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Kremer LPM, Cerrizuela S, El-Sammak H, Al Shukairi ME, Ellinger T, Straub J, Korkmaz A, Volk K, Brunken J, Kleber S, Anders S, Martin-Villalba A. DNA methylation controls stemness of astrocytes in health and ischaemia. Nature 2024; 634:415-423. [PMID: 39232166 PMCID: PMC11464379 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07898-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
Astrocytes are the most abundant cell type in the mammalian brain and provide structural and metabolic support to neurons, regulate synapses and become reactive after injury and disease. However, a small subset of astrocytes settles in specialized areas of the adult brain where these astrocytes instead actively generate differentiated neuronal and glial progeny and are therefore referred to as neural stem cells1-3. Common parenchymal astrocytes and quiescent neural stem cells share similar transcriptomes despite their very distinct functions4-6. Thus, how stem cell activity is molecularly encoded remains unknown. Here we examine the transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and methylome of neural stem cells and their progeny, and of astrocytes from the striatum and cortex in the healthy and ischaemic adult mouse brain. We identify distinct methylation profiles associated with either astrocyte or stem cell function. Stem cell function is mediated by methylation of astrocyte genes and demethylation of stem cell genes that are expressed later. Ischaemic injury to the brain induces gain of stemness in striatal astrocytes7. We show that this response involves reprogramming the astrocyte methylome to a stem cell methylome and is absent if the de novo methyltransferase DNMT3A is missing. Overall, we unveil DNA methylation as a promising target for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas P M Kremer
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- BioQuant Centre, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Santiago Cerrizuela
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hadil El-Sammak
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Tobias Ellinger
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jannes Straub
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Aylin Korkmaz
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katrin Volk
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Brunken
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Kleber
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Simon Anders
- BioQuant Centre, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ana Martin-Villalba
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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2
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Galante C, Marichal N, Scarante FF, Ghayad LM, Shi Y, Schuurmans C, Berninger B, Péron S. Enhanced proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells following retrovirus mediated Achaete-scute complex-like 1 overexpression in the postnatal cerebral cortex in vivo. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:919462. [PMID: 36532282 PMCID: PMC9755855 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.919462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The proneural transcription factor Achaete-scute complex-like 1 (Ascl1) is a major regulator of neural fate decisions, implicated both in neurogenesis and oligodendrogliogenesis. Focusing on its neurogenic activity, Ascl1 has been widely used to reprogram non-neuronal cells into induced neurons. In vitro, Ascl1 induces efficient reprogramming of proliferative astroglia from the early postnatal cerebral cortex into interneuron-like cells. Here, we examined whether Ascl1 can similarly induce neuronal reprogramming of glia undergoing proliferation in the postnatal mouse cerebral cortex in vivo. Toward this goal, we targeted cortical glia during the peak of proliferative expansion (i.e., postnatal day 5) by injecting a retrovirus encoding for Ascl1 into the mouse cerebral cortex. In contrast to the efficient reprogramming observed in vitro, in vivo Ascl1-transduced glial cells were converted into doublecortin-immunoreactive neurons only with very low efficiency. However, we noted a drastic shift in the relative number of retrovirus-transduced Sox10-positive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) as compared to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytes. Genetic fate mapping demonstrated that this increase in OPCs was not due to Ascl1-mediated astrocyte-to-OPC fate conversion. Rather, EdU incorporation experiments revealed that Ascl1 caused a selective increase in proliferative activity of OPCs, but not astrocytes. Our data indicate that rather than inducing neuronal reprogramming of glia in the early postnatal cortex, Ascl1 is a selective enhancer of OPC proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Galante
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicolás Marichal
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Franciele Franco Scarante
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Litsa Maria Ghayad
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Youran Shi
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carol Schuurmans
- Biological Sciences Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benedikt Berninger
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany,Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom,MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany,Benedikt Berninger,
