1
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Huang Z, Hamblin MR, Zhang Q. Photobiomodulation in experimental models of Alzheimer's disease: state-of-the-art and translational perspectives. Alzheimers Res Ther 2024; 16:114. [PMID: 38773642 PMCID: PMC11106984 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-024-01484-x] [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: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant public health problem, affecting millions of people across the world. Despite decades of research into therapeutic strategies for AD, effective prevention or treatment for this devastating disorder remains elusive. In this review, we discuss the potential of photobiomodulation (PBM) for preventing and alleviating AD-associated pathologies, with a focus on the biological mechanisms underlying this therapy. Future research directions and guidance for clinical practice for this non-invasive and non-pharmacological therapy are also highlighted. The available evidence indicates that different treatment paradigms, including transcranial and systemic PBM, along with the recently proposed remote PBM, all could be promising for AD. PBM exerts diverse biological effects, such as enhancing mitochondrial function, mitigating the neuroinflammation caused by activated glial cells, increasing cerebral perfusion, improving glymphatic drainage, regulating the gut microbiome, boosting myokine production, and modulating the immune system. We suggest that PBM may serve as a powerful therapeutic intervention for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihai Huang
- Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein, 2028, South Africa.
| | - Quanguang Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology & Neuroscience, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1501 Kings Highway, Shreveport, LA, 71103, USA.
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2
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Xu W, Liu J, Qi H, Si R, Zhao Z, Tao Z, Bai Y, Hu S, Sun X, Cong Y, Zhang H, Fan D, Xiao L, Wang Y, Li Y, Du Z. A lineage-resolved cartography of microRNA promoter activity in C. elegans empowers multidimensional developmental analysis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2783. [PMID: 38555276 PMCID: PMC10981687 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47055-4] [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: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Elucidating the expression of microRNAs in developing single cells is critical for functional discovery. Here, we construct scCAMERA (single-cell cartography of microRNA expression based on reporter assay), utilizing promoter-driven fluorescent reporters in conjunction with imaging and lineage tracing. The cartography delineates the transcriptional activity of 54 conserved microRNAs in lineage-resolved single cells throughout C. elegans embryogenesis. The combinatorial expression of microRNAs partitions cells into fine clusters reflecting their function and anatomy. Notably, the expression of individual microRNAs exhibits high cell specificity and divergence among family members. Guided by cellular expression patterns, we identify developmental functions of specific microRNAs, including miR-1 in pharynx development and physiology, miR-232 in excretory canal morphogenesis by repressing NHR-25/NR5A, and a functional synergy between miR-232 and miR-234 in canal development, demonstrating the broad utility of scCAMERA. Furthermore, integrative analysis reveals that tissue-specific fate determinants activate microRNAs to repress protein production from leaky transcripts associated with alternative, especially neuronal, fates, thereby enhancing the fidelity of developmental fate differentiation. Collectively, our study offers rich opportunities for multidimensional expression-informed analysis of microRNA biology in metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weina Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinyi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruolin Si
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiguang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiju Tao
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuchuan Bai
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shipeng Hu
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yulin Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haoye Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Duchangjiang Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Long Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yangyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongbin Li
- College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhuo Du
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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3
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Beghini DG, Kasai-Brunswick TH, Henriques-Pons A. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Neurodegenerative Disease Modelling. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2392. [PMID: 38397069 PMCID: PMC10889263 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042392] [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: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived from reprogrammed adult somatic cells. These adult cells are manipulated in vitro to express genes and factors essential for acquiring and maintaining embryonic stem cell (ESC) properties. This technology is widely applied in many fields, and much attention has been given to developing iPSC-based disease models to validate drug discovery platforms and study the pathophysiological molecular processes underlying disease onset. Especially in neurological diseases, there is a great need for iPSC-based technological research, as these cells can be obtained from each patient and carry the individual's bulk of genetic mutations and unique properties. Moreover, iPSCs can differentiate into multiple cell types. These are essential characteristics, since the study of neurological diseases is affected by the limited access to injury sites, the need for in vitro models composed of various cell types, the complexity of reproducing the brain's anatomy, the challenges of postmortem cell culture, and ethical issues. Neurodegenerative diseases strongly impact global health due to their high incidence, symptom severity, and lack of effective therapies. Recently, analyses using disease specific, iPSC-based models confirmed the efficacy of these models for testing multiple drugs. This review summarizes the advances in iPSC technology used in disease modelling and drug testing, with a primary focus on neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Gois Beghini
- Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil;
| | - Tais Hanae Kasai-Brunswick
- Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, CENABIO, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica 23890-000, RJ, Brazil;
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Medicina Regenerativa, INCT-REGENERA, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica 23890-000, RJ, Brazil
| | - Andrea Henriques-Pons
- Laboratório de Inovações em Terapias, Ensino e Bioprodutos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil;
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4
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Yammine SZ, Burns I, Gosio J, Peluso A, Merritt DM, Innes B, Coles BLK, Yan WR, Bader GD, Morshead CM, van der Kooy D. Fate Specification of GFAP-Negative Primitive Neural Stem Cells and Their Progeny at Clonal Resolution. Stem Cells Dev 2023; 32:606-621. [PMID: 37551982 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2023.0038] [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] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The mature brain contains an incredible number and diversity of cells that are produced and maintained by heterogeneous pools of neural stem cells (NSCs). Two distinct types of NSCs exist in the developing and adult mouse brain: Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)-negative primitive (p)NSCs and downstream GFAP-positive definitive (d)NSCs. To better understand the embryonic functions of NSCs, we performed clonal lineage tracing within neurospheres grown from either pNSCs or dNSCs to enrich for their most immediate downstream neural progenitor cells (NPCs). These clonal progenitor lineage tracing data allowed us to construct a hierarchy of progenitor subtypes downstream of pNSCs and dNSCs that were then validated using single-cell transcriptomics. Further, we identify Nexn as required for neuronal specification from neuron/astrocyte progenitor cells downstream of rare pNSCs. Combined, these data provide single-cell resolution of NPC lineages downstream of rare pNSCs that likely would be missed from population-level analyses in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Z Yammine
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Ian Burns
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jessica Gosio
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Center for Systems Biology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrew Peluso
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Daniel M Merritt
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Brendan Innes
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Brenda L K Coles
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Wen Rui Yan
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Gary D Bader
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Cindi M Morshead
- The Donnelly Centre and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Derek van der Kooy
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- The Donnelly Centre and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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5
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Liu W, Shrestha R, Lowe A, Zhang X, Spaeth L. Self-formation of concentric zones of telencephalic and ocular tissues and directional retinal ganglion cell axons. eLife 2023; 12:RP87306. [PMID: 37665325 PMCID: PMC10476969 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87306] [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] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The telencephalon and eye in mammals are originated from adjacent fields at the anterior neural plate. Morphogenesis of these fields generates telencephalon, optic-stalk, optic-disc, and neuroretina along a spatial axis. How these telencephalic and ocular tissues are specified coordinately to ensure directional retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon growth is unclear. Here, we report self-formation of human telencephalon-eye organoids comprising concentric zones of telencephalic, optic-stalk, optic-disc, and neuroretinal tissues along the center-periphery axis. Initially-differentiated RGCs grew axons towards and then along a path defined by adjacent PAX2+ VSX2+ optic-disc cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing of these organoids not only confirmed telencephalic and ocular identities but also identified expression signatures of early optic-disc, optic-stalk, and RGCs. These signatures were similar to those in human fetal retinas. Optic-disc cells in these organoids differentially expressed FGF8 and FGF9; FGFR inhibitions drastically decreased early RGC differentiation and directional axon growth. Through the RGC-specific cell-surface marker CNTN2 identified here, electrophysiologically excitable RGCs were isolated under a native condition. Our findings provide insight into the coordinated specification of early telencephalic and ocular tissues in humans and establish resources for studying RGC-related diseases such as glaucoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
| | - Rupendra Shrestha
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
| | - Albert Lowe
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
| | - Xusheng Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
| | - Ludovic Spaeth
- Dominick P Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of MedicineBronxUnited States
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6
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Subramani M, Van Hook MJ, Ahmad I. Reproducible generation of human retinal ganglion cells from banked retinal progenitor cells: analysis of target recognition and IGF-1-mediated axon regeneration. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1214104. [PMID: 37519299 PMCID: PMC10373790 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1214104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The selective degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a common feature in glaucoma, a complex group of diseases, leading to irreversible vision loss. Stem cell-based glaucoma disease modeling, cell replacement, and axon regeneration are viable approaches to understand mechanisms underlying glaucomatous degeneration for neuroprotection, ex vivo stem cell therapy, and therapeutic regeneration. These approaches require direct and facile generation of human RGCs (hRGCs) from pluripotent stem cells. Here, we demonstrate a method for rapid generation of hRGCs from banked human pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal progenitor cells (hRPCs) by recapitulating the developmental mechanism. The resulting hRGCs are stable, functional, and transplantable and have the potential for target recognition, demonstrating their suitability for both ex vivo stem cell approaches to glaucomatous degeneration and disease modeling. Additionally, we demonstrate that hRGCs derived from banked hRPCs are capable of regenerating their axons through an evolutionarily conserved mechanism involving insulin-like growth factor 1 and the mTOR axis, demonstrating their potential to identify and characterize the underlying mechanism(s) that can be targeted for therapeutic regeneration.
