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Cameron EG, Nahmou M, Toth AB, Heo L, Tanasa B, Dalal R, Yan W, Nallagatla P, Xia X, Hay S, Knasel C, Stiles TL, Douglas C, Atkins M, Sun C, Ashouri M, Bian M, Chang KC, Russano K, Shah S, Woodworth MB, Galvao J, Nair RV, Kapiloff MS, Goldberg JL. A molecular switch for neuroprotective astrocyte reactivity. Nature 2024; 626:574-582. [PMID: 38086421 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06935-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The intrinsic mechanisms that regulate neurotoxic versus neuroprotective astrocyte phenotypes and their effects on central nervous system degeneration and repair remain poorly understood. Here we show that injured white matter astrocytes differentiate into two distinct C3-positive and C3-negative reactive populations, previously simplified as neurotoxic (A1) and neuroprotective (A2)1,2, which can be further subdivided into unique subpopulations defined by proliferation and differential gene expression signatures. We find the balance of neurotoxic versus neuroprotective astrocytes is regulated by discrete pools of compartmented cyclic adenosine monophosphate derived from soluble adenylyl cyclase and show that proliferating neuroprotective astrocytes inhibit microglial activation and downstream neurotoxic astrocyte differentiation to promote retinal ganglion cell survival. Finally, we report a new, therapeutically tractable viral vector to specifically target optic nerve head astrocytes and show that raising nuclear or depleting cytoplasmic cyclic AMP in reactive astrocytes inhibits deleterious microglial or macrophage cell activation and promotes retinal ganglion cell survival after optic nerve injury. Thus, soluble adenylyl cyclase and compartmented, nuclear- and cytoplasmic-localized cyclic adenosine monophosphate in reactive astrocytes act as a molecular switch for neuroprotective astrocyte reactivity that can be targeted to inhibit microglial activation and neurotoxic astrocyte differentiation to therapeutic effect. These data expand on and define new reactive astrocyte subtypes and represent a step towards the development of gliotherapeutics for the treatment of glaucoma and other optic neuropathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan G Cameron
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Anna B Toth
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Lyong Heo
- Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Bogdan Tanasa
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Roopa Dalal
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Wenjun Yan
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Pratima Nallagatla
- Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Xin Xia
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Hay
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Cara Knasel
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Melissa Atkins
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Catalina Sun
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Masoumeh Ashouri
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Minjuan Bian
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Kun-Che Chang
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Kristina Russano
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Sahil Shah
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Mollie B Woodworth
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Joana Galvao
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Ramesh V Nair
- Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Michael S Kapiloff
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine and Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
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Luo Z, Chang KC, Wu S, Sun C, Xia X, Nahmou M, Bian M, Wen RR, Zhu Y, Shah S, Tanasa B, Wernig M, Goldberg JL. Directly induced human retinal ganglion cells mimic fetal RGCs and are neuroprotective after transplantation in vivo. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:2690-2703. [PMID: 36368332 PMCID: PMC9768574 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) replacement therapy could restore vision in glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. We developed a rapid protocol for directly induced RGC (iRGC) differentiation from human stem cells, leveraging overexpression of NGN2. Neuronal morphology and neurite growth were observed within 1 week of induction; characteristic RGC-specific gene expression confirmed identity. Calcium imaging demonstrated γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-induced excitation characteristic of immature RGCs. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed more similarities between iRGCs and early-stage fetal human RGCs than retinal organoid-derived RGCs. Intravitreally transplanted iRGCs survived and migrated into host retinas independent of prior optic nerve trauma, but iRGCs protected host RGCs from neurodegeneration. These data demonstrate rapid iRGC generation in vitro into an immature cell with high similarity to human fetal RGCs and capacity for retinal integration after transplantation and neuroprotective function after optic nerve injury. The simplicity of this system may benefit translational studies on human RGCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziming Luo
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Kun-Che Chang
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Department of Ophthalmology and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA,Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Suqian Wu
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Catalina Sun
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Xin Xia
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Minjuan Bian
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Rain R. Wen
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Ying Zhu
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Sahil Shah
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Bogdan Tanasa
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Marius Wernig
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Goldberg
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA,Corresponding author