| | - Sophie Péron
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany,Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Sophie Péron,
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3
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Huang H, He W, Tang T, Qiu M. Immunological Markers for Central Nervous System Glia. Neurosci Bull 2022; 39:379-392. [PMID: 36028641 PMCID: PMC10043115 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00938-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS) are composed of oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and microglia. They contribute more than half of the total cells of the CNS, and are essential for neural development and functioning. Studies on the fate specification, differentiation, and functional diversification of glial cells mainly rely on the proper use of cell- or stage-specific molecular markers. However, as cellular markers often exhibit different specificity and sensitivity, careful consideration must be given prior to their application to avoid possible confusion. Here, we provide an updated overview of a list of well-established immunological markers for the labeling of central glia, and discuss the cell-type specificity and stage dependency of their expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Huang
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Organ Development and Regeneration, Institute of Life Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
| | - Wanjun He
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Organ Development and Regeneration, Institute of Life Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Tao Tang
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA
| | - Mengsheng Qiu
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Organ Development and Regeneration, Institute of Life Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
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4
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Ghazale H, Park E, Vasan L, Mester J, Saleh F, Trevisiol A, Zinyk D, Chinchalongporn V, Liu M, Fleming T, Prokopchuk O, Klenin N, Kurrasch D, Faiz M, Stefanovic B, McLaurin J, Schuurmans C. Ascl1 phospho-site mutations enhance neuronal conversion of adult cortical astrocytes in vivo. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:917071. [PMID: 36061596 PMCID: PMC9434350 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.917071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct neuronal reprogramming, the process whereby a terminally differentiated cell is converted into an induced neuron without traversing a pluripotent state, has tremendous therapeutic potential for a host of neurodegenerative diseases. While there is strong evidence for astrocyte-to-neuron conversion in vitro, in vivo studies in the adult brain are less supportive or controversial. Here, we set out to enhance the efficacy of neuronal conversion of adult astrocytes in vivo by optimizing the neurogenic capacity of a driver transcription factor encoded by the proneural gene Ascl1. Specifically, we mutated six serine phospho-acceptor sites in Ascl1 to alanines (Ascl1 SA 6) to prevent phosphorylation by proline-directed serine/threonine kinases. Native Ascl1 or Ascl1 SA 6 were expressed in adult, murine cortical astrocytes under the control of a glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). When targeted to the cerebral cortex in vivo, mCherry+ cells transduced with AAV8-GFAP-Ascl1 SA 6-mCherry or AAV8-GFAP-Ascl1-mCherry expressed neuronal markers within 14 days post-transduction, with Ascl1 SA 6 promoting the formation of more mature dendritic arbors compared to Ascl1. However, mCherry expression disappeared by 2-months post-transduction of the AAV8-GFAP-mCherry control-vector. To circumvent reporter issues, AAV-GFAP-iCre (control) and AAV-GFAP-Ascl1 (or Ascl1 SA 6)-iCre constructs were generated and injected into the cerebral cortex of Rosa reporter mice. In all comparisons of AAV capsids (AAV5 and AAV8), GFAP promoters (long and short), and reporter mice (Rosa-zsGreen and Rosa-tdtomato), Ascl1 SA 6 transduced cells more frequently expressed early- (Dcx) and late- (NeuN) neuronal markers. Furthermore, Ascl1 SA 6 repressed the expression of astrocytic markers Sox9 and GFAP more efficiently than Ascl1. Finally, we co-transduced an AAV expressing ChR2-(H134R)-YFP, an optogenetic actuator. After channelrhodopsin photostimulation, we found that Ascl1 SA 6 co-transduced astrocytes exhibited a significantly faster decay of evoked potentials to baseline, a neuronal feature, when compared to iCre control cells. Taken together, our findings support an enhanced neuronal conversion efficiency of Ascl1 SA 6 vs. Ascl1, and position Ascl1 SA 6 as a critical transcription factor for future studies aimed at converting adult brain astrocytes to mature neurons to treat disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Ghazale
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - EunJee Park
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lakshmy Vasan
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - James Mester
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Fermisk Saleh
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea Trevisiol
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Dawn Zinyk
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vorapin Chinchalongporn
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mingzhe Liu
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Taylor Fleming