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7
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van der Veer BK, Chen L, Custers C, Athanasouli P, Schroiff M, Cornelis R, Chui JSH, Finnell R, Lluis F, Koh K. Dual functions of TET1 in germ layer lineage bifurcation distinguished by genomic context and dependence on 5-methylcytosine oxidation. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:5469-5498. [PMID: 37021585 PMCID: PMC10287924 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad231] [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: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrulation begins when the epiblast forms the primitive streak or becomes definitive ectoderm. During this lineage bifurcation, the DNA dioxygenase TET1 has bipartite functions in transcriptional activation and repression, but the mechanisms remain unclear. By converting mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into neuroprogenitors, we defined how Tet1-/- cells switch from neuroectoderm fate to form mesoderm and endoderm. We identified the Wnt repressor Tcf7l1 as a TET1 target that suppresses Wnt/β-catenin and Nodal signalling. ESCs expressing catalytic dead TET1 retain neural potential but activate Nodal and subsequently Wnt/β-catenin pathways to generate also mesoderm and endoderm. At CpG-poor distal enhancers, TET1 maintains accessible chromatin at neuroectodermal loci independently of DNA demethylation. At CpG-rich promoters, DNA demethylation by TET1 affects the expression of bivalent genes. In ESCs, a non-catalytic TET1 cooperation with Polycomb represses primitive streak genes; post-lineage priming, the interaction becomes antagonistic at neuronal genes, when TET1's catalytic activity is further involved by repressing Wnt signalling. The convergence of repressive DNA and histone methylation does not inhibit neural induction in Tet1-deficient cells, but some DNA hypermethylated loci persist at genes with brain-specific functions. Our results reveal versatile switching of non-catalytic and catalytic TET1 activities based on genomic context, lineage and developmental stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard K van der Veer
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lehua Chen
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Colin Custers
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Paraskevi Athanasouli
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell Signaling, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mariana Schroiff
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Riet Cornelis
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Sai-Hong Chui
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell Signaling, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Richard H Finnell
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Precision Environmental Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Department of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Frederic Lluis
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell Signaling, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kian Peng Koh
- KU Leuven, Department of Development and Regeneration, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Developmental Epigenetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Precision Environmental Health, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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8
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Liu W, Shrestha R, Lowe A, Zhang X, Spaeth L. Self-formation of concentric zones of telencephalic and ocular tissues and directional retinal ganglion cell axons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.22.533827. [PMID: 36993285 PMCID: PMC10055356 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.22.533827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The telencephalon and eye in mammals are originated from adjacent fields at the anterior neural plate. Morphogenesis of these fields generates telencephalon, optic-stalk, optic-disc, and neuroretina along a spatial axis. How these telencephalic and ocular tissues are specified coordinately to ensure directional retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon growth is unclear. Here, we report the self-formation of human telencephalon-eye organoids comprising concentric zones of telencephalic, optic-stalk, optic-disc, and neuroretinal tissues along the center-periphery axis. Initially-differentiated RGCs grew axons towards and then along a path defined by adjacent PAX2+ optic-disc cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing of CONCEPT organoids not only confirmed telencephalic and ocular identities but also identified expression signatures of early optic-disc, optic-stalk, and RGCs. These signatures were similar to those in human fetal retinas. Optic-disc cells in CONCEPT organoids differentially expressed FGF8 and FGF9 ; FGFR inhibitions drastically decreased RGC differentiation and directional axon growth. Through the identified RGC-specific cell-surface marker CNTN2, electrophysiologically-excitable RGCs were isolated under a native condition. Our findings provide insight into the coordinated specification of early telencephalic and ocular tissues in humans and establish resources for studying RGC-related diseases such as glaucoma. Impact statement A human telencephalon-eye organoid model that exhibited axon growth and pathfinding from retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons is reported; via cell surface marker CNTN2 identified using scRNA-seq, early RGCs were isolated under a native condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Department of Genetics
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
| | - Rupendra Shrestha
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Department of Genetics
- The Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
| | - Albert Lowe
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Department of Genetics
| | | | - Ludovic Spaeth
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
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9
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Emig AA, Williams MLK. Gastrulation morphogenesis in synthetic systems. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:3-13. [PMID: 35817656 PMCID: PMC9825685 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.07.002] [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: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell culture allow researchers to generate not only most embryonic cell types, but also morphologies of many embryonic structures, entirely in vitro. This recreation of embryonic form from naïve cells, known as synthetic morphogenesis, has important implications for both developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the capacity of stem cell-based models to recapitulate the morphogenetic cell behaviors that shape natural embryos remains unclear. In this review, we explore several examples of synthetic morphogenesis, with a focus on models of gastrulation and surrounding stages. By varying cell types, source species, and culture conditions, researchers have recreated aspects of primitive streak formation, emergence and elongation of the primary embryonic axis, neural tube closure, and more. Here, we describe cell behaviors within in vitro/ex vivo systems that mimic in vivo morphogenesis and highlight opportunities for more complete models of early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa A Emig
- Center for Precision Environmental Health & Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
| | - Margot L K Williams
- Center for Precision Environmental Health & Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, USA.
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10
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Cao Y. Neural induction drives body axis formation during embryogenesis, but a neural induction-like process drives tumorigenesis in postnatal animals. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1092667. [PMID: 37228646 PMCID: PMC10203556 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1092667] [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: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Characterization of cancer cells and neural stem cells indicates that tumorigenicity and pluripotency are coupled cell properties determined by neural stemness, and tumorigenesis represents a process of progressive loss of original cell identity and gain of neural stemness. This reminds of a most fundamental process required for the development of the nervous system and body axis during embryogenesis, i.e., embryonic neural induction. Neural induction is that, in response to extracellular signals that are secreted by the Spemann-Mangold organizer in amphibians or the node in mammals and inhibit epidermal fate in ectoderm, the ectodermal cells lose their epidermal fate and assume the neural default fate and consequently, turn into neuroectodermal cells. They further differentiate into the nervous system and also some non-neural cells via interaction with adjacent tissues. Failure in neural induction leads to failure of embryogenesis, and ectopic neural induction due to ectopic organizer or node activity or activation of embryonic neural genes causes a formation of secondary body axis or a conjoined twin. During tumorigenesis, cells progressively lose their original cell identity and gain of neural stemness, and consequently, gain of tumorigenicity and pluripotency, due to various intra-/extracellular insults in cells of a postnatal animal. Tumorigenic cells can be induced to differentiation into normal cells and integrate into normal embryonic development within an embryo. However, they form tumors and cannot integrate into animal tissues/organs in a postnatal animal because of lack of embryonic inducing signals. Combination of studies of developmental and cancer biology indicates that neural induction drives embryogenesis in gastrulating embryos but a similar process drives tumorigenesis in a postnatal animal. Tumorigenicity is by nature the manifestation of aberrant occurrence of pluripotent state in a postnatal animal. Pluripotency and tumorigenicity are both but different manifestations of neural stemness in pre- and postnatal stages of animal life, respectively. Based on these findings, I discuss about some confusion in cancer research, propose to distinguish the causality and associations and discriminate causal and supporting factors involved in tumorigenesis, and suggest revisiting the focus of cancer research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Cao
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Nanjing University, Shenzhen, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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11
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Nerves in gastrointestinal cancer: from mechanism to modulations. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 19:768-784. [PMID: 36056202 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-022-00669-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
Maintenance of gastrointestinal health is challenging as it requires balancing multifaceted processes within the highly complex and dynamic ecosystem of the gastrointestinal tract. Disturbances within this vibrant environment can have detrimental consequences, including the onset of gastrointestinal cancers. Globally, gastrointestinal cancers account for ~19% of all cancer cases and ~22.5% of all cancer-related deaths. Developing new ways to more readily detect and more efficiently target these malignancies are urgently needed. Whereas members of the tumour microenvironment, such as immune cells and fibroblasts, have already been in the spotlight as key players of cancer initiation and progression, the importance of the nervous system in gastrointestinal cancers has only been highlighted in the past few years. Although extrinsic innervations modulate gastrointestinal cancers, cells and signals from the gut's intrinsic innervation also have the ability to do so. Here, we shed light on this thriving field and discuss neural influences during gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. We focus on the interactions between neurons and components of the gastrointestinal tract and tumour microenvironment, on the neural signalling pathways involved, and how these factors affect the cancer hallmarks, and discuss the neural signatures in gastrointestinal cancers. Finally, we highlight neural-related therapies that have potential for the management of gastrointestinal cancers.
