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Crestani T, Steichen C, Neri E, Rodrigues M, Fonseca-Alaniz MH, Ormrod B, Holt MR, Pandey P, Harding S, Ehler E, Krieger JE. Electrical stimulation applied during differentiation drives the hiPSC-CMs towards a mature cardiac conduction-like cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 533:376-382. [PMID: 32962862 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.09.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) resemble fetal cardiomyocytes and electrical stimulation (ES) has been explored to mature the differentiated cells. Here, we hypothesize that ES applied at the beginning of the differentiation process, triggers both differentiation of the hiPSC-CMs into a specialized conduction system (CS) phenotype and cell maturation. We applied ES for 15 days starting on day 0 of the differentiation process and found an increased expression of transcription factors and proteins associated with the development and function of CS including Irx3, Nkx2.5 and contactin 2, Hcn4 and Scn5a, respectively. We also found activation of intercalated disc proteins (Nrap and β-catenin). We detected ES-induced CM maturation as indicated by increased Tnni1 and Tnni3 expression. Confocal micrographs showed a shift towards expression of the gap junction protein connexin 40 in ES hiPSC-CM compared to the more dominant expression of connexin 43 in controls. Finally, analysis of functional parameters revealed that ES hiPSC-CMs exhibited faster action potential (AP) depolarization, longer intracellular Ca2+ transients, and slower AP duration at 90% of repolarization, resembling fast conducting fibers. Altogether, we provided evidence that ES during the differentiation of hiPSC to cardiomyocytes lead to development of cardiac conduction-like cells with more mature cytoarchitecture. Thus, hiPSC-CMs exposed to ES during differentiation can be instrumental to develop CS cells for cardiac disease modelling, screening individual drugs on a precison medicine type platform and support the development of novel therapeutics for arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thayane Crestani
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Clara Steichen
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Elida Neri
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariliza Rodrigues
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Beth Ormrod
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, BHF Research Excellence Centre, King's College London, UK; Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics (School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London), UK
| | - Mark R Holt
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, BHF Research Excellence Centre, King's College London, UK; Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics (School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London), UK
| | - Pragati Pandey
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Sian Harding
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Elisabeth Ehler
- School of Cardiovascular Medicine and Sciences, BHF Research Excellence Centre, King's College London, UK; Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics (School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, King's College London), UK
| | - Jose E Krieger
- Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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Kalafatakis I, Kalafatakis K, Tsimpolis A, Giannakeas N, Tsipouras M, Tzallas A, Karagogeos D. Using the Allen gene expression atlas of the adult mouse brain to gain further insight into the physiological significance of TAG-1/Contactin-2. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:2045-2056. [PMID: 32601750 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02108-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The anatomic gene expression atlas (AGEA) of the adult mouse brain of the Allen Institute for Brain Science is a transcriptome-based atlas of the adult C57Bl/6 J mouse brain, based on the extensive in situ hybridization dataset of the Institute. This spatial mapping of the gene expression levels of mice under baseline conditions could assist in the formation of new, reasonable transcriptome-derived hypotheses on brain structure and underlying biochemistry, which could also have functional implications. The aim of this work is to use the data of the AGEA (in combination with Tabula Muris, a compendium of single cell transcriptome data collected from mice, enabling direct and controlled comparison of gene expression among cell types) to provide further insights into the physiology of TAG-1/Contactin-2 and its interactions, by presenting the expression of the corresponding gene across the adult mouse brain under baseline conditions and to investigate any spatial genomic correlations between TAG-1/Contactin-2 and its interacting proteins and markers of mature and immature oligodendrocytes, based on the pre-existing experimental or bibliographical evidence. The across-brain correlation analysis on the gene expression intensities showed a positive spatial correlation of TAG-1/Contactin-2 with the gene expression of Plp1, Myrf, Mbp, Mog, Cldn11, Bace1, Kcna1, Kcna2, App and Nfasc and a negative spatial correlation with the gene expression of Cspg4, Pdgfra, L1cam, Ncam1, Ncam2 and Ptprz1. Spatially correlated genes are mainly expressed by mature oligodendrocytes (like Cntn2), while spatially anticorrelated genes are mainly expressed by oligodendrocyte precursor cells. According to the data presented in this work, we propose that even though Contactin-2 expression during development correlates with high plasticity events, such as neuritogenesis, in adulthood it correlates with pathways characterized by low plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilias Kalafatakis
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete & Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
| | - Konstantinos Kalafatakis
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete & Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, Arta, Greece
| | - Alexandros Tsimpolis
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete & Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Nikos Giannakeas
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, Arta, Greece
| | - Markos Tsipouras
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, Arta, Greece