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Natalia Klenin
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Deborah Kurrasch
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Maryam Faiz
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bojana Stefanovic
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - JoAnne McLaurin
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carol Schuurmans
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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5
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Aleksandrova MA, Sukhinich KK. Astrocytes of the Brain: Retinue Plays the King. Russ J Dev Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360422040026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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6
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Reprogramming neurons for regeneration: The fountain of youth. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 214:102284. [PMID: 35533809 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) are terminally differentiated cells that gradually lose their ability to support regeneration during maturation due to changes in transcriptomic and chromatin landscape. Similar transcriptomic changes also occur during development when stem cells differentiate into different types of somatic cells. Importantly, differentiated cells can be reprogrammed back to induced pluripotent stems cells (iPSCs) via global epigenetic remodeling by combined overexpression of pluripotent reprogramming factors, including Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc, Nanog, and/or Lin28. Moreover, recent findings showed that many proneural transcription factors were able to convert non-neural somatic cells into neurons bypassing the pluripotent stage via direct reprogramming. Interestingly, many of these factors have recently been identified as key regulators of CNS neural regeneration. Recent studies indicated that these factors could rejuvenate mature CNS neurons back to a younger state through cellular state reprogramming, thus favoring regeneration. Here we will review some recent findings regarding the roles of genetic cellular state reprogramming in regulation of neural regeneration and explore the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. Moreover, by using newly emerging techniques, such as multiomics sequencing with big data analysis and Crispr-based gene editing, we will discuss future research directions focusing on better revealing cellular state reprogramming-induced remodeling of chromatin landscape and potential translational application.
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7
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Zhang Y, Sun YY, Xu M, Shen LL, Xia CL. The Stem Cell Potential of O-2A Lineage Astroglia. Dev Neurosci 2022; 44:487-497. [PMID: 35537406 DOI: 10.1159/000524921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Astrocytes are the most common glial type in the central nervous system. They play pivotal roles in neurophysiological and neuropathological processes. Mounting evidence indicates that astrocytes may act as neural stem cells and contribute to adult neurogenesis. In previous reports, freshly isolated O-2A progenitors were shown to revert to neural stem-like cells (NSLCs) when cultured with a serum-containing glial medium or bone morphogenic proteins for 3 days and with basic fibroblast growth factor consecutively. NSLCs possess self-renewal and multipotential capacities that can give rise to neurons and glial cells, which suggests that they have stem cell-like properties. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and cell fate commitment when exposed to a neural conditioned medium remain obscure. In this study, we demonstrated that NSLCs grown in the serum-containing neurobasal medium can differentiate into induced neural-like cells (iNLCs). It was noteworthy that astroglia mixed in these cells, particularly in iNLCs, were gradually replaced by neural phenotypes during this glia-neuron conversion. Remarkably, these glial cells can maintain high levels of proliferation and self-renewal ability by activating the NF-κB and MAPK signals. Finally, we found that Notch, STAT3, autophagy, bHLH, and Wnt signals appear to be critical modulators of these intricate events. Altogether, these data demonstrate that O-2A lineage astroglia can function as neural stem cells and display neurogenic plasticity. Dissecting the regulatory pathways involved in these processes is essential to the understanding of glial cell fate and its precise functions. This finding may foster a better understanding of astrocytic heterogeneity and lead to innovative ways to readily apply stem-like astroglia cells as candidate cell sources for neural repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Zhang
- Cytoneurobiology Unit and Department of Anatomy, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yan-Yun Sun
- Cytoneurobiology Unit and Department of Anatomy, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neuropsychiatric Diseases, Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Min Xu
- Cytoneurobiology Unit and Department of Anatomy, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ling-Ling Shen
- Cytoneurobiology Unit and Department of Anatomy, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chun-Lin Xia
- Cytoneurobiology Unit and Department of Anatomy, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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