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12
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Kim J, Muraoka M, Okada H, Toyoda A, Ajima R, Saga Y. The RNA helicase DDX6 controls early mouse embryogenesis by repressing aberrant inhibition of BMP signaling through miRNA-mediated gene silencing. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1009967. [PMID: 36197846 PMCID: PMC9534413 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionarily conserved RNA helicase DDX6 is a central player in post-transcriptional regulation, but its role during embryogenesis remains elusive. We here show that DDX6 enables proper cell lineage specification from pluripotent cells by analyzing Ddx6 knockout (KO) mouse embryos and employing an in vitro epiblast-like cell (EpiLC) induction system. Our study unveils that DDX6 is an important BMP signaling regulator. Deletion of Ddx6 causes the aberrant upregulation of the negative regulators of BMP signaling, which is accompanied by enhanced expression of Nodal and related genes. Ddx6 KO pluripotent cells acquire higher pluripotency with a strong inclination toward neural lineage commitment. During gastrulation, abnormally expanded Nodal and Eomes expression in the primitive streak likely promotes endoderm cell fate specification while inhibiting mesoderm differentiation. We also genetically dissected major DDX6 pathways by generating Dgcr8, Dcp2, and Eif4enif1 KO models in addition to Ddx6 KO. We found that the miRNA pathway mutant Dgcr8 KO phenocopies Ddx6 KO, indicating that DDX6 mostly works along with the miRNA pathway during early development, whereas its P-body-related functions are dispensable. Therefore, we conclude that DDX6 prevents aberrant upregulation of BMP signaling inhibitors by participating in miRNA-mediated gene silencing processes. Overall, this study delineates how DDX6 affects the development of the three primary germ layers during early mouse embryogenesis and the underlying mechanism of DDX6 function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masafumi Muraoka
- Mammalian Development Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
| | - Hajime Okada
- Mammalian Development Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
| | - Atsushi Toyoda
- Advanced Genomics Center, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
| | - Rieko Ajima
- Mammalian Development Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Mishima, Japan
- * E-mail: (RA); (YS)
| | - Yumiko Saga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Mammalian Development Laboratory, Department of Gene Function and Phenomics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Mishima, Japan
- * E-mail: (RA); (YS)
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13
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Nikolić L, Ferracin C, Legname G. Recent advances in cellular models for discovering prion disease therapeutics. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2022; 17:985-996. [PMID: 35983689 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2022.2113773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Prion diseases are a group of rare and lethal rapidly progressive neurodegenerative diseases arising due to conversion of the physiological cellular prion protein into its pathological counterparts, denoted as "prions". These agents are resistant to inactivation by standard decontamination procedures and can be transmitted between individuals, consequently driving the irreversible brain damage typical of the diseases. AREAS COVERED Since its infancy, prion research has mainly depended on animal models for untangling the pathogenesis of the disease as well as for the drug development studies. With the advent of prion-infected cell lines, relevant animal models have been complemented by a variety of cell-based models presenting a much faster, ethically acceptable alternative. EXPERT OPINION To date, there are still either no effective prophylactic regimens or therapies for human prion diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need for more relevant cellular models that best approximate in vivo models. Each cellular model presented and discussed in detail in this review has its own benefits and limitations. Once embarking in a drug screening campaign for the identification of molecules that could interfere with prion conversion and replication, one should carefully consider the ideal cellular model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Nikolić
- PhD Student in Functional and Structural Genomics, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy,
| | - Chiara Ferracin
- PhD Student in Functional and Structural Genomics, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Legname
- D.Phil., Full Professor of Biochemistry, Laboratory of Prion Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
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14
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Zhang M, Liu Y, Shi L, Fang L, Xu L, Cao Y. Neural stemness unifies cell tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102106. [PMID: 35671824 PMCID: PMC9254501 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural stemness is suggested to be the ground state of tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. However, the relationship between these cell properties is unclear. Here, by disrupting the neural regulatory network in neural stem and cancer cells and by serial transplantation of cancer cells, we show that tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential are coupled cell properties unified by neural stemness. We show that loss of neural stemness via inhibition of SETDB1, an oncoprotein with enriched expression in embryonic neural cells during vertebrate embryogenesis, led to neuronal differentiation with reduced tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential in neural stem and cancer cells, whereas enhancement of neural stemness by SETDB1 overexpression caused the opposite effects. SETDB1 maintains a regulatory network comprising proteins involved in developmental programs and basic cellular functional machineries, including epigenetic modifications (EZH2), ribosome biogenesis (RPS3), translation initiation (EIF4G), and spliceosome assembly (SF3B1); all of these proteins are enriched in embryonic neural cells and play active roles in cancers. In addition, SETDB1 represses the transcription of genes promoting differentiation and cell cycle and growth arrest. Serial transplantation of cancer cells showed that neural stemness, tumorigenicity, and pluripotent differentiation potential were simultaneously enhanced; these effects were accompanied by increased expression of proteins involved in developmental programs and basic machineries, including SETDB1 and the abovementioned proteins, as well as by increased alternative splicing events. These results indicate that basic machineries work together to define a highly proliferative state with pluripotent differentiation potential and also suggest that neural stemness unifies tumorigenicity and differentiation potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Nanjing University, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School
| | - Yang Liu
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Nanjing University, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School
| | - Lihua Shi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School
| | - Lei Fang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liyang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School
| | - Ying Cao
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Nanjing University, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Model Animal Research Center of Medical School.
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15
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Kofman S, Mohan N, Sun X, Ibric L, Piermarini E, Qiang L. Human mini brains and spinal cords in a dish: Modeling strategies, current challenges, and prospective advances. J Tissue Eng 2022; 13:20417314221113391. [PMID: 35898331 PMCID: PMC9310295 DOI: 10.1177/20417314221113391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered three-dimensional (3D) in vitro and ex vivo neural tissues, also known
as “mini brains and spinal cords in a dish,” can be derived from different types
of human stem cells via several differentiation protocols. In general, human
mini brains are micro-scale physiological systems consisting of mixed
populations of neural progenitor cells, glial cells, and neurons that may
represent key features of human brain anatomy and function. To date, these
specialized 3D tissue structures can be characterized into spheroids, organoids,
assembloids, organ-on-a-chip and their various combinations based on generation
procedures and cellular components. These 3D CNS models incorporate complex
cell-cell interactions and play an essential role in bridging the gap between
two-dimensional human neuroglial cultures and animal models. Indeed, they
provide an innovative platform for disease modeling and therapeutic cell
replacement, especially shedding light on the potential to realize personalized
medicine for neurological disorders when combined with the revolutionary human
induced pluripotent stem cell technology. In this review, we highlight human 3D
CNS models developed from a variety of experimental strategies, emphasize their
advances and remaining challenges, evaluate their state-of-the-art applications
in recapitulating crucial phenotypic aspects of many CNS diseases, and discuss
the role of contemporary technologies in the prospective improvement of their
composition, consistency, complexity, and maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Kofman
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Neha Mohan
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Xiaohuan Sun
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Larisa Ibric
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Emanuela Piermarini
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Liang Qiang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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16
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Bhattacharya A, Choi WWY, Muffat J, Li Y. Modeling Developmental Brain Diseases Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Brain Organoids - Progress and Perspective. J Mol Biol 2021; 434:167386. [PMID: 34883115 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Developmental brain diseases encompass a group of conditions resulting from genetic or environmental perturbations during early development. Despite the increased research attention in recent years following recognition of the prevalence of these diseases, there is still a significant lack of knowledge of their etiology and treatment options. The genetic and clinical heterogeneity of these diseases, in addition to the limitations of experimental animal models, contribute to this difficulty. In this regard, the advent of brain organoid technology has provided a new means to study the cause and progression of developmental brain diseases in vitro. Derived from human pluripotent stem cells, brain organoids have been shown to recapitulate key developmental milestones of the early human brain. Combined with technological advancements in genome editing, tissue engineering, electrophysiology, and multi-omics analysis, brain organoids have expanded the frontiers of human neurobiology, providing valuable insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of normal and pathological brain development. This review will summarize the current progress of applying brain organoids to model human developmental brain diseases and discuss the challenges that need to be overcome to further advance their utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Afrin Bhattacharya
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; The University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Wendy W Y Choi