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Shah SH, Schiapparelli LM, Yokota S, Ma Y, Xia X, Shankar S, Saturday S, Nahmou M, Sun C, Yates J, Cline HT, Goldberg JL. Quantitative BONCAT Allows Identification of Newly Synthesized Proteins after Optic Nerve Injury. J Neurosci 2022; 42:4042-4052. [PMID: 35396330 PMCID: PMC9097770 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3100-20.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) die after optic nerve trauma or in degenerative disease. However, acute changes in protein expression that may regulate RGC response to injury are not fully understood, and detailed methods to quantify new protein synthesis have not been tested. Here, we develop and apply a new in vivo quantitative measure of newly synthesized proteins to examine changes occurring in the retina after optic nerve injury. Azidohomoalanine, a noncanonical amino acid, was injected intravitreally into the eyes of rodents of either sex with or without optic nerve injury. Isotope variants of biotin-alkyne were used for quantitative BONCAT (QBONCAT) mass spectrometry, allowing identification of protein synthesis and transport rate changes in more than 1000 proteins at 1 or 5 d after optic nerve injury. In vitro screening showed several newly synthesized proteins regulate axon outgrowth in primary neurons in vitro This novel approach to targeted quantification of newly synthesized proteins after injury uncovers a dynamic translational response within broader proteostasis regulation and enhances our understanding of the cellular response to injury.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Optic nerve injury results in death and degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. The specific cellular response to injury, including changes in new protein synthesis, is obscured by existing proteins and protein degradation. In this study, we introduce QBONCAT to isolate and quantify acute protein synthesis and subsequent transport between cellular compartments. We identify novel candidate protein effectors of the regenerative response and uncover their regulation of axon growth in vitro, validating the utility of QBONCAT for the discovery of novel regulatory and therapeutic candidates after optic nerve injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil H Shah
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
- Neuroscience Department and Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
- Neurosciences Graduate Program and Medical Scientist Training Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Lucio M Schiapparelli
- Neuroscience Department and Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical School, Durham, North Carolina, 27708
| | - Satoshi Yokota
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
| | - Yuanhui Ma
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Xin Xia
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
| | - Sahana Shankar
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
| | - Sarah Saturday
- Neuroscience Department and Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
| | - Catalina Sun
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
| | - John Yates
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Hollis T Cline
- Neuroscience Department and Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, La Jolla, California 92093
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94303
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4
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Chen F, Bian M, Nahmou M, Myung D, Goldberg JL. Fusogenic liposome-enhanced cytosolic delivery of magnetic nanoparticles. RSC Adv 2021; 11:35796-35805. [PMID: 35492766 PMCID: PMC9043121 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra03094a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusogenic liposomes facilitate MNPs passage into the cytosol and enable direct contact between MNPs and organelles other than endosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Minjuan Bian
- Department of Ophthalmology, Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - David Myung
- Department of Ophthalmology, Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Goldberg
- Department of Ophthalmology, Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
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5
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Venugopalan P, Cameron EG, Zhang X, Nahmou M, Muller KJ, Goldberg JL. Physiologic maturation is both extrinsically and intrinsically regulated in progenitor-derived neurons. Sci Rep 2020; 10:2337. [PMID: 32047174 PMCID: PMC7012889 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58120-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, newly-differentiated neurons undergo several morphological and physiological changes to become functional, mature neurons. Physiologic maturation of neuronal cells derived from isolated stem or progenitor cells may provide insight into maturation in vivo but is not well studied. As a step towards understanding how neuronal maturation is regulated, we studied the developmental switch of response to the neurotransmitter GABA, from excitatory depolarization to inhibitory hyperpolarization. We compared acutely isolated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at various developmental stages and RGCs differentiated in vitro from embryonic retinal progenitors for the effects of aging and, independently, of retinal environment age on their GABAA receptor (GABAAR) responses, elicited by muscimol. We found that neurons generated in vitro from progenitors exhibited depolarizing, immature GABA responses, like those of early postnatal RGCs. As progenitor-derived neurons aged from 1 to 3 weeks, their GABA responses matured. Interestingly, signals secreted by the early postnatal retina suppressed acquisition of mature GABA responses. This suppression was not associated with changes in expression of GABAAR or of the chloride co-transporter KCC2, but rather with inhibition of KCC2 dimerization in differentiating neurons. Taken together, these data indicate GABA response maturation depends on release of inhibition by developmentally regulated diffusible signals from the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Praseeda Venugopalan
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
- Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Evan G Cameron
- Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
- Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94303, USA
| | - Xiong Zhang
- Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94303, USA
| | - Kenneth J Muller
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Neuroscience Program, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
- Shiley Eye Institute, University of California, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA.
- Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94303, USA.
