ELAVL4, splicing, and glutamatergic dysfunction precede neuron loss in MAPT mutation cerebral organoids.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) because of MAPT mutation causes pathological accumulation of tau and glutamatergic cortical neuronal death by unknown mechanisms. We used human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cerebral organoids expressing tau-V337M and isogenic corrected controls to discover early alterations because of the mutation that precede neurodegeneration. At 2 months, mutant organoids show upregulated expression of MAPT, glutamatergic signaling pathways, and regulators, including the RNA-binding protein ELAVL4, and increased stress granules. Over the following 4 months, mutant organoids accumulate splicing changes, disruption of autophagy function, and build-up of tau and P-tau-S396. By 6 months, tau-V337M organoids show specific loss of glutamatergic neurons as seen in individuals with FTD. Mutant neurons are susceptible to glutamate toxicity, which can be rescued pharmacologically by the PIKFYVE kinase inhibitor apilimod. Our results demonstrate a sequence of events that precede neurodegeneration, revealing molecular pathways associated with glutamate signaling as potential targets for therapeutic intervention in FTD.

STAU2 binds a complex RNA cargo that changes temporally with production of diverse intermediate progenitor cells during mouse corticogenesis.

STAU2 is a double-stranded RNA-binding protein enriched in the nervous system. During asymmetric divisions in the developing mouse cortex, STAU2 preferentially distributes into the intermediate progenitor cell (IPC), delivering RNA molecules that can impact IPC behavior. Corticogenesis occurs on a precise time schedule, raising the hypothesis that the cargo STAU2 delivers into IPCs changes over time. To test this, we combine RNA-immunoprecipitation with sequencing (RIP-seq) over four stages of mouse cortical development, generating a comprehensive cargo profile for STAU2. A subset of the cargo was 'stable', present at all stages, and involved in chromosome organization, macromolecule localization, translation and DNA repair. Another subset was 'dynamic', changing with cortical stage, and involved in neurogenesis, cell projection organization, neurite outgrowth, and included cortical layer markers. Notably, the dynamic STAU2 cargo included determinants of IPC versus neuronal fates and genes contributing to abnormal corticogenesis. Knockdown of one STAU2 target, Taf13, previously linked to microcephaly and impaired myelination, reduced oligodendrogenesis in vitro. We conclude that STAU2 contributes to the timing of corticogenesis by binding and delivering complex and temporally regulated RNA cargo into IPCs.

Fully Human Bifunctional Intrabodies Achieve Graded Reduction of Intracellular Tau and Rescue Survival of MAPT Mutation iPSC-derived Neurons.

Tau protein aggregation is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), spurring development of tau-lowering therapeutic strategies. Here, we report fully human bifunctional anti-tau-PEST intrabodies that bind the mid-domain of tau to block aggregation and degrade tau via the proteasome using the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) PEST degron. They effectively reduced tau protein in human iPSC-derived cortical neurons in 2D cultures and 3D organoids, including those with the disease-associated tau mutations R5L, N279K, R406W, and V337M. Anti-tau-hPEST intrabodies facilitated efficient ubiquitin-independent proteolysis, in contrast to tau-lowering approaches that rely on the cell's ubiquitination system. Importantly, they counteracted the proteasome impairment observed in V337M patient-derived cortical neurons and significantly improved neuronal survival. By serial mutagenesis, we created variants of the PEST degron that achieved graded levels of tau reduction. Moderate reduction was as effective as high reduction against tau V337M-induced neural cell death.

Adult Mouse Leptomeninges Exhibit Regional and Age-related Cellular Heterogeneity Implicating Mental Disorders.

The leptomeninges envelop the central nervous system (CNS) and contribute to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production and homeostasis. We analyzed the meninges overlying the anterior or posterior forebrain in the adult mouse by single nuclear RNA-sequencing (snucRNA-seq). This revealed regional differences in fibroblast and endothelial cell composition and gene expression. Surprisingly, these non-neuronal cells co-expressed genes implicated in neural functions. The regional differences changed with aging, from 3 to 18 months. Cytokine analysis revealed specific soluble factor production from anterior vs posterior meninges that also altered with age. Secreted factors from the leptomeninges from different regions and ages differentially impacted the survival of anterior or posterior cortical neuronal subsets, neuron morphology, and glia proliferation. These findings suggest that meningeal dysfunction in different brain regions could contribute to specific neural pathologies. The disease-associations of meningeal cell genes differentially expressed with region and age were significantly enriched for mental and substance abuse disorders.