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; The University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Program in Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Julien Muffat
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; The University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Program in Neurosciences and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Yun Li
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada; The University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
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17
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Chen L, Zhang M, Fang L, Yang X, Cao N, Xu L, Shi L, Cao Y. Coordinated regulation of the ribosome and proteasome by PRMT1 in the maintenance of neural stemness in cancer cells and neural stem cells. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101275. [PMID: 34619150 PMCID: PMC8546425 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggested that cancer cells resemble neural stem/progenitor cells in regulatory network, tumorigenicity, and differentiation potential, and that neural stemness might represent the ground or basal state of differentiation and tumorigenicity. The neural ground state is reflected in the upregulation and enrichment of basic cell machineries and developmental programs, such as cell cycle, ribosomes, proteasomes, and epigenetic factors, in cancers and in embryonic neural or neural stem cells. However, how these machineries are concertedly regulated is unclear. Here, we show that loss of neural stemness in cancer or neural stem cells via muscle-like differentiation or neuronal differentiation, respectively, caused downregulation of ribosome and proteasome components and major epigenetic factors, including PRMT1, EZH2, and LSD1. Furthermore, inhibition of PRMT1, an oncoprotein that is enriched in neural cells during embryogenesis, caused neuronal-like differentiation, downregulation of a similar set of proteins downregulated by differentiation, and alteration of subcellular distribution of ribosome and proteasome components. By contrast, PRMT1 overexpression led to an upregulation of these proteins. PRMT1 interacted with these components and protected them from degradation via recruitment of the deubiquitinase USP7, also known to promote cancer and enriched in embryonic neural cells, thereby maintaining a high level of epigenetic factors that maintain neural stemness, such as EZH2 and LSD1. Taken together, our data indicate that PRMT1 inhibition resulted in repression of cell tumorigenicity. We conclude that PRMT1 coordinates ribosome and proteasome activity to match the needs for high production and homeostasis of proteins that maintain stemness in cancer and neural stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Chen
- Research Institute of Nanjing University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Zhang
- Research Institute of Nanjing University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lei Fang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoli Yang
- Research Institute of Nanjing University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ning Cao
- Research Institute of Nanjing University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Liyang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Lihua Shi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ying Cao
- Research Institute of Nanjing University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine of the Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
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18
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Neural is Fundamental: Neural Stemness as the Ground State of Cell Tumorigenicity and Differentiation Potential. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2021; 18:37-55. [PMID: 34714532 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-021-10275-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumorigenic cells are similar to neural stem cells or embryonic neural cells in regulatory networks, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. By integrating the evidence from developmental biology, tumor biology and evolution, I will make a detailed discussion on the observations and propose that neural stemness underlies two coupled cell properties, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential. Neural stemness property of tumorigenic cells can hopefully integrate different observations/concepts underlying tumorigenesis. Neural stem cells and tumorigenic cells share regulatory networks; both exhibit neural stemness, tumorigenicity and pluripotent differentiation potential; both depend on expression or activation of ancestral genes; both rely primarily on aerobic glycolytic metabolism; both can differentiate into various cells/tissues that are derived from three germ layers, leading to tumor formation resembling severely disorganized or more degenerated process of embryonic tissue differentiation; both are enriched in long genes with more splice variants that provide more plastic scaffolds for cell differentiation, etc. Neural regulatory networks, which include higher levels of basic machineries of cell physiological functions and developmental programs, work concertedly to define a basic state with fast cell cycle and proliferation. This is predestined by the evolutionary advantage of neural state, the ground or initial state for multicellularity with adaptation to an ancient environment. Tumorigenesis might represent a process of restoration of neural ground state, thereby restoring a state with fast proliferation and pluripotent differentiation potential in somatic cells. Tumorigenesis and pluripotent differentiation potential might be better understood from understanding neural stemness, and cancer therapy should benefit more from targeting neural stemness.
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Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) affect about 1% of the population and can be caused by mutations in genes that affect the epigenetic code. There is limited functional understanding of most of these epigenetic modifiers, and we suggest that associated NDDs are caused, in part, by deficits in epigenetic priming, a prepatterning step that alters the genome in preparation to make cells competent to signaling cues. We provide evidence from high-resolution epigenetic and transcriptomic mapping studies to demonstrate how a failure to adequately prime the genome for neural induction could lead to impairment of terminally differentiated cells. This idea provides a framework for NDD pathogenesis and treatment.
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20
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Derivation of Mouse Parthenogenetic Advanced Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168976. [PMID: 34445681 PMCID: PMC8396573 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Parthenogenetic embryos have been widely studied as an effective tool related to paternal and maternal imprinting genes and reproductive problems for a long time. In this study, we established a parthenogenetic epiblast-like stem cell line through culturing parthenogenetic diploid blastocysts in a chemically defined medium containing activin A and bFGF named paAFSCs. The paAFSCs expressed pluripotent marker genes and germ-layer-related genes, as well as being alkaline-phosphatase-positive, which is similar to epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs). We previously showed that advanced embryonic stem cells (ASCs) represent hypermethylated naive pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here, we converted paAFSCs to ASCs by replacing bFGF with bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), CHIR99021, and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in a culture medium, and we obtained parthenogenetic advanced stem cells (paASCs). The paASCs showed similar morphology with ESCs and also displayed a stronger developmental potential than paAFSCs in vivo by producing chimaeras. Our study demonstrates that maternal genes could support parthenogenetic EpiSCs derived from blastocysts and also have the potential to convert primed state paAFSCs to naive state paASCs.
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21
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Zilova L, Weinhardt V, Tavhelidse T, Schlagheck C, Thumberger T, Wittbrodt J. Fish primary embryonic pluripotent cells assemble into retinal tissue mirroring in vivo early eye development. eLife 2021; 10:e66998. [PMID: 34252023 PMCID: PMC8275126 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells promise the solution to current challenges in basic and biomedical research. Mammalian organoids are however limited by long developmental time, variable success, and lack of direct comparison to an in vivo reference. To overcome these limitations and address species-specific cellular organization, we derived organoids from rapidly developing teleosts. We demonstrate how primary embryonic pluripotent cells from medaka and zebrafish efficiently assemble into anterior neural structures, particularly retina. Within 4 days, blastula-stage cell aggregates reproducibly execute key steps of eye development: retinal specification, morphogenesis, and differentiation. The number of aggregated cells and genetic factors crucially impacted upon the concomitant morphological changes that were intriguingly reflecting the in vivo situation. High efficiency and rapid development of fish-derived organoids in combination with advanced genome editing techniques immediately allow addressing aspects of development and disease, and systematic probing of impact of the physical environment on morphogenesis and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Zilova
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Venera Weinhardt
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Tinatini Tavhelidse
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Christina Schlagheck
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
- Heidelberg International Biosciences Graduate School HBIGS and HeiKa Graduate School on “Functional Materials”HeidelbergGermany
| | - Thomas Thumberger
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
| | - Joachim Wittbrodt
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg UniversityHeidelbergGermany
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22
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Asson-Batres MA, Norwood CW. Effects of vitamin A and retinoic acid on mouse embryonic stem cells and their differentiating progeny. Methods Enzymol 2021; 637:341-365. [PMID: 32359652 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2020.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic development is controlled by retinoids, and one approach that has been used to investigate the mechanisms for retinoid actions in developmental processes has been to study the effects of adding retinoids to cultures of pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESC). To date, most in vitro retinoid research has been directed at deciphering the actions of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA). atRA is a derivative of all-trans retinol (a.k.a. vitamin A, VA), which mammals can generate via an enzyme-catalyzed pathway. atRA's effects on development result from its (1) activation of receptor complexes (RARs and RXRs) in the nucleus which then bind to and activate RA response elements (RAREs) in genes and (2) its interactions with processes that are initiated in the cytoplasm. While much work has focused on the impact of atRA on cell differentiation, VA, itself, has been shown to exert effects on the maintenance of ESC identity that are not dependent upon classic RA-signaling pathways. In this chapter, we present results from our laboratory and others using well-documented approaches for investigating the effects of retinoids on the differentiation of ESC in vitro and introduce a novel method that uses chemically-defined growth conditions. The merits of each approach are discussed.