| | - Alexandros Tzallas
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, School of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of Ioannina, Arta, Greece
| | - Domna Karagogeos
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete & Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation of Research and Technology Hellas, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
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Bhattacharyya S, Bhakta M, Munshi NV. Phenotypically silent Cre recombination within the postnatal ventricular conduction system. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174517. [PMID: 28358866 PMCID: PMC5373586 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The cardiac conduction system (CCS) is composed of specialized cardiomyocytes that initiate and maintain cardiac rhythm. Any perturbation to the normal sequence of electrical events within the heart can result in cardiac arrhythmias. To understand how cardiac rhythm is established at the molecular level, several genetically modified mouse lines expressing Cre recombinase within specific CCS compartments have been created. In general, Cre driver lines have been generated either by homologous recombination of Cre into an endogenous locus or Cre expression driven by a randomly inserted transgene. However, haploinsufficiency of the endogenous gene compromises the former approach, while position effects negatively impact the latter. To address these limitations, we generated a Cre driver line for the ventricular conduction system (VCS) that preserves endogenous gene expression by targeting the Contactin2 (Cntn2) 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR). Here we show that Cntn23’UTR-IRES-Cre-EGFP/+ mice recombine floxed alleles within the VCS and that Cre expression faithfully recapitulates the spatial distribution of Cntn2 within the heart. We further demonstrate that Cre expression initiates after birth with preservation of native Cntn2 protein. Finally, we show that Cntn23’UTR-IRES-Cre-EGFP/+ mice maintain normal cardiac mechanical and electrical function. Taken together, our results establish a novel VCS-specific Cre driver line without the adverse consequences of haploinsufficiency or position effects. We expect that our new mouse line will add to the accumulating toolkit of CCS-specific mouse reagents and aid characterization of the cell-autonomous molecular circuitry that drives VCS maintenance and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samadrita Bhattacharyya
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology Division), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Minoti Bhakta
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology Division), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
| | - Nikhil Vilas Munshi
- Department of Internal Medicine (Cardiology Division), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Biology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
- McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
- Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hadas Y, Nitzan N, Furley AJW, Kozlov SV, Klar A. Distinct cis regulatory elements govern the expression of TAG1 in embryonic sensory ganglia and spinal cord. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57960. [PMID: 23469119 PMCID: PMC3582508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell fate commitment of spinal progenitor neurons is initiated by long-range, midline-derived, morphogens that regulate an array of transcription factors that, in turn, act sequentially or in parallel to control neuronal differentiation. Included among these are transcription factors that regulate the expression of receptors for guidance cues, thereby determining axonal trajectories. The Ig/FNIII superfamily molecules TAG1/Axonin1/CNTN2 (TAG1) and Neurofascin (Nfasc) are co-expressed in numerous neuronal cell types in the CNS and PNS – for example motor, DRG and interneurons - both promote neurite outgrowth and both are required for the architecture and function of nodes of Ranvier. The genes encoding TAG1 and Nfasc are adjacent in the genome, an arrangement which is evolutionarily conserved. To study the transcriptional network that governs TAG1 and Nfasc expression in spinal motor and commissural neurons, we set out to identify cis elements that regulate their expression. Two evolutionarily conserved DNA modules, one located between the Nfasc and TAG1 genes and the second directly 5′ to the first exon and encompassing the first intron of TAG1, were identified that direct complementary expression to the CNS and PNS, respectively, of the embryonic hindbrain and spinal cord. Sequential deletions and point mutations of the CNS enhancer element revealed a 130bp element containing three conserved E-boxes required for motor neuron expression. In combination, these two elements appear to recapitulate a major part of the pattern of TAG1 expression in the embryonic nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoav Hadas
- Dept. of medical neurobiology, IMRIC, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Noa Nitzan
- Dept. of medical neurobiology, IMRIC, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Andrew J. W. Furley
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (AV); (SVK); (AJWF)
| | - Serguei V. Kozlov
- Center for Advanced Preclinical Research, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR), Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AV); (SVK); (AJWF)
| | - Avihu Klar
- Dept. of medical neurobiology, IMRIC, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
- * E-mail: (AV); (SVK); (AJWF)
