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Jagielska A, Radzwill K, Espinosa-Hoyos D, Yang M, Kowsari K, Farley JE, Giera S, Byrne A, Sheng G, Fang NX, Dodge JC, Pedraza CE, Van Vliet KJ. Artificial axons as a biomimetic 3D myelination platform for the discovery and validation of promyelinating compounds. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19529. [PMID: 37945646 PMCID: PMC10636046 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44675-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurodegenerative disease driven by damage to the protective myelin sheath, is currently incurable. Today, all clinically available treatments modulate the immune-mediated symptoms of the disease but they fail to stop neurodegeneration in many patients. Remyelination, the regenerative process of myelin repair by oligodendrocytes, which is considered a necessary step to protect demyelinated axons and stop neuronal death, is impaired in MS patients. One of the major obstacles to finding effective remyelinating drugs is the lack of biomimetic drug screening platforms that enable quantification of compounds' potential to stimulate 3D myelination in the physiologically relevant axon-like environment. To address this need, we built a unique myelination drug discovery platform, by expanding our previously developed technology, artificial axons (AAs), which enables 3D-printing of synthetic axon mimics with the geometry and mechanical properties closely resembling those of biological axons. This platform allows for high-throughput phenotypic myelination assay based on quantification of 3D wrapping of myelin membrane around axons in response to compounds. Here, we demonstrate quantification of 3D myelin wrapping by rat oligodendrocytes around the axon mimics in response to a small library of known pro-myelinating compounds. This assay shows pro-myelinating activity for all tested compounds consistent with the published in vitro and in vivo data, demonstrating predictive power of AA platform. We find that stimulation of myelin wrapping by these compounds is dose-dependent, providing a facile means to quantify the compounds' potency and efficacy in promoting myelin wrapping. Further, the ranking of relative efficacy among these compounds differs in this 3D axon-like environment as compared to a traditional oligodendrocyte 2D differentiation assay quantifying area of deposited myelin membrane. Together, we demonstrate that the artificial axons platform and associated phenotypic myelin wrapping assay afford direct evaluation of myelin wrapping by oligodendrocytes in response to soluble compounds in an axon-like environment, providing a predictive tool for the discovery of remyelinating therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Jagielska
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Artificial Axon Labs, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | - Daniela Espinosa-Hoyos
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mingyu Yang
- Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kavin Kowsari
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Merck, Rahway, NJ, USA
| | - Jonathan E Farley
- Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Nicholas X Fang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | | | - Krystyn J Van Vliet
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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Brandt JP, Smith CJ. Piezo1-mediated spontaneous calcium transients in satellite glia impact dorsal root ganglia development. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002319. [PMID: 37747915 PMCID: PMC10564127 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous Ca2+ transients of neural cells is a hallmark of the developing nervous system. It is widely accepted that chemical signals, like neurotransmitters, contribute to spontaneous Ca2+ transients in the nervous system. Here, we reveal an additional mechanism of spontaneous Ca2+ transients that is mechanosensitive in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) using intravital imaging of growing dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in zebrafish embryos. GCaMP6s imaging shows that developing DRG satellite glia contain distinct spontaneous Ca2+ transients, classified into simultaneous, isolated, and microdomains. Longitudinal analysis over days in development demonstrates that as DRG satellite glia become more synchronized, isolated Ca2+ transients remain constant. Using a chemical screen, we identify that Ca2+ transients in DRG glia are dependent on mechanical properties, which we confirmed using an experimental application of mechanical force. We find that isolated spontaneous Ca2+ transients of the glia during development is altered by manipulation of mechanosensitive protein Piezo1, which is expressed in the developing ganglia. In contrast, simultaneous Ca2+ transients of DRG satellite glia is not Piezo1-mediated, thus demonstrating that distinct mechanisms mediate subtypes of spontaneous Ca2+ transients. Activating Piezo1 eventually impacts the cell abundance of DRG cells and behaviors that are driven by DRG neurons. Together, our results reveal mechanistically distinct subtypes of Ca2+ transients in satellite glia and introduce mechanobiology as a critical component of spontaneous Ca2+ transients in the developing PNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob P. Brandt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- The Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Cody J. Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
