZ) and sub-granular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus. In addition, we have identified an extensive, novel population of non-neuronal SOX2+ cells in the rat subfornical organ (SFO). Our findings provide further evidence of 'immature' phenotypes in rodent SCN neurons and, given the extensive expression of SOX2 across these hypothalamic neurons, may identify a common regulatory factor that maintains this unusual neuronal phenotype. Conservation of SCN SOX2 expression in both rat and mouse indicates a functional requirement for this transcription factor that may be integral to the role of these SCN neurons in mediating daily physiological rhythms.

Manipulating the Mouse Genome Using Recombineering

Genetically engineered mouse models are indispensable for understanding the biological function of genes, understanding the genetic basis of human diseases and for preclinical testing of novel therapies. Generation of such mouse models has been possible because of our ability to manipulate the mouse genome. Recombineering is a highly efficient recombination-based method of genetic engineering that has revolutionized our ability to generate mouse models. Since recombineering technology is not dependent on the availability of restriction enzyme recognition sites, it allows us to modify the genome with great precision. It requires homology arms as short as 40 bases for recombination, which makes it relatively easy to generate targeting constructs to insert, change or delete either a single nucleotide or a DNA fragment several kb in size; insert selectable markers, reporter genes or add epitope tags to any gene of interest. In this review, we focus on the development of recombineering technology and its application in the generation of transgenic and knockout or knock-in mouse models. High throughput generation of gene targeting vectors, used to construct knockout alleles in mouse embryonic stem cells, is now feasible because of this technology. The challenge now is to use the "designer" mice to develop novel therapies to prevent, cure or effectively manage some the most debilitating human diseases.