Improved Protocol for Reproducible Human Cortical Organoids Reveals Early Alterations in Metabolism with MAPT Mutations.

Cerebral cortical-enriched organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are valuable models for studying neurodevelopment, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic development. However, recognized limitations include the high variability of organoids across hPSC donor lines and experimental replicates. We report a 96-slitwell method for efficient, scalable, reproducible cortical organoid production. When hPSCs were cultured with controlled-release FGF2 and an SB431542 concentration appropriate for their TGFBR1 / ALK5 expression level, organoid cortical patterning and reproducibility were significantly improved. Well-patterned organoids included 16 neuronal and glial subtypes by single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), frequent neural progenitor rosettes and robust BCL11B+ and TBR1+ deep layer cortical neurons at 2 months by immunohistochemistry. In contrast, poorly-patterned organoids contain mesendoderm-related cells, identifiable by negative QC markers including COL1A2 . Using this improved protocol, we demonstrate increased sensitivity to study the impact of different MAPT mutations from patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), revealing early changes in key metabolic pathways.

Human tau mutations in cerebral organoids induce a progressive dyshomeostasis of cholesterol.

Mutations in the MAPT gene that encodes tau lead to frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with pathology evident in both cerebral neurons and glia. Human cerebral organoids (hCOs) from individuals harboring pathogenic tau mutations can reveal the earliest downstream effects on molecular pathways within a developmental context, generating interacting neurons and glia. We found that in hCOs carrying the V337M and R406W tau mutations, the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway in astrocytes was the top upregulated gene set compared with isogenic controls by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). The 15 upregulated genes included HMGCR, ACAT2, STARD4, LDLR, and SREBF2. This result was confirmed in a homozygous R406W mutant cell line by immunostaining and sterol measurements. Cholesterol abundance in the brain is tightly regulated by efflux and cholesterol biosynthetic enzyme levels in astrocytes, and dysregulation can cause aberrant phosphorylation of tau. Our findings suggest that cholesterol dyshomeostasis is an early event in the etiology of neurodegeneration caused by tau mutations.

Asymmetric distribution of EGFR receptor during mitosis generates diverse CNS progenitor cells.

It has been debated whether asymmetric distribution of cell surface receptors during mitosis could generate asymmetric cell divisions by yielding daughters with different environmental responsiveness and, thus, different fates. We have found that in mouse embryonic forebrain ventricular and subventricular zones, the EGFR can distribute asymmetrically during mitosis in vivo and in vitro. This occurs during divisions yielding two Nestin+ progenitor cells, via an actin-dependent mechanism. The resulting sibling progenitor cells respond differently to EGFR ligand in terms of migration and proliferation. Moreover, they express different phenotypic markers: the EGFRhigh daughter usually has radial glial/astrocytic markers, while its EGFRlow sister lacks them, indicating fate divergence. Lineage trees of cultured cortical glioblasts reveal repeated EGFR asymmetric distribution, and asymmetric divisions underlie formation of oligodendrocytes and astrocytes in clones. These data suggest that asymmetric EGFR distribution contributes to forebrain development by creating progenitors with different proliferative, migratory, and differentiation responses to ligand.

Non-monotonic Changes in Progenitor Cell Behavior and Gene Expression during Aging of the Adult V-SVZ Neural Stem Cell Niche.

Neural stem cell activity in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) decreases with aging, thought to occur by a unidirectional decline. However, by analyzing the V-SVZ transcriptome of male mice at 2, 6, 18, and 22 months, we found that most of the genes that change significantly over time show a reversal of trend, with a maximum or minimum expression at 18 months. In vivo, MASH1+ progenitor cells decreased in number and proliferation between 2 and 18 months but increased between 18 and 22 months. Time-lapse lineage analysis of 944 V-SVZ cells showed that age-related declines in neurogenesis were recapitulated in vitro in clones. However, activated type B/type C cell clones divide slower at 2 to 18 months, then unexpectedly faster at 22 months, with impaired transition to type A neuroblasts. Our findings indicate that aging of the V-SVZ involves significant non-monotonic changes that are programmed within progenitor cells and are observable independent of the aging niche.