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Fukunaga I, Oe Y, Chen C, Danzaki K, Ohta S, Koike A, Ikeda K, Kamiya K. Activin/Nodal/TGF-β Pathway Inhibitor Accelerates BMP4-Induced Cochlear Gap Junction Formation During in vitro Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:602197. [PMID: 33968919 PMCID: PMC8097046 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.602197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in gap junction beta-2 (GJB2), the gene that encodes connexin 26 (CX26), are the most frequent cause of hereditary deafness worldwide. We recently developed an in vitro model of GJB2-related deafness (induced CX26 gap junction-forming cells; iCX26GJCs) from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by using Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) signaling-based floating cultures (serum-free culture of embryoid body-like aggregates with quick aggregation cultures; hereafter, SFEBq cultures) and adherent cultures. However, to use these cells as a disease model platform for high-throughput drug screening or regenerative therapy, cell yields must be substantially increased. In addition to BMP4, other factors may also induce CX26 gap junction formation. In the SFEBq cultures, the combination of BMP4 and the Activin/Nodal/TGF-β pathway inhibitor SB431542 (SB) resulted in greater production of isolatable CX26-expressing cell mass (CX26+ vesicles) and higher Gjb2 mRNA levels than BMP4 treatment alone, suggesting that SB may promote BMP4-mediated production of CX26+ vesicles in a dose-dependent manner, thereby increasing the yield of highly purified iCX26GJCs. This is the first study to demonstrate that SB accelerates BMP4-induced iCX26GJC differentiation during stem cell floating culture. By controlling the concentration of SB supplementation in combination with CX26+ vesicle purification, large-scale production of highly purified iCX26GJCs suitable for high-throughput drug screening or regenerative therapy for GJB2-related deafness may be possible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kazusaku Kamiya
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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24
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Lanjewar SN, Sloan SA. Growing Glia: Cultivating Human Stem Cell Models of Gliogenesis in Health and Disease. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:649538. [PMID: 33842475 PMCID: PMC8027322 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.649538] [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: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Glia are present in all organisms with a central nervous system but considerably differ in their diversity, functions, and numbers. Coordinated efforts across many model systems have contributed to our understanding of glial-glial and neuron-glial interactions during nervous system development and disease, but human glia exhibit prominent species-specific attributes. Limited access to primary samples at critical developmental timepoints constrains our ability to assess glial contributions in human tissues. This challenge has been addressed throughout the past decade via advancements in human stem cell differentiation protocols that now offer the ability to model human astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. Here, we review the use of novel 2D cell culture protocols, 3D organoid models, and bioengineered systems derived from human stem cells to study human glial development and the role of glia in neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven A. Sloan
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Li M, Yang J, Cheng O, Peng Z, Luo Y, Ran D, Yang Y, Xiang P, Huang H, Tan X, Wang H. Effect of TO901317 on GF to promote the differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into dopamine neurons on Parkinson's disease. Ther Adv Chronic Dis 2021; 12:2040622321998139. [PMID: 33796244 PMCID: PMC7985948 DOI: 10.1177/2040622321998139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) could differentiate into dopamine-producing cells and ameliorate behavioral deficits in Parkinson’s disease (PD) models. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are involved in the maintenance of the normal function of central nervous system myelin. Therefore, the previous work of our team has found the induction of cocktail-induced to dopaminergic (DA) phenotypes from adult rat BMSCs by using sonic hedgehog (SHH), fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and TO901317 (an agonist of LXRs) with 87.42% of efficiency in a 6-day induction period. But we did not verify whether the induced cells had the corresponding neural function. Methods: Expressions of LXRα, LXRβ, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) were detected by immunofluorescence and western blot. Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The induced cells were transplanted into PD rats to study whether the induced cells are working. Results: The induced cells can release the dopamine transmitter; the maximum induction efficiency of differentiation of hBMSCs into DA neurons was 91.67% under conditions of combined use with TO901317 and growth factors (GF). When the induced-cells were transplanted into PD rats, the expression of TH in the striatum increased significantly, and the behavior of PD rats induced by apomorphine was significantly improved. Conclusion: The induced cells have the function of DA neurons and have the potential to treat PD. TO901317 promoted differentiation of hBMSCs into DA neurons, which may be related to activation of the LXR-ABCA1 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Li
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Junqing Yang
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Oumei Cheng
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhe Peng
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Yin Luo
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Dongzhi Ran
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Yang Yang
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Pu Xiang
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Haifeng Huang
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaodan Tan
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Chongqing, 400016, China
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Ahani-Nahayati M, Shariati A, Mahmoodi M, Olegovna Zekiy A, Javidi K, Shamlou S, Mousakhani A, Zamani M, Hassanzadeh A. Stem cell in neurodegenerative disorders; an emerging strategy. Int J Dev Neurosci 2021; 81:291-311. [PMID: 33650716 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative disorders are a diversity of disorders, surrounding Alzheimer's (AD), Parkinson's (PD), Huntington's diseases (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) accompanied by some other less common diseases generally characterized by either developed deterioration of central or peripheral nervous system structurally or functionally. Today, with the viewpoint of an increasingly aging society, the number of patients with neurodegenerative diseases and sociomedical burdens will spread intensely. During the last decade, stem cell technology has attracted great attention for treating neurodegenerative diseases worldwide because of its unique attributes. As acknowledged, there are several categories of stem cells being able to proliferate and differentiate into various cellular lineages, highlighting their significance in the context of regenerative medicine. In preclinical models, stem cell therapy using mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs), hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and neural progenitor or stem cells (NPCs or NSCs) along with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs)-derived neuronal cells could elicit desired therapeutic effects, enabling functional deficit rescue partially. Regardless of the noteworthy progress in our scientific awareness and understanding of stem cell biology, there still exist various challenges to defeat. In the present review, we provide a summary of the therapeutic potential of stem cells and discuss the current status and prospect of stem cell strategy in neurodegenerative diseases, in particular, AD, PD, ALS, and HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milad Ahani-Nahayati
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Science, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Shariati
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahnaz Mahmoodi
- Department of Biology, School of Basic Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Angelina Olegovna Zekiy
- Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kamran Javidi
- School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.,Immunology Research Center (IRC), Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Somayeh Shamlou
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Akbar Mousakhani
- Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Majid Zamani
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
| | - Ali Hassanzadeh
- Department of Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Neurosciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Xu L, Zhang M, Shi L, Yang X, Chen L, Cao N, Lei A, Cao Y. Neural stemness contributes to cell tumorigenicity. Cell Biosci 2021; 11:21. [PMID: 33468253 PMCID: PMC7814647 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-021-00531-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies demonstrated the dependence of cancer on nerve. Recently, a growing number of studies reveal that cancer cells share the property and regulatory network with neural stem/progenitor cells. However, relationship between the property of neural stemness and cell tumorigenicity is unknown. Results We show that neural stem/progenitor cells, but not non-neural embryonic or somatic stem/progenitor cell types, exhibit tumorigenicity and the potential for differentiation into tissue types of all germ layers when they are placed in non-native environment by transplantation into immunodeficient nude mice. Likewise, cancer cells capable of tumor initiation have the property of neural stemness because of their abilities in neurosphere formation in neural stem cell-specific serum-free medium and in differentiation potential, in addition to their neuronal differentiation potential that was characterized previously. Moreover, loss of a pro-differentiation factor in myoblasts, which have no tumorigenicity, lead to the loss of myoblast identity, and gain of the property of neural stemness, tumorigenicity and potential for re-differentiation. By contrast, loss of neural stemness via differentiation results in the loss of tumorigenicity. These suggest that the property of neural stemness contributes to cell tumorigenicity, and tumor phenotypic heterogeneity might be an effect of differentiation potential of neural stemness. Bioinformatic analysis reveals that neural genes in general are correlated with embryonic development and cancer, in addition to their role in neural development; whereas non-neural genes are not. Most of neural specific genes emerged in typical species representing transition from unicellularity to multicellularity during evolution. Genes in Monosiga brevicollis, a unicellular species that is a closest known relative of metazoans, are biased toward neural cells. Conclusions We suggest that the property of neural stemness is the source of cell tumorigenicity. This is due to that neural biased unicellular state is the ground state for multicellularity and hence cell type diversification or differentiation during evolution, and tumorigenesis is a process of restoration of neural ground state in somatic cells along a default route that is pre-determined by an evolutionary advantage of neural state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyang Xu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Min Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Lihua Shi
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Xiaoli Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Lu Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Ning Cao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Anhua Lei
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China
| | - Ying Cao
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animals for Disease Study, and Model Animal Research Center of the Medical School, Nanjing University, 12 Xuefu Road, Pukou High-Tech Zone, Nanjing, 210061, China.