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Bormuth I, Yan K, Yonemasu T, Gummert M, Zhang M, Wichert S, Grishina O, Pieper A, Zhang W, Goebbels S, Tarabykin V, Nave KA, Schwab MH. Neuronal basic helix-loop-helix proteins Neurod2/6 regulate cortical commissure formation before midline interactions. J Neurosci 2013; 33:641-51. [PMID: 23303943 PMCID: PMC6704922 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0899-12.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Revised: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Establishment of long-range fiber tracts by neocortical projection neurons is fundamental for higher brain functions. The molecular control of axon tract formation, however, is still poorly understood. Here, we have identified basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors Neurod2 and Neurod6 as key regulators of fasciculation and targeted axogenesis in the mouse neocortex. In Neurod2/6 double-mutant mice, callosal axons lack expression of the cell adhesion molecule Contactin2, defasciculate in the subventricular zone, and fail to grow toward the midline without forming Probst bundles. Instead, mutant axons overexpress Robo1 and follow random trajectories into the ipsilateral cortex. In contrast to long-range axogenesis, generation and maintenance of pyramidal neurons and initial axon outgrowth are grossly normal, suggesting that these processes are under distinct transcriptional control. Our findings define a new stage in corpus callosum development and demonstrate that neocortical projection neurons require transcriptional specification by neuronal bHLH proteins to execute an intrinsic program of remote connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Bormuth
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, D-10115 Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Kuo Yan
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, D-10115 Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Tomoko Yonemasu
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maike Gummert
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mingyue Zhang
- University of Münster, Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Sven Wichert
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Olga Grishina
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, D-10115 Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Alexander Pieper
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Weiqi Zhang
- University of Münster, Department of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Sandra Goebbels
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Victor Tarabykin
- Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, D-10115 Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Klaus-Armin Nave
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Markus H. Schwab
- Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Neurogenetics, D-37075 Göttingen, Germany
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Buchner DA, Geisinger JM, Glazebrook PA, Morgan MG, Spiezio SH, Kaiyala KJ, Schwartz MW, Sakurai T, Furley AJ, Kunze DL, Croniger CM, Nadeau JH. The juxtaparanodal proteins CNTNAP2 and TAG1 regulate diet-induced obesity. Mamm Genome 2012; 23:431-42. [PMID: 22752552 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-012-9400-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2012] [Accepted: 05/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Despite considerable effort, the identification of genes that regulate complex multigenic traits such as obesity has proven difficult with conventional methodologies. The use of a chromosome substitution strain-based mapping strategy based on deep congenic analysis overcame many of the difficulties associated with gene discovery and led to the finding that the juxtaparanodal proteins CNTNAP2 and TAG1 regulate diet-induced obesity. The effects of a mild Cntnap2 mutation on body weight were highly dependent on genetic background, as both obesity-promoting and obesity-resistant effects of Cntnap2 were observed on different genetic backgrounds. The more severe effect of complete TAG1 deficiency, by decreasing food intake, completely prevented the weight gain normally associated with high-fat-diet feeding. Together, these studies implicate two novel proteins in the regulation of diet-induced obesity. Moreover, as juxtaparanodal proteins have previously been implicated in various neurological disorders, our results suggest a potential genetic and molecular link between obesity and diseases such as autism and epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Buchner
- Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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Lin JF, Pan HC, Ma LP, Shen YQ, Schachner M. The cell neural adhesion molecule contactin-2 (TAG-1) is beneficial for functional recovery after spinal cord injury in adult zebrafish. PLoS One 2012; 7:e52376. [PMID: 23285014 PMCID: PMC3528781 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell neural adhesion molecule contactin-2 plays a key role in axon extension and guidance, fasciculation, and myelination during development. We thus asked, whether contactin-2 is also important in nervous system regeneration after trauma. In this study, we used an adult zebrafish spinal cord transection model to test the functions of contactin-2 in spinal cord regeneration. The expression patterns of contactin-2 at different time points after spinal cord injury were studied at the mRNA level by qPCR and in situ hybridization, and contactin-2 protein levels and immunohistological localization were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses, respectively. Contactin-2 mRNA and protein levels were increased along the central canal at 6 days and 11 days after spinal cord injury, suggesting a requirement for contactin-2 in spinal cord regeneration. Co-localization of contactin-2 and islet-1 (a motoneuron marker) was observed in spinal cords before and after injury. To further explore the functions of contactin-2 in regeneration, an anti-sense morpholino was used to knock down the expression of contactin-2 protein by application at the time of injury. Motion analysis showed that inhibition of contactin-2 retarded the recovery of swimming functions when compared to standard control morpholino. Anterograde and retrograde tracing at 6 weeks after injury showed that knock down of contactin-2 inhibited axonal regrowth from NMLF neurons beyond lesion site. The combined observations indicate that contactin-2 contributes to locomotor recovery and successful regrowth of axons after spinal cord injury in adult zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Fei Lin
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hong-Chao Pan
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Li-Ping Ma
- Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Yan-Qin Shen
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail: (YQS); (MS)
| | - Melitta Schachner
- Center for Neuroscience, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, People’s Republic of China
- Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail: (YQS); (MS)
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