技术资料

The development of targeted therapeutics for rare neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) faces significant challenges due to the scarcity of subjects and the difficulty of obtaining human neural cells. Here,we illustrate a rapid,simple protocol by which patient derived cells can be reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using an episomal vector and differentiated into neurons. Using this platform enables patient somatic cells to be converted to physiologically active neurons in less than two months with minimal labor. This platform includes a method to combine somatic cell reprogramming with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing at single cell resolution,which enables the concurrent development of clonal knockout or knock-in models that can be used as isogenic control lines. This platform reduces the logistical barrier for using iPSC technology,allows for the development of appropriate control lines for use in rare neurodevelopmental disease research,and establishes a fundamental component to targeted therapeutics and precision medicine. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:886-896. View Publication

Enumeration of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) numbers through single cell digestion can be time consuming especially in high-throughput or multi-factorial analysis containing 50+ samples. We have developed a reproducible,cost-effective method of counting hESCs in clumps circumventing the need to manually dissociate each sample to single cells. The method is based on the DNA binding capacity of propidium iodide (PI) and subsequent fluorescent signal detection. Standard curves generated for cell numbers versus PI fluorescence as single cells or clumps showed an almost identical relationship in the lines of best fit. The reproducibility of the assay was first demonstrated by seeding hESC clumps at specific cell densities ranging 0.05[x02013]2x105 cells/well and then secondly by using the assay to count cell numbers after different growth conditions. Validation tests showed that consistent seeding densities are important in maintaining undifferentiated hESC culture and that the assay can be used to estimate relative cell numbers and growth curves with high accuracy. View Publication

We have identified a rare coding mutation,T835M (rs137875858),in the UNC5C netrin receptor gene that segregated with disease in an autosomal dominant pattern in two families enriched for late-onset Alzheimer's disease and that was associated with disease across four large case-control cohorts (odds ratio = 2.15,Pmeta = 0.0095). T835M alters a conserved residue in the hinge region of UNC5C,and in vitro studies demonstrate that this mutation leads to increased cell death in human HEK293T cells and in rodent neurons. Furthermore,neurons expressing T835M UNC5C are more susceptible to cell death from multiple neurotoxic stimuli,including $\beta$-amyloid (A$\beta$),glutamate and staurosporine. On the basis of these data and the enriched hippocampal expression of UNC5C in the adult nervous system,we propose that one possible mechanism in which T835M UNC5C contributes to the risk of Alzheimer's disease is by increasing susceptibility to neuronal cell death,particularly in vulnerable regions of the Alzheimer's disease brain. View Publication

Differentiation of neural lineages from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) raises the hope of generating functional cells for the treatment of neural diseases. However,current protocols for differentiating hPSCs into neural lineages remain inefficient and largely variable between different hPSC lines. We report that microRNA 376c (miR-376c) significantly enhanced neural differentiation of hPSCs in a defined condition by suppressing SMAD4,the co-SMAD for TGF-β signaling. Downstream,SMAD4 directly bound and suppressed PAX6,the critical neural lineage specification factor. Interestingly,we also found that SMAD4 binds and suppresses miR-376c clusters in undifferentiated hESCs. In summary,our findings revealed a reciprocal antagonism between miR-376c and SMAD signaling that regulates cell fate during human neural differentiation.-Liu,J.,Wang,L.,Su,Z.,Wu,W.,Cai,X.,Li,D.,Hou,J.,Pei,D.,Pan,G. A reciprocal antagonism between miR-376c and TGF-β signaling regulates neural differentiation of hPSCs. View Publication

Sphingolipids,particularly gangliosides,are enriched in neuronal membranes where they have been implicated as mediators of various regulatory events. We recently provided evidence that sphingolipid synthesis is necessary to maintain neuronal growth by demonstrating that in hippocampal neurons,inhibition of ceramide synthesis by Fumonisin B1 (FB1) disrupted axonal outgrowth (Harel,R. and Futerman,A. H. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268,14476-14481). We now analyze further the relationship between neuronal growth and sphingolipid metabolism by examining the effect of an inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthesis,D-threo-1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1- propanol (PDMP) and by examining the effects of both FB1 and PDMP at various stages of neuronal development. No effects of FB1 or PDMP were observed during the first 2 days in culture,but by day 3 axonal morphology was significantly altered,irrespective of the time of addition of the inhibitors to the cultures. Cells incubated with FB1 or PDMP had a shorter axon plexus and less axonal branches. FB1 appeared to cause a retraction of axonal branches between days 2 and 3,although long term incubation had no apparent effect on neuronal morphology or on the segregation of axonal or dendritic proteins. In contrast,incubation of neurons with conduritol B-epoxide,an inhibitor of glucosylceramide degradation,caused an increase in the number of axonal branches and a corresponding increase in the length of the axon plexus. A direct correlation was observed between the number of axonal branch points per cell and the extent of inhibition of either sphingolipid synthesis or degradation. These results suggest that sphingolipids play an important role in the formation or stabilization of axonal branches. View Publication