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Sasai N, Kadoya M, Ong Lee Chen A. Neural induction: Historical views and application to pluripotent stem cells. Dev Growth Differ 2021; 63:26-37. [PMID: 33289091 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are a useful experimental material to recapitulate the differentiation steps of early embryos, which are usually invisible and inaccessible from outside of the body, especially in mammals. ES cells have greatly facilitated the analyses of gene expression profiles and cell characteristics. In addition, understanding the mechanisms during neural differentiation is important for clinical purposes, such as developing new therapeutic methods or regenerative medicine. As neurons have very limited regenerative ability, neurodegenerative diseases are usually intractable, and patients suffer from the disease throughout their lifetimes. The functional cells generated from ES cells in vitro could replace degenerative areas by transplantation. In this review, we will first demonstrate the historical views and widely accepted concepts regarding the molecular mechanisms of neural induction and positional information to produce the specific types of neurons in model animals. Next, we will describe how these concepts have recently been applied to the research in the establishment of the methodology of neural differentiation from mammalian ES cells. Finally, we will focus on examples of the applications of differentiation systems to clinical purposes. Overall, the discussion will focus on how historical developmental studies are applied to state-of-the-art stem cell research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriaki Sasai
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Minori Kadoya
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Agnes Ong Lee Chen
- Developmental Biomedical Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
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Bai R, Chang Y, Saleem A, Wu F, Tian L, Zhang S, Li Y, Ma S, Dong T, Guo T, Jiang Y, You Y, Lu WJ, Jiang HF, Lan F. Ascorbic acid can promote the generation and expansion of neuroepithelial-like stem cells derived from hiPS/ES cells under chemically defined conditions through promoting collagen synthesis. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:48. [PMID: 33422132 PMCID: PMC7796386 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-02115-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a neurological, medically incurable disorder. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential to generate neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs), which hold promise in the treatment of SCI by transplantation. In our study, we aimed to establish a chemically defined culture system using serum-free medium and ascorbic acid (AA) to generate and expand long-term self-renewing neuroepithelial-like stem cells (lt-NES cells) differentiated from hPSCs effectively and stably. METHODS We induced human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)/induced PSCs (iPSCs) to neurospheres using a newly established in vitro induction system. Moreover, lt-NES cells were derived from hESC/iPSC-neurospheres using two induction systems, i.e., conventional N2 medium with gelatin-coated plates (coated) and N2+AA medium without pre-coated plates (AA), and were characterized by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and immunocytochemistry staining. Subsequently, lt-NES cells were induced to neurons. A microelectrode array (MEA) recording system was used to evaluate the functionality of the neurons differentiated from lt-NES cells. Finally, the mechanism underlying the induction of lt-NES cells by AA was explored through RNA-seq and the use of inhibitors. RESULTS HESCs/iPSCs were efficiently induced to neurospheres using a newly established induction system in vitro. lt-NES cells derived from hESC/iPSC-neurospheres using the two induction systems (coated vs. AA) both expressed the neural pluripotency-associated genes PAX6, NESTIN, SOX1, and SOX2. After long-term cultivation, we found that they both exhibited long-term expansion for more than a dozen generations while maintaining neuropluripotency. Moreover, the lt-NES cells retained the ability to differentiate into general functional neurons that express β-tubulin at high levels. We also demonstrated that AA promotes the generation and long-term expansion of lt-NES cells by promoting collagen synthesis via the MEK-ERK1/2 pathway. CONCLUSIONS This new chemically defined culture system was stable and effective regarding the generation and culture of lt-NES cells induced from hESCs/iPSCs using serum-free medium combined with AA. The lt-NES cells induced under this culture system maintained their long-term expansion and neural pluripotency, with the potential to differentiate into functional neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Bai
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yun Chang
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Amina Saleem
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Fujian Wu
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Lei Tian
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Internal Medicine of Ministry of Education and Beijing, Dongzhimen Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Siyao Zhang
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Ya'nan Li
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Shuhong Ma
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Tao Dong
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Tianwei Guo
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Youxu Jiang
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Yi You
- Center for Clinical Translation and Innovation, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wen-Jing Lu
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China.,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China
| | - Hong Feng Jiang
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Research Institute Building, Room 323, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China.
| | - Feng Lan
- Beijing Laboratory for Cardiovascular Precision Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Medical Engineering for Cardiovascular Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Remodeling-Related Cardiovascular Disease, Beijing Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disorders, Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China. .,Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Beijing, 100029, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. .,Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Research Institute Building, Room 319, 2 Anzhen Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China.
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30
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Cenini G, Hebisch M, Iefremova V, Flitsch LJ, Breitkreuz Y, Tanzi RE, Kim DY, Peitz M, Brüstle O. Dissecting Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis in human 2D and 3D models. Mol Cell Neurosci 2021; 110:103568. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2020.103568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
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31
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Chiaradia I, Lancaster MA. Brain organoids for the study of human neurobiology at the interface of in vitro and in vivo. Nat Neurosci 2020; 23:1496-1508. [PMID: 33139941 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00730-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Brain development is an extraordinarily complex process achieved through the spatially and temporally regulated release of key patterning factors. In vitro neurodevelopmental models seek to mimic these processes to recapitulate the steps of tissue fate acquisition and morphogenesis. Classic two-dimensional neural cultures present higher homogeneity but lower complexity compared to the brain. Brain organoids instead have more advanced cell composition, maturation and tissue architecture. They can thus be considered at the interface of in vitro and in vivo neurobiology, and further improvements in organoid techniques are continuing to narrow the gap with in vivo brain development. Here we describe these efforts to recapitulate brain development in neural organoids and focus on their applicability for disease modeling, evolutionary studies and neural network research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Chiaradia
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Madeline A Lancaster
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
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32
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Galiakberova AA, Dashinimaev EB. Neural Stem Cells and Methods for Their Generation From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in vitro. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:815. [PMID: 33117792 PMCID: PMC7578226 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural stem cells (NSCs) provide promising approaches for investigating embryonic neurogenesis, modeling of the pathogenesis of diseases of the central nervous system, and for designing drug-screening systems. Such cells also have an application in regenerative medicine. The most convenient and acceptable source of NSCs is pluripotent stem cells (embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells). However, there are many different protocols for the induction and differentiation of NSCs, and these result in a wide range of neural cell types. This review is intended to summarize the knowledge accumulated, to date, by workers in this field. It should be particularly useful for researchers who are beginning investigations in this area of cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelya A Galiakberova
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.,Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Erdem B Dashinimaev
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Ortmann D, Brown S, Czechanski A, Aydin S, Muraro D, Huang Y, Tomaz RA, Osnato A, Canu G, Wesley BT, Skelly DA, Stegle O, Choi T, Churchill GA, Baker CL, Rugg-Gunn PJ, Munger SC, Reinholdt LG, Vallier L. Naive Pluripotent Stem Cells Exhibit Phenotypic Variability that Is Driven by Genetic Variation. Cell Stem Cell 2020; 27:470-481.e6. [PMID: 32795399 PMCID: PMC7487768 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2020.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Variability among pluripotent stem cell (PSC) lines is a prevailing issue that hampers not only experimental reproducibility but also large-scale applications and personalized cell-based therapy. This variability could result from epigenetic and genetic factors that influence stem cell behavior. Naive culture conditions minimize epigenetic fluctuation, potentially overcoming differences in PSC line differentiation potential. Here we derived PSCs from distinct mouse strains under naive conditions and show that lines from distinct genetic backgrounds have divergent differentiation capacity, confirming a major role for genetics in PSC phenotypic variability. This is explained in part through inconsistent activity of extra-cellular signaling, including the Wnt pathway, which is modulated by specific genetic variants. Overall, this study shows that genetic background plays a dominant role in driving phenotypic variability of PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ortmann
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Stephanie Brown
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Daniele Muraro
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Yuanhua Huang
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Rute A Tomaz
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Osnato
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Giovanni Canu
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Brandon T Wesley
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Oliver Stegle
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK; European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany; Division of Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics, German Cancer Research, Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ted Choi
- Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME, USA
| | | | | | - Peter J Rugg-Gunn
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Ludovic Vallier
- Wellcome Trust and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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35
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Kulkarni A, Lopez DH, Extavour CG. Shared Cell Biological Functions May Underlie Pleiotropy of Molecular Interactions in the Germ Lines and Nervous Systems of Animals. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
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36
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Durso W, Martins M, Marchetti L, Cremisi F, Luin S, Cardarelli F. Lysosome Dynamic Properties during Neuronal Stem Cell Differentiation Studied by Spatiotemporal Fluctuation Spectroscopy and Organelle Tracking. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21093397. [PMID: 32403391 PMCID: PMC7247004 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21093397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated lysosome dynamics during neuronal stem cell (NSC) differentiation by two quantitative and complementary biophysical methods based on fluorescence: imaging-derived mean square displacement (iMSD) and single-particle tracking (SPT). The former extracts the average dynamics and size of the whole population of moving lysosomes directly from imaging, with no need to calculate single trajectories; the latter resolves the finest heterogeneities and dynamic features at the single-lysosome level, which are lost in the iMSD analysis. In brief, iMSD analysis reveals that, from a structural point of view, lysosomes decrement in size during NSC differentiation, from 1 μm average diameter in the embryonic cells to approximately 500 nm diameter in the fully differentiated cells. Concomitantly, iMSD analysis highlights modification of key dynamic parameters, such as the average local organelle diffusivity and anomalous coefficient, which may parallel cytoskeleton remodeling during the differentiation process. From average to local, SPT allows mapping heterogeneous dynamic responses of single lysosomes in different districts of the cells. For instance, a dramatic decrease of lysosomal transport in the soma is followed by a rapid increase of transport in the projections at specific time points during neuronal differentiation, an observation compatible with the hypothesis that lysosomal active mobilization shifts from the soma to the newborn projections. Our combined results provide new insight into the lysosome size and dynamics regulation throughout NSC differentiation, supporting new functions proposed for this organelle.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Durso
- NEST Laboratory—Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Manuella Martins
- Bio@SNS Laboratory—Scuola Normale Superiore, via G. Moruzzi, 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (M.M.); (F.C.)
| | - Laura Marchetti
- Center for Nanotechnology Innovation@NEST (CNI@NEST), Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
| | - Federico Cremisi
- Bio@SNS Laboratory—Scuola Normale Superiore, via G. Moruzzi, 1, 56126 Pisa, Italy; (M.M.); (F.C.)
| | - Stefano Luin
- NEST Laboratory—Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy;
- NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze, CNR, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (F.C.)
| | - Francesco Cardarelli
- NEST Laboratory—Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127 Pisa, Italy;
- Correspondence: (S.L.); (F.C.)