- The Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
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Castillo Ransanz L, Van Altena PFJ, Heine VM, Accardo A. Engineered cell culture microenvironments for mechanobiology studies of brain neural cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1096054. [PMID: 36588937 PMCID: PMC9794772 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1096054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomechanical properties of the brain microenvironment, which is composed of different neural cell types, the extracellular matrix, and blood vessels, are critical for normal brain development and neural functioning. Stiffness, viscoelasticity and spatial organization of brain tissue modulate proliferation, migration, differentiation, and cell function. However, the mechanical aspects of the neural microenvironment are largely ignored in current cell culture systems. Considering the high promises of human induced pluripotent stem cell- (iPSC-) based models for disease modelling and new treatment development, and in light of the physiological relevance of neuromechanobiological features, applications of in vitro engineered neuronal microenvironments should be explored thoroughly to develop more representative in vitro brain models. In this context, recently developed biomaterials in combination with micro- and nanofabrication techniques 1) allow investigating how mechanical properties affect neural cell development and functioning; 2) enable optimal cell microenvironment engineering strategies to advance neural cell models; and 3) provide a quantitative tool to assess changes in the neuromechanobiological properties of the brain microenvironment induced by pathology. In this review, we discuss the biological and engineering aspects involved in studying neuromechanobiology within scaffold-free and scaffold-based 2D and 3D iPSC-based brain models and approaches employing primary lineages (neural/glial), cell lines and other stem cells. Finally, we discuss future experimental directions of engineered microenvironments in neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Castillo Ransanz
- Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Pieter F. J. Van Altena
- Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Vivi M. Heine
- Department of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Department of Complex Trait Genetics, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Vivi M. Heine, ; Angelo Accardo,
| | - Angelo Accardo
- Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Vivi M. Heine, ; Angelo Accardo,
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Park WU, Yeon GB, Yu MS, Goo HG, Hwang SH, Na D, Kim DS. A Novel Vitronectin Peptide Facilitates Differentiation of Oligodendrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (Synthetic ECM for Oligodendrocyte Differentiation). BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10121254. [PMID: 34943169 PMCID: PMC8698880 DOI: 10.3390/biology10121254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Oligodendrocyte (OD) is a cell type of great interest in the regenerative medicine for several neurological diseases. This study provides a new defined coating material for the differentiation of ODs from human pluripotent stem cells. A new peptide named VNP2, designed by in silico simulation, can be readily produced in a large amount and stably immobilized on the bottom of culture vessel. Upon using for differentiation of ODs, VNP2 promoted the differentiation efficiency more than the conventional coating materials did. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed molecular clues for the differentiation promoting activity of VNP2. Therefore, this peptide may be used as a favored coating material for the culture and differentiation of ODs. Abstract Differentiation of oligodendrocytes (ODs) presents a challenge in regenerative medicine due to their role in various neurological diseases associated with dysmyelination and demyelination. Here, we designed a peptide derived from vitronectin (VN) using in silico docking simulation and examined its use as a synthetic substrate to support the differentiation of ODs derived from human pluripotent stem cells. The designed peptide, named VNP2, promoted OD differentiation induced by the overexpression of SOX10 in OD precursor cells compared with Matrigel and full-length VN. ODs differentiated on VNP2 exhibited greater contact with axon-mimicking nanofibers than those differentiated on Matrigel. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the genes associated with morphogenesis, cytoskeleton remodeling, and OD differentiation were upregulated in cells grown on VNP2 compared with cells grown on Matrigel. This new synthetic VN-derived peptide can be used to develop a culture environment for efficient OD differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Won Ung Park
- Department of Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea; (W.U.P.); (G.-B.Y.)
- Institute of Animal Molecular Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Gyu-Bum Yeon
- Department of Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea; (W.U.P.); (G.-B.Y.)