Computational Image Analysis Reveals Intrinsic Multigenerational Differences between Anterior and Posterior Cerebral Cortex Neural Progenitor Cells.

Time-lapse microscopy can capture patterns of development through multiple divisions for an entire clone of proliferating cells. Images are taken every few minutes over many days, generating data too vast to process completely by hand. Computational analysis of this data can benefit from occasional human guidance. Here we combine improved automated algorithms with minimized human validation to produce fully corrected segmentation, tracking, and lineaging results with dramatic reduction in effort. A web-based viewer provides access to data and results. The improved approach allows efficient analysis of large numbers of clones. Using this method, we studied populations of progenitor cells derived from the anterior and posterior embryonic mouse cerebral cortex, each growing in a standardized culture environment. Progenitors from the anterior cortex were smaller, less motile, and produced smaller clones compared to those from the posterior cortex, demonstrating cell-intrinsic differences that may contribute to the areal organization of the cerebral cortex.

Multisensory interface for 5D stem cell image volumes.

Biological imaging of live cell and tissue using 3D microscopy is able to capture time-lapse image sequences showing multiple molecular markers labeling different biological structures simultaneously. In order to analyze this complex multi-dimensional image sequence data, there is a need for automated quantitative algorithms, and for methods to visualize and interact with both the data and the analytical results. Traditional computational human input devices such as the keyboard and mouse are no longer adequate for complex tasks such as manipulating and navigating 3+ dimensional volumes. In this paper, we have developed a new interaction system for interfacing with big data sets using the human visual system together with touch, force and audio feedback. This system includes real-time dynamic 3D visualization, haptic interaction via exoskeletal glove, and tonal auditory components that seamlessly create an immersive environment for efficient qualitative analysis.

The effect of long-term release of Shh from implanted biodegradable microspheres on recovery from spinal cord injury in mice.

After spinal cord injury (SCI), loss of cells and damage to ascending and descending tracts can result in paralysis. Current treatments for SCI are based on patient stabilization, and much-needed regenerative therapies are still under development. To activate and instruct stem and progenitor cells or injured tissue to aid SCI repair, it is important to modify the injury environment for a protracted period, to allow time for cell activation, proliferation and appropriate fate differentiation. Shh plays a critical role in spinal cord formation, being involved in multiple processes: it promotes production of motor neurons and oligodendrocytes from ventral cord progenitor cells and serves as an axon guidance molecule. Hence Shh is a candidate pleiotropic beneficial environmental factor for spinal cord regeneration. Here we show that administration of biodegradable microspheres that provide sustained, controlled delivery of Shh resulted in significant functional improvement in two different mouse models of SCI: contusion and dorsal hemioversection. The mechanism is multifactorial, involving increased proliferation of endogenous NG2+ oligodendrocyte lineage cells, decreased astrocytic scar formation and increased sprouting and growth of corticospinal (CST) and raphespinal tract (RST) fibers. Thus, long-term administration of Shh is a potential valuable therapeutic intervention for SCI.

Vertebrate neural stem cell segmentation, tracking and lineaging with validation and editing.

This protocol and the accompanying software program called LEVER (lineage editing and validation) enable quantitative automated analysis of phase-contrast time-lapse images of cultured neural stem cells. Images are captured at 5-min intervals over a period of 5-15 d as the cells proliferate and differentiate. LEVER automatically segments, tracks and generates lineage trees of the stem cells from the image sequence. In addition to generating lineage trees capturing the population dynamics of clonal development, LEVER extracts quantitative phenotypic measurements of cell location, shape, movement and size. When available, the system can include biomolecular markers imaged using fluorescence. It then displays the results to the user for highly efficient inspection and editing to correct any errors in the segmentation, tracking or lineaging. To enable high-throughput inspection, LEVER incorporates features for rapid identification of errors and for learning from user-supplied corrections to automatically identify and correct related errors.