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37
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Jin MC, Medress ZA, Azad TD, Doulames VM, Veeravagu A. Stem cell therapies for acute spinal cord injury in humans: a review. Neurosurg Focus 2020; 46:E10. [PMID: 30835679 DOI: 10.3171/2018.12.focus18602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in stem cell biology present significant opportunities to advance clinical applications of stem cell-based therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI). In this review, the authors critically analyze the basic science and translational evidence that supports the use of various stem cell sources, including induced pluripotent stem cells, oligodendrocyte precursor cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. They subsequently explore recent advances in stem cell biology and discuss ongoing clinical translation efforts, including combinatorial strategies utilizing scaffolds, biogels, and growth factors to augment stem cell survival, function, and engraftment. Finally, the authors discuss the evolution of stem cell therapies for SCI by providing an overview of completed (n = 18) and ongoing (n = 9) clinical trials.
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38
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Modeling of early neural development in vitro by direct neurosphere formation culture of chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Res 2020; 44:101749. [DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2020.101749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
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Večeřa J, Procházková J, Šumberová V, Pánská V, Paculová H, Lánová MK, Mašek J, Bohačiaková D, Andersson ER, Pacherník J. Hypoxia/Hif1α prevents premature neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells through the activation of Hes1. Stem Cell Res 2020; 45:101770. [PMID: 32276221 DOI: 10.1016/j.scr.2020.101770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), comprising neuroepithelial and radial glial cells, are indispensable precursors of neurons and glia in the mammalian developing brain. Since the process of neurogenesis occurs in a hypoxic environment, the question arises of how NSCs deal with low oxygen tension and whether it affects their stemness. Genes from the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) family are well known factors governing cellular response to hypoxic conditions. In this study, we have discovered that the endogenous stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (Hif1α) during neural induction is critical for the normal development of the NSCs pool by preventing its premature depletion and differentiation. The knock-out of the Hif1α gene in mESC-derived neurospheres led to a decrease in self-renewal of NSCs, paralleled by an increase in neuronal differentiation. Similarly, neuroepithelial cells differentiated in hypoxia exhibited accelerated neurogenesis soon after Hif1α knock-down. In both models, the loss of Hif1α was accompanied by an immediate drop in neural repressor Hes1 levels while changes in Notch signaling were not observed. We found that active Hif1α/Arnt1 transcription complex bound to the evolutionarily conserved site in Hes1 gene promoter in both neuroepithelial cells and neural tissue of E8.5 - 9.5 embryos. Taken together, these results emphasize the novel role of Hif1α in the regulation of early NSCs population through the activation of neural repressor Hes1, independently of Notch signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josef Večeřa
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Chemistry and Toxicology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 62100 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Jiřina Procházková
- Department of Chemistry and Toxicology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 62100 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Šumberová
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Pánská
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Paculová
- Department of Chemistry and Toxicology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 62100 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Kohutková Lánová
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Mašek
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Neo, Blickagången 16, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Dáša Bohačiaková
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Emma Rachel Andersson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Neo, Blickagången 16, SE-141 83 Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, SE-171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Jiří Pacherník
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
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Kutuk MO, Tufan AE, Kilicaslan F, Mutluer T, Gokcen C, Karadag M, Yektas C, Kandemir H, Buber A, Guler Aksu G, Topal Z, Giray A, Celik F, Acikbas U, Kutuk O. Novel inflammatory targets for immunotherapies in pediatric patients with trichotillomania. Immunobiology 2020; 225:151913. [PMID: 32113788 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2020.151913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Immune dysregulation may be important in the etiology of obsessive-compulsive and related disordersandbody-focusedrepetitivebehaviors, such as Trichotillomania (TTM). The role of inflammation and inflammatory markers in TTM has received relatively little attention. This study was aimed to determine the expression levels of inflammatory markers (i.e. IL-1β, IL-1α, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17, TNF-α and TGF-β) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of children with TTM and healthy controls and to evaluate their association with clinical variables. Seventy-seven patients with TTM and 107 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Peripheral blood was collected in standardized conditions. The mean age of patients and controls did not differ significantly (10.8 ± 4.4 and 12.0 ± 3.2 years; respectively). The majority of patients with TTM and controls were females (n = 55, 71.4 % and n = 55, 51.4 %; respectively); with a greater preponderance of females among TTM. Patients with TTM had significantly elevated expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17 compared to controls. However, the expression level of IL-4 was significantly reduced in TTM patients compared to controls. Accordingly, we found a pro-inflammatory state in TTM and those findings may suggest novel treatment options for TTM and further, cross-disciplinary studies focusing on neuro- inflammation in TTM conducted on larger samples are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meryem Ozlem Kutuk
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Baskent University, Dr. Turgut Noyan Medical and Research Center, Adana, Turkey
| | - Ali Evren Tufan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Fethiye Kilicaslan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mehmet Akif İnan Education and Research Hospital, Sanliurfa, Turkey
| | - Tuba Mutluer
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Koc University, İstanbul, Turkey
| | - Cem Gokcen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Karadag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mardin State Hospital, Mardin, Turkey
| | - Cigdem Yektas
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey
| | - Hasan Kandemir
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Buber
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
| | - Gulen Guler Aksu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
| | - Zehra Topal
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey
| | - Asli Giray
- Department of Genetic and Bioengineering, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Alanya, Turkey
| | - Fatma Celik
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Malatya Training and Research Hospital, Malatya, Turkey
| | - Ufuk Acikbas
- Department of Medical Genetics, Baskent University, Adana Dr. Turgut Noyan Medical and Research Center, Adana, Turkey
| | - Ozgur Kutuk
- Department of Medical Genetics, Baskent University, Adana Dr. Turgut Noyan Medical and Research Center, Adana, Turkey.
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41
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Modulation of oxygen tension, acidosis, and cell density is crucial for neural differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells. Neurosci Res 2020; 163:34-42. [PMID: 32014574 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2020.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neural cells provide valuable disease models for pathophysiological analysis and drug discovery for intractable neurodegenerative diseases. However, neural differentiation of hiPSCs requires a complex and long culture procedure, which has been a bottleneck for analysis. We previously demonstrated rapid, efficient, and simple motor neuron differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Although optimization of the microenvironment for the differentiation of hPSCs has been considered to achieve more efficient differentiation, it has never been investigated in detail. Here, we demonstrated that three microenvironmental modifiers, oxygen (O2) tension, pH, and cell density, critically affect neural differentiation of hiPSCs. Hypoxia is known to be involved in neural development in vivo and to promote neural differentiation of PSCs. However, in this study, it caused significant cell death in aggregation culture of human embryoid bodies (hEBs) and negatively affected neural differentiation. Modulation of pH by optimized carbon dioxide (CO2) tension improved neural differentiation of hiPSCs, but mild acidosis caused by increased CO2 tension suppressed neural differentiation without cell death. Moreover, high-cell density culture resulted in prominent acidosis and cell death under hypoxic conditions, which synergistically suppressed neural differentiation of hiPSCs. These results suggest that optimization of the microenvironment via O2 tension, pH, and cell density enables more efficient neural differentiation of hiPSCs for the analysis of neurological diseases.
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42
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Epigenomic analysis of gastrulation identifies a unique chromatin state for primed pluripotency. Nat Genet 2019; 52:95-105. [PMID: 31844322 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-019-0545-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Around implantation, the epiblast (Epi) transits from naïve to primed pluripotency, before giving rise to the three germ layers. How chromatin is reconfigured during this developmental window remains poorly understood. We performed a genome-wide investigation of chromatin landscapes during this period. We find that enhancers in ectoderm are already pre-accessible in embryonic day 6.5 (E6.5) Epi when cells enter a primed pluripotent state. Unexpectedly, strong trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4me3) emerges at developmental gene promoters in E6.5 Epi and positively correlates with H3K27me3, thus establishing bivalency. These genes also show enhanced spatial interactions. Both the strong bivalency and spatial clustering are virtually absent in preimplantation embryos and are markedly reduced in fate-committed lineages. Finally, we show that KMT2B is essential for establishing bivalent H3K4me3 at E6.5 but becomes partially dispensable later. Its deficiency leads to impaired activation of developmental genes and subsequent embryonic lethality. Thus, our data characterize lineage-specific chromatin reconfiguration and a unique chromatin state for primed pluripotency.
