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Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a recessive inherited disease associated with multiorgan damage that compromises epithelial and inflammatory cell function. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have significantly advanced the potential of developing a personalized cell-based therapy for diseases like CF by generating patient-specific stem cells that can be differentiated into cells that repair tissues damaged by disease pathology. The F508del mutation in airway epithelial cell-derived CF-iPSCs was corrected with small/short DNA fragments (SDFs) and sequence-specific TALENs. An allele-specific PCR,cyclic enrichment strategy gave ˜100-fold enrichment of the corrected CF-iPSCs after six enrichment cycles that facilitated isolation of corrected clones. The seamless SDF-based gene modification strategy used to correct the CF-iPSCs resulted in pluripotent cells that,when differentiated into endoderm/airway-like epithelial cells showed wild-type (wt) airway epithelial cell cAMP-dependent Cl ion transport or showed the appropriate cell-type characteristics when differentiated along mesoderm/hematopoietic inflammatory cell lineage pathways. View Publication

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an inherited neuromuscular disease primarily characterized by degeneration of spinal motor neurons,and caused by reduced levels of the SMN protein. Previous studies to understand the proteomic consequences of reduced SMN have mostly utilized patient fibroblasts and animal models. We have derived human motor neurons from type I SMA and healthy controls by creating their induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Quantitative mass spectrometry of these cells revealed increased expression of 63 proteins in control motor neurons compared to respective fibroblasts,whereas 30 proteins were increased in SMA motor neurons vs. their fibroblasts. Notably,UBA1 was significantly decreased in SMA motor neurons,supporting evidence for ubiquitin pathway defects. Subcellular distribution of UBA1 was predominantly cytoplasmic in SMA motor neurons in contrast to nuclear in control motor neurons; suggestive of neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Many of the proteins that were decreased in SMA motor neurons,including beta III-tubulin and UCHL1,were associated with neurodevelopment and differentiation. These neuron-specific consequences of SMN depletion were not evident in fibroblasts,highlighting the importance of iPSC technology. The proteomic profiles identified here provide a useful resource to explore the molecular consequences of reduced SMN in motor neurons,and for the identification of novel biomarker and therapeutic targets for SMA. View Publication

Glioma tumour-initiating cells (GTICs) can originate upon the transformation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Studies on GTICs have focused on primary tumours from which GTICs could be isolated and the use of human embryonic material. Recently,the somatic genomic landscape of human gliomas has been reported. RTK (receptor tyrosine kinase) and p53 signalling were found dysregulated in ∼90% and 86% of all primary tumours analysed,respectively. Here we report on the use of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for modelling gliomagenesis. Dysregulation of RTK and p53 signalling in hiPSC-derived NPCs (iNPCs) recapitulates GTIC properties in vitro. In vivo transplantation of transformed iNPCs leads to highly aggressive tumours containing undifferentiated stem cells and their differentiated derivatives. Metabolic modulation compromises GTIC viability. Last,screening of 101 anti-cancer compounds identifies three molecules specifically targeting transformed iNPCs and primary GTICs. Together,our results highlight the potential of hiPSCs for studying human tumourigenesis. View Publication

Developing technologies for efficient and scalable disruption of gene expression will provide powerful tools for studying gene function,developmental pathways,and disease mechanisms. Here,we develop clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat interference (CRISPRi) to repress gene expression in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). CRISPRi,in which a doxycycline-inducible deactivated Cas9 is fused to a KRAB repression domain,can specifically and reversibly inhibit gene expression in iPSCs and iPSC-derived cardiac progenitors,cardiomyocytes,and T lymphocytes. This gene repression system is tunable and has the potential to silence single alleles. Compared with CRISPR nuclease (CRISPRn),CRISPRi gene repression is more efficient and homogenous across cell populations. The CRISPRi system in iPSCs provides a powerful platform to perform genome-scale screens in a wide range of iPSC-derived cell types,dissect developmental pathways,and model disease. View Publication

Synthetic biology has advanced the design of standardized transcription control devices that programme cellular behaviour. By coupling synthetic signalling cascade- and transcription factor-based gene switches with reverse and differential sensitivity to the licensed food additive vanillic acid,we designed a synthetic lineage-control network combining vanillic acid-triggered mutually exclusive expression switches for the transcription factors Ngn3 (neurogenin 3; OFF-ON-OFF) and Pdx1 (pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1; ON-OFF-ON) with the concomitant induction of MafA (V-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homologue A; OFF-ON). This designer network consisting of different network topologies orchestrating the timely control of transgenic and genomic Ngn3,Pdx1 and MafA variants is able to programme human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs)-derived pancreatic progenitor cells into glucose-sensitive insulin-secreting beta-like cells,whose glucose-stimulated insulin-release dynamics are comparable to human pancreatic islets. Synthetic lineage-control networks may provide the missing link to genetically programme somatic cells into autologous cell phenotypes for regenerative medicine. View Publication