- Institute of Animal Molecular Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
| | - Myeong-Sang Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea; (M.-S.Y.); (S.-H.H.)
| | - Hui-Gwan Goo
- AMO Life Sciences, 91 Gimpo-daero 1950 beon-gil, Tongjin-eup, Gyeonggi-do 10014, Korea;
| | - Su-Hee Hwang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea; (M.-S.Y.); (S.-H.H.)
| | - Dokyun Na
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea; (M.-S.Y.); (S.-H.H.)
- Correspondence: (D.N.); (D.-S.K.); Tel.: +82-2-820-5690 (D.N.); +82-2-3290-3013 (D.-S.K.); Fax: +82-2-3290-3040 (D.-S.K.)
| | - Dae-Sung Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea; (W.U.P.); (G.-B.Y.)
- Institute of Animal Molecular Biotechnology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
- Department of Pediatrics, Korea University College of Medicine, Guro Hospital, 97 Gurodong-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea
- Correspondence: (D.N.); (D.-S.K.); Tel.: +82-2-820-5690 (D.N.); +82-2-3290-3013 (D.-S.K.); Fax: +82-2-3290-3040 (D.-S.K.)
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Dansu DK, Sauma S, Casaccia P. Oligodendrocyte progenitors as environmental biosensors. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 116:38-44. [PMID: 33092959 PMCID: PMC8053729 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The past decade has seen an important revision of the traditional concept of the role and function of glial cells. From "passive support" for neurons, oligodendrocyte lineage cells are now recognized as metabolic exchangers with neurons, a cellular interface with blood vessels and responders to gut-derived metabolites or changes in the social environment. In the developing brain, the differentiation of neonatal oligodendrocyte progenitors (nOPCs) is required for normal brain function. In adulthood, the differentiation of adult OPCs (aOPCs) serves an important role in learning, behavioral adaptation and response to myelin injury. Here, we propose the concept of OPCs as environmental biosensors, which "sense" chemical and physical stimuli over time and adjust to the new challenges by modifying their epigenome and consequent transcriptome. Because epigenetics defines the ability of the cell to "adapt" gene expression to changes in the environment, we propose a model of OPC differentiation resulting from time-dependent changes of the epigenomic landscape in response to declining mitogens, raising hormone levels, neuronal activity, changes in space constraints or stiffness of the extracellular matrix. We propose that the intrinsically different functional properties of aOPCs compared to nOPCs result from the accrual of "epigenetic memories" of distinct events, which are "recorded" in the nuclei of OPCs as histone and DNA marks, defining a "unique epigenomic landscape" over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- David K Dansu
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sami Sauma
- Graduate Program in Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrizia Casaccia
- Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Graduate Program in Biology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA; Neuroscience Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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Galichet C, Clayton RW, Lovell-Badge R. Novel Tools and Investigative Approaches for the Study of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells (NG2-Glia) in CNS Development and Disease. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:673132. [PMID: 33994951 PMCID: PMC8116629 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.673132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also referred to as NG2-glia, are the most proliferative cell type in the adult central nervous system. While the primary role of OPCs is to serve as progenitors for oligodendrocytes, in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that OPCs fulfil a number of other functions. Indeed, independent of their role as stem cells, it is evident that OPCs can regulate the metabolic environment, directly interact with and modulate neuronal function, maintain the blood brain barrier (BBB) and regulate inflammation. In this review article, we discuss the state-of-the-art tools and investigative approaches being used to characterize the biology and function of OPCs. From functional genetic investigation to single cell sequencing and from lineage tracing to functional imaging, we discuss the important discoveries uncovered by these techniques, such as functional and spatial OPC heterogeneity, novel OPC marker genes, the interaction of OPCs with other cells types, and how OPCs integrate and respond to signals from neighboring cells. Finally, we review the use of in vitro assay to assess OPC functions. These methodologies promise to lead to ever greater understanding of this enigmatic cell type, which in turn will shed light on the pathogenesis and potential treatment strategies for a number of diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Galichet
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
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