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43
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Ahmad I, Teotia P, Erickson H, Xia X. Recapitulating developmental mechanisms for retinal regeneration. Prog Retin Eye Res 2019; 76:100824. [PMID: 31843569 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2019.100824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Degeneration of specific retinal neurons in diseases like glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and retinitis pigmentosa is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. Currently, there is no therapy to modify the disease-associated degenerative changes. With the advancement in our knowledge about the mechanisms that regulate the development of the vertebrate retina, the approach to treat blinding diseases through regenerative medicine appears a near possibility. Recapitulation of developmental mechanisms is critical for reproducibly generating cells in either 2D or 3D culture of pluripotent stem cells for retinal repair and disease modeling. It is the key for unlocking the neurogenic potential of Müller glia in the adult retina for therapeutic regeneration. Here, we examine the current status and potential of the regenerative medicine approach for the retina in the backdrop of developmental mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iqbal Ahmad
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
| | - Pooja Teotia
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Helen Erickson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Xiaohuan Xia
- Center for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072, China
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44
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Fattahi P, Haque A, Son KJ, Guild J, Revzin A. Microfluidic devices, accumulation of endogenous signals and stem cell fate selection. Differentiation 2019; 112:39-46. [PMID: 31884176 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pouria Fattahi
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Amranul Haque
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kyung Jin Son
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Joshua Guild
- Department of Cell & Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Revzin
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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45
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Eomes and Brachyury control pluripotency exit and germ-layer segregation by changing the chromatin state. Nat Cell Biol 2019; 21:1518-1531. [PMID: 31792383 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-019-0423-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The first lineage specification of pluripotent mouse epiblast segregates neuroectoderm (NE) from mesoderm and definitive endoderm (ME) by mechanisms that are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that the induction of ME gene programs critically relies on the T-box transcription factors Eomesodermin (also known as Eomes) and Brachyury, which concomitantly repress pluripotency and NE gene programs. Cells deficient in these T-box transcription factors retain pluripotency and differentiate to NE lineages despite the presence of ME-inducing signals transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Nodal and Wnt. Pluripotency and NE gene networks are additionally repressed by ME factors downstream of T-box factor induction, demonstrating a redundancy in program regulation to safeguard mutually exclusive lineage specification. Analyses of chromatin revealed that accessibility of ME enhancers depends on T-box factor binding, whereas NE enhancers are accessible and already activation primed at pluripotency. This asymmetry of the chromatin landscape thus explains the default differentiation of pluripotent cells to NE in the absence of ME induction that depends on activating and repressive functions of Eomes and Brachyury.
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46
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Argelaguet R, Clark SJ, Mohammed H, Stapel LC, Krueger C, Kapourani CA, Imaz-Rosshandler I, Lohoff T, Xiang Y, Hanna CW, Smallwood S, Ibarra-Soria X, Buettner F, Sanguinetti G, Xie W, Krueger F, Göttgens B, Rugg-Gunn PJ, Kelsey G, Dean W, Nichols J, Stegle O, Marioni JC, Reik W. Multi-omics profiling of mouse gastrulation at single-cell resolution. Nature 2019; 576:487-491. [PMID: 31827285 PMCID: PMC6924995 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1825-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Formation of the three primary germ layers during gastrulation is an essential step in the establishment of the vertebrate body plan and is associated with major transcriptional changes1-5. Global epigenetic reprogramming accompanies these changes6-8, but the role of the epigenome in regulating early cell-fate choice remains unresolved, and the coordination between different molecular layers is unclear. Here we describe a single-cell multi-omics map of chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation and RNA expression during the onset of gastrulation in mouse embryos. The initial exit from pluripotency coincides with the establishment of a global repressive epigenetic landscape, followed by the emergence of lineage-specific epigenetic patterns during gastrulation. Notably, cells committed to mesoderm and endoderm undergo widespread coordinated epigenetic rearrangements at enhancer marks, driven by ten-eleven translocation (TET)-mediated demethylation and a concomitant increase of accessibility. By contrast, the methylation and accessibility landscape of ectodermal cells is already established in the early epiblast. Hence, regulatory elements associated with each germ layer are either epigenetically primed or remodelled before cell-fate decisions, providing the molecular framework for a hierarchical emergence of the primary germ layers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Chantriolnt-Andreas Kapourani
- School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ivan Imaz-Rosshandler
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tim Lohoff
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yunlong Xiang
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- THU-PKU Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Courtney W Hanna
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Ximena Ibarra-Soria
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Florian Buettner
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Computational Biology, Neuherberg, Germany
| | | | - Wei Xie
- Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- THU-PKU Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Felix Krueger
- Bioinformatics Group, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Peter J Rugg-Gunn
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gavin Kelsey
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Wendy Dean
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jennifer Nichols
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Oliver Stegle
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Cambridge, UK.
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Division of Computational Genomics and Systems Genetics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - John C Marioni
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Cambridge, UK.
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK.
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
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47
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Alia C, Terrigno M, Busti I, Cremisi F, Caleo M. Pluripotent Stem Cells for Brain Repair: Protocols and Preclinical Applications in Cortical and Hippocampal Pathologies. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:684. [PMID: 31447623 PMCID: PMC6691396 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain injuries causing chronic sensory or motor deficit, such as stroke, are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization; furthermore, they carry heavy social and economic burdens due to decreased quality of life and need of assistance. Given the limited effectiveness of rehabilitation, novel therapeutic strategies are required to enhance functional recovery. Since cell-based approaches have emerged as an intriguing and promising strategy to promote brain repair, many efforts have been made to study the functional integration of neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), or fetal neurons, after grafting into the damaged host tissue. PSCs hold great promises for their clinical applications, such as cellular replacement of damaged neural tissues with autologous neurons. They also offer the possibility to create in vitro models to assess the efficacy of drugs and therapies. Notwithstanding these potential applications, PSC-derived transplanted neurons have to match the precise sub-type, positional and functional identity of the lesioned neural tissue. Thus, the requirement of highly specific and efficient differentiation protocols of PSCs in neurons with appropriate neural identity constitutes the main challenge limiting the clinical use of stem cells in the near future. In this Review, we discuss the recent advances in the derivation of telencephalic (cortical and hippocampal) neurons from PSCs, assessing specificity and efficiency of the differentiation protocols, with particular emphasis on the genetic and molecular characterization of PSC-derived neurons. Second, we address the remaining challenges for cellular replacement therapies in cortical brain injuries, focusing on electrophysiological properties, functional integration and therapeutic effects of the transplanted neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Alia
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Terrigno
- Laboratory of Biology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | - Irene Busti
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drugs and Child Health Area, School of Psychology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Federico Cremisi
- Laboratory of Biology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy.,Biophysics Institute (IBF), National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Caleo
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Padua Neuroscience Center, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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48
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Shparberg RA, Glover HJ, Morris MB. Modeling Mammalian Commitment to the Neural Lineage Using Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cells. Front Physiol 2019; 10:705. [PMID: 31354503 PMCID: PMC6637848 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Early mammalian embryogenesis relies on a large range of cellular and molecular mechanisms to guide cell fate. In this highly complex interacting system, molecular circuitry tightly controls emergent properties, including cell differentiation, proliferation, morphology, migration, and communication. These molecular circuits include those responsible for the control of gene and protein expression, as well as metabolism and epigenetics. Due to the complexity of this circuitry and the relative inaccessibility of the mammalian embryo in utero, mammalian neural commitment remains one of the most challenging and poorly understood areas of developmental biology. In order to generate the nervous system, the embryo first produces two pluripotent populations, the inner cell mass and then the primitive ectoderm. The latter is the cellular substrate for gastrulation from which the three multipotent germ layers form. The germ layer definitive ectoderm, in turn, is the substrate for multipotent neurectoderm (neural plate and neural tube) formation, representing the first morphological signs of nervous system development. Subsequent patterning of the neural tube is then responsible for the formation of most of the central and peripheral nervous systems. While a large number of studies have assessed how a competent neurectoderm produces mature neural cells, less is known about the molecular signatures of definitive ectoderm and neurectoderm and the key molecular mechanisms driving their formation. Using pluripotent stem cells as a model, we will discuss the current understanding of how the pluripotent inner cell mass transitions to pluripotent primitive ectoderm and sequentially to the multipotent definitive ectoderm and neurectoderm. We will focus on the integration of cell signaling, gene activation, and epigenetic control that govern these developmental steps, and provide insight into the novel growth factor-like role that specific amino acids, such as L-proline, play in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michael B. Morris
- Embryonic Stem Cell Laboratory, Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, Bosch Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Use of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cells for neurodegenerative disease modeling and drug screening platform. Future Med Chem 2019; 11:1305-1322. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2018-0520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a complex and mostly still unresolved pathology. This fact, together with the lack of reliable disease models, has precluded the development of effective therapies counteracting the disease progression. The advent of human pluripotent stem cells has revolutionized the field allowing the generation of disease-relevant neural cell types that can be used for disease modeling, drug screening and, possibly, cell transplantation purposes. In this Review, we discuss the applications of human pluripotent stem cells, the development of efficient protocols for the derivation of the different neural cells and their applicability for robust in vitro disease modeling and drug screening platforms for most common neurodegenerative conditions.
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Wu Y, Chen X, Xi G, Zhou X, Pan S, Ying QL. Long-term self-renewal of naïve neural stem cells in a defined condition. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2019; 1866:971-977. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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