Adult SVZ stem cells lie in a vascular niche: a quantitative analysis of niche cell-cell interactions.

There is an emerging understanding of the importance of the vascular system within stem cell niches. Here, we examine whether neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult subventricular zone (SVZ) lie close to blood vessels, using three-dimensional whole mounts, confocal microscopy, and automated computer-based image quantification. We found that the SVZ contains a rich plexus of blood vessels that snake along and within neuroblast chains. Cells expressing stem cell markers, including GFAP, and proliferation markers are closely apposed to the laminin-containing extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding vascular endothelial cells. Apical GFAP+ cells are admixed within the ependymal layer and some span between the ventricle and blood vessels, occupying a specialized microenvironment. Adult SVZ progenitor cells express the laminin receptor alpha6beta1 integrin, and blocking this inhibits their adhesion to endothelial cells, altering their position and proliferation in vivo, indicating that it plays a functional role in binding SVZ stem cells within the vascular niche.

Multipotent embryonic spinal cord stem cells expanded by endothelial factors and Shh/RA promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Cell transplantation is a promising way to treat spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative disorders. Neural stem cells taken from the embryonic spinal cord are an appealing source of cells for transplantation because these cells are committed to making spinal cord progeny. However these stem cells are rare and require expansion in tissue culture to generate sufficient cells for transplantation. We have developed a novel method for expanding embryonic mouse spinal cord stem cells using a co-culture system with endothelial cells. This method improves neural stem cell survival and preserves their multipotency, including their ability to make motor neurons. Transplantation of endothelial-expanded neural stem cells that were treated with sonic hedgehog(Shh) and retinoic acid (RA) during the expansion phase, into an adult mouse SCI model resulted in significant recovery of sensory and motor function.

Automated cell lineage construction: a rapid method to analyze clonal development established with murine neural progenitor cells.

Understanding cell lineage relationships is fundamental to understanding development, and can shed light on disease etiology and progression. We present a method for automated tracking of lineages of proliferative, migrating cells from a sequence of images. The method is applicable to image sequences gathered either in vitro or in vivo. Currently, generating lineage trees from progenitor cells over time is a tedious, manual process, which limits the number of cell measurements that can be practically analyzed. In contrast, the automated method is rapid and easily applied, and produces a wealth of measurements including the precise position, shape, cell-cell contacts, motility and ancestry of each cell in every frame, and accurate timings of critical events, e.g., mitosis and cell death. Furthermore, it automatically produces graphical output that is immediately accessible. Application to clonal development of mouse neural progenitor cells growing in cell culture reveals complex changes in cell cycle rates during neuron and glial production. The method enables a level of quantitative analysis of cell behavior over time that was previously infeasible.

Stage-specific changes in gene expression in acutely isolated mouse CNS progenitor cells.

Neural progenitor cells can be derived from a variety of developmental stages when they are preferentially proliferating, undergoing neurogenesis or undergoing gliogenesis. We used FACS sorting and the LeX surface marker to enrich neural progenitor cells from different embryonic stages and adult and compared their gene expression profiles using Affymetrix Microarrays. Our results show that, while there are common genes expressed in the progenitor cell population from all stages, there are also significant differences in gene expression patterns that correlate with stage-related behaviors. These data indicate that progenitor cells change during development and that adult and embryonic neural progenitor cells are intrinsically different.

Endothelial cells stimulate self-renewal and expand neurogenesis of neural stem cells.

Neural stem cells are reported to lie in a vascular niche, but there is no direct evidence for a functional relationship between the stem cells and blood vessel component cells. We show that endothelial cells but not vascular smooth muscle cells release soluble factors that stimulate the self-renewal of neural stem cells, inhibit their differentiation, and enhance their neuron production. Both embryonic and adult neural stem cells respond, allowing extensive production of both projection neuron and interneuron types in vitro. Endothelial coculture stimulates neuroepithelial cell contact, activating Notch and Hes 1 to promote self-renewal. These findings identify endothelial cells as a critical component of the neural stem cell niche.