Differentiation of pluripotent cells into endoderm-related cell types initially requires in vitro gastrulation into the definitive endoderm (DE). Most differentiation protocols are initiated from colonies of pluripotent cells complicating their adaption due to insufficiently defined starting conditions. The protocol described here was initiated from a defined cell number of dispersed single cells and tested on three different human embryonic stem cell lines and one human induced pluripotent stem cell line. Combined activation of ActivinA/Nodal signaling and GSK3 inhibition for the first 24 h,followed by ActivinA/Nodal signaling efficiently induced the DE state. Activation of ActivinA/Nodal signaling alone was not effective. Efficient GSK3 inhibition allowed the reduction of the ActivinA concentration during the entire protocol. A feeder-independent cultivation of pluripotent cells was preferred to achieve the high efficiency and robustness since feeder cells hindered the differentiation process. Additionally,inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway was not required,nonetheless yielding high cell numbers efficiently committed toward the DE. Finally,the endoderm generated could be differentiated further into PDX1-positive pan-pancreatic cells and NGN3-positive endocrine progenitors. Thus,this efficient and robust DE differentiation protocol is a step forward toward better reproducibility due to the well-defined conditions based on dispersed single cells from feeder-free-cultivated human pluripotent cells. View Publication

Molecular- and cellular-based therapies have the potential to reduce obesity-associated disease. In response to cold,beige adipocytes form in subcutaneous white adipose tissue and convert energy stored in metabolic substrates to heat,making them an attractive therapeutic target. We developed a robust method to generate a renewable source of human beige adipocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Developmentally,these cells are derived from FOXF1+ mesoderm and progress through an expandable mural-like mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) to form mature beige adipocytes that display a thermogenically active profile. This includes expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) concomitant with increased uncoupled respiration. With this method,dysfunctional adipogenic precursors can be reprogrammed and differentiated into beige adipocytes with increased thermogenic function and anti-diabetic secretion potential. This resource can be used to (1) elucidate mechanisms that underlie the control of beige adipogenesis and (2) generate material for cellular-based therapies that target metabolic syndrome in humans. View Publication

Reprogramming of patient cells to human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) has facilitated in vitro disease modeling studies aiming at deciphering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to disease pathogenesis and progression. To fully exploit the potential of hiPSC for biomedical applications,technologies that enable the standardized generation and expansion of hiPSC from large numbers of donors are required. Paralleled automated processes for the expansion of hiPSC could provide an opportunity to maximize the generation of hiPSC collections from patient cohorts while minimizing hands-on time and costs. In order to develop a simple method for the parallel expansion of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) we established a protocol for their cultivation as undifferentiated aggregates in a bench-top bioreactor system (BioLevitator™). We show that long-term expansion (10 passages) of hPSCs either in mTeSR or E8 medium preserved a normal karyotype,three-germ-layer differentiation potential and high expression of pluripotency-associated markers. The system enables the expansion from low inoculation densities (0.3 × 10(5) cells/mL) and provides a simplified,cost-efficient and time-saving method for the provision of hiPSC at midi-scale. Implementation of this protocol in cell production schemes has the potential to advance cell manufacturing in many areas of hiPSC-based medical research. View Publication

Retinoic acid (RA) exerts its pleiotropic effects on cell growth and differentiation through the activation of a family of transcription factors-the RA receptors (RARs). Three subtypes of these receptors exist,RAR alpha,RAR beta,and RAR gamma. The receptors are differentially expressed in different cell types and stages of development,suggesting that they may regulate different sets of genes. We have identified a synthetic retinoid with the characteristics of a selective RAR alpha antagonist. This antagonist counteracts RA effects on HL-60 cell differentiation and on B-lymphocyte polyclonal activation. Beyond its potential practical relevance,this and other specific antagonists will be useful to dissect the RAR system and to assign to one given receptor each of the many RA-regulated functions. View Publication