Neural rosettes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been claimed to be a highly robust in vitro cellular model for biomedical application. They are able to propagate in vitro in the presence of mitogens,including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). However,these two mitogens are also involved in anterior-posterior patterning in a gradient dependent manner along the neural tube axis. Here,we compared the regional identity of neural rosette cells and specific neural subtypes of their progeny propagated with low and high concentrations of bFGF and EGF. We observed that low concentrations of bFGF and EGF in the culturing system were able to induce forebrain identity of the neural rosettes and promote subsequent cortical neuronal differentiation. On the contrary,high concentrations of these mitogens stimulate a mid-hindbrain fate of the neural rosettes,resulting in subsequent cholinergic neuron differentiation. Thus,our results indicate that different concentrations of bFGF and EGF supplemented during propagation of neural rosettes are involved in altering the identity of the resultant neural cells. View Publication

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and other tauopathies characterized by focal brain neurodegeneration and pathological accumulation of proteins are commonly associated with tau mutations. However,the mechanism of neuronal loss is not fully understood. To identify molecular events associated with tauopathy,we studied induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons from individuals carrying the tau-A152T variant. We highlight the potential of in-depth phenotyping of human neuronal cell models for pre-clinical studies and identification of modulators of endogenous tau toxicity. Through a panel of biochemical and cellular assays,A152T neurons showed accumulation,redistribution,and decreased solubility of tau. Upregulation of tau was coupled to enhanced stress-inducible markers and cell vulnerability to proteotoxic,excitotoxic,and mitochondrial stressors,which was rescued upon CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeting of tau or by pharmacological activation of autophagy. Our findings unmask tau-mediated perturbations of specific pathways associated with neuronal vulnerability,revealing potential early disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets for FTD and other tauopathies. View Publication

Mitochondria are critical to neurogenesis,but the mechanisms of mitochondria in neurogenesis have not been well explored. We fully characterized mitochondrial alterations and function in relation to the development of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Following directed differentiation of hiPSCs to DA neurons,mitochondria in these neurons exhibit pronounced changes during differentiation,including mature neurophysiology characterization and functional synaptic network formation. Inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory chains via application of complex IV inhibitor KCN (potassium cyanide) or complex I inhibitor rotenone restricted neurogenesis of DA neurons. These results demonstrated the direct importance of mitochondrial development and bioenergetics in DA neuronal differentiation. Our study also provides a neurophysiologic model of mitochondrial involvement in neurogenesis,which will enhance our understanding of the role of mitochondrial dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases. View Publication

The creation of a humanized chimeric mouse nervous system permits the study of human neural development and disease pathogenesis using human cells in vivo. Humanized glial chimeric mice with the brain and spinal cord being colonized by human glial cells have been successfully generated. However,generation of humanized chimeric mouse brains repopulated by human neurons to possess a high degree of chimerism have not been well studied. Here we created humanized neuronal chimeric mouse brains by neonatally engrafting the distinct and highly neurogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived rosette-type primitive neural progenitors. These neural progenitors predominantly differentiate to neurons,which disperse widely throughout the mouse brain with infiltration of the cerebral cortex and hippocampus at 6 and 13 months after transplantation. Building upon the hiPSC technology,we propose that this potentially unique humanized neuronal chimeric mouse model will provide profound opportunities to define the structure,function,and plasticity of neural networks containing human neurons derived from a broad variety of neurological disorders. View Publication

Mutations within the FUS gene (Fused in Sarcoma) are known to cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),a neurodegenerative disease affecting upper and lower motoneurons. The FUS gene codes for a multifunctional RNA/DNA-binding protein that is primarily localized in the nucleus and is involved in cellular processes such as splicing,translation,mRNA transport and DNA damage response. In this study,we analyzed pathophysiological alterations associated with ALS related FUS mutations (mFUS) in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and hiPSC derived motoneurons. To that end,we compared cells carrying a mild or severe mFUS in physiological- and/or stress conditions as well as after induced DNA damage. Following hyperosmolar stress or irradiation,mFUS hiPS cells recruited significantly more cytoplasmatic FUS into stress granules accompanied by impaired DNA-damage repair. In motoneurons wild-type FUS was localized in the nucleus but also deposited as small punctae within neurites. In motoneurons expressing mFUS the protein was additionally detected in the cytoplasm and a significantly increased number of large,densely packed FUS positive stress granules were seen along neurites. The amount of FUS mislocalization correlated positively with both the onset of the human disease (the earlier the onset the higher the FUS mislocalization) and the maturation status of the motoneurons. Moreover,even in non-stressed post-mitotic mFUS motoneurons clear signs of DNA-damage could be detected. In summary,we found that the susceptibility to cell stress was higher in mFUS hiPSCs and hiPSC derived motoneurons than in controls and the degree of FUS mislocalization correlated well with the clinical severity of the underlying ALS related mFUS. The accumulation of DNA damage and the cellular response to DNA damage stressors was more pronounced in post-mitotic mFUS motoneurons than in dividing hiPSCs suggesting that mFUS motoneurons accumulate foci of DNA damage,which in turn might be directly linked to neurodegeneration. View Publication