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Xia X, Atkins M, Dalal R, Kuzmenko O, Chang KC, Sun CB, Benatti CA, Rak DJ, Nahmou M, Kunzevitzky NJ, Goldberg JL. Magnetic Human Corneal Endothelial Cell Transplant: Delivery, Retention, and Short-Term Efficacy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2019; 60:2438-2448. [PMID: 31158276 PMCID: PMC6546151 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.18-26001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Corneal endothelial dysfunction leads to corneal edema, pain, and vision loss. Adequate animal models are needed to study the safety and efficacy of novel cell therapies as an alternative to corneal transplantation. Methods Primary human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) were isolated from cadaveric donor corneas, expanded in vitro, transduced to express green fluorescent protein (GFP), loaded with superparamagnetic nanoparticles, and injected into the anterior chamber of adult rabbits immediately after endothelial cell or Descemet's membrane stripping. The same volume of balanced salt solution plus (BSS+) was injected in control eyes. We compared different models for inducing corneal edema in rabbits, and examined the ability of transplanted HCECs to reduce corneal edema over time by measuring central corneal thickness and tracking corneal clarity. GFP-positive donor cells were tracked in vivo using optical coherence tomography (OCT) fluorescence angiography module, and the transplanted cells were confirmed by human nuclei immunostaining. Results Magnetic HCECs integrated onto the recipient corneas with intact Descemet's membrane, and donor identity was confirmed by GFP expression and immunostaining for human nuclei marker. Donor HCECs formed a monolayer on the posterior corneal surface and expressed HCEC functional markers of tight junction formation. No GFP-positive cells were observed in the trabecular meshwork or on the iris, and intraocular pressure remained stable through the length of the study. Conclusions Our results demonstrate magnetic cell-based therapy efficiently delivers HCECs to restore corneal transparency without detectable toxicity or adverse effect on intraocular pressure. Magnetic delivery of HCECs may enhance corneal function and should be explored further for human therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Xia
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Melissa Atkins
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Roopa Dalal
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Olga Kuzmenko
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Kun-Che Chang
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Catalina B Sun
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - C Andres Benatti
- Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Dillon J Rak
- Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Noelia J Kunzevitzky
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States.,Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States.,Emmecell, Menlo Park, California, United States
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Byers Eye Institute and Spencer Center for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States.,Shiley Eye Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States
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7
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Chang KC, Sun C, Cameron EG, Madaan A, Wu S, Xia X, Zhang X, Tenerelli K, Nahmou M, Knasel CM, Russano KR, Hertz J, Goldberg JL. Opposing Effects of Growth and Differentiation Factors in Cell-Fate Specification. Curr Biol 2019; 29:1963-1975.e5. [PMID: 31155355 PMCID: PMC6581615 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Following ocular trauma or in diseases such as glaucoma, irreversible vision loss is due to the death of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neurons. Although strategies to replace these lost cells include stem cell replacement therapy, few differentiated stem cells turn into RGC-like neurons. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms of RGC differentiation in vivo may improve outcomes of cell transplantation by directing the fate of undifferentiated cells toward mature RGCs. Here, we report a new mechanism by which growth and differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), a ligand in the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) superfamily, strongly promotes RGC differentiation in the developing retina in vivo in rodent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) and in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). This effect is in direct contrast to the closely related ligand GDF-11, which suppresses RGC-fate specification. We find these opposing effects are due in part to GDF-15's ability to specifically suppress Smad-2, but not Smad-1, signaling induced by GDF-11, which can be recapitulated by pharmacologic or genetic blockade of Smad-2 in vivo to increase RGC specification. No other retinal cell types were affected by GDF-11 knockout, but a slight reduction in photoreceptor cells was observed by GDF-15 knockout in the developing retina in vivo. These data define a novel regulatory mechanism of GDFs' opposing effects and their relevance in RGC differentiation and suggest a potential approach for advancing ESC-to-RGC cell-based replacement therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun-Che Chang
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
| | - Catalina Sun
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Evan G Cameron
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Ankush Madaan
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Suqian Wu
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Eye, Ear, Nose, & Throat Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Fudan University, 200031 Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Xia
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Xiong Zhang
- Shiley Eye Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kevin Tenerelli
- Shiley Eye Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Cara M Knasel
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Kristina R Russano
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Shiley Eye Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jonathan Hertz
- Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Spencer Center for Vision Research, Byers Eye Institute, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Shiley Eye Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
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8
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Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize whether induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) affect survival of grafted retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) after transplantation. Methods For in vitro studies, human iPSCs were either directly cocultured with mouse RGCs or plated in hanging inserts in RGC cultures for 1 week. For ex vivo studies, RGCs and iPSCs were seeded onto the inner surface of an adult rat retina explant and cultured for 1 week. For in vivo studies, RGCs and iPSCs were intravitreally coinjected into an adult rat eye 1 week before examining retinas by explant and immunostaining. Results A dose-dependent increase in RGC survival was observed in RGC-iPSC direct cocultures, and RGC-iPSC indirect cocultures showed a similar RGC protective effect, but to a lesser extent than in direct coculture. Enhanced RGC survival was also identified in RGC-iPSC cotransplantations to adult retinas ex vivo and in vivo. In addition, RGCs with iPSC cotransplantation extended significantly longer neurites than RGC-only transplants. Conclusions Human iPSCs promote transplanted RGC survival and neurite extension. This effect may be mediated at least partially through secretion of diffusible neuroprotective factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suqian Wu
- Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.,Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Kun-Che Chang
- Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Michael Nahmou
- Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
| | - Jeffrey L Goldberg
- Byers Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, United States
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