An Interaction between Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Stress-Related Glucocorticoids in the Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease.

Both the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glucocorticoids (GCs) play multiple roles in various aspects of neurons, including cell survival and synaptic function. BDNF and its receptor TrkB are extensively expressed in neurons of the central nervous system (CNS), and the contribution of the BDNF/TrkB system to neuronal function is evident; thus, its downregulation has been considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). GCs, stress-related molecules, and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) are also considered to be associated with AD in addition to mental disorders such as depression. Importantly, a growing body of evidence suggests a close relationship between BDNF/TrkB-mediated signaling and the GCs/GR system in the CNS. Here, we introduce the current studies on the interaction between the neurotrophic system and stress in CNS neurons and discuss their involvement in the pathophysiology of AD.

Multimodal Intralesional Therapy for Reshaping the Myeloid Compartment of Tumors Resistant to Anti-PD-L1 Therapy via IRF8 Expression.

Intralesional therapy is a promising approach for remodeling the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment while minimizing systemic toxicities. A combinatorial in situ immunomodulation (ISIM) regimen with intratumoral administration of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L), local irradiation, and TLR3/CD40 stimulation induces and activates conventional type 1 dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment and elicits de novo adaptive T cell immunity in poorly T cell-inflamed tumors. However, the impact of ISIM on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which may promote treatment resistance, remains unknown. In this study, we examined changes in the frequencies and heterogeneity of CD11b+Ly-6CloLy-6G+ polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSCs and CD11b+Ly-6ChiLy-6G- monocytic (M)-MDSCs in ISIM-treated tumors using mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer. We found that ISIM treatment decreased intratumoral PMN-MDSCs, but not M-MDSCs. Although the frequency of M-MDSCs remained unchanged, ISIM caused a substantial reduction of CX3CR1+ M-MDSCs that express F4/80. Importantly, these ISIM-induced changes in tumor-residing MDSCs were not observed in Batf3-/- mice. ISIM upregulated PD-L1 expression in both M-MDSCs and PMN-MDSCs and synergized with anti-PD-L1 therapy. Furthermore, ISIM increased the expression of IFN regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) in myeloid cells, a known negative regulator of MDSCs, indicating a potential mechanism by which ISIM decreases PMN-MDSC levels. Accordingly, ISIM-mediated reduction of PMN-MDSCs was not observed in mice with conditional deletion of IRF8 in myeloid cells. Altogether, these findings suggest that ISIM holds promise as a multimodal intralesional therapy to alter both lymphoid and myeloid compartments of highly aggressive poorly T cell-inflamed, myeloid-enriched tumors resistant to anti-PD-L1 therapy.

CD40 and CD80/86 signaling in cDC1s mediate effective neoantigen vaccination and generation of antigen-specific CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells.

The use of tumor mutation-derived neoantigen represents a promising approach for cancer vaccines. Preclinical and early phase human clinical studies have shown the successful induction of tumor neoepitope-directed responses; however, overall clinical efficacy of neoantigen vaccines has been limited. One major obstacle of this strategy is the prevailing lack of sufficient understanding of the mechanism underlying the generation of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Here, we report a correlation between antitumor efficacy of neoantigen/toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)/CD40 agonists vaccination and an increased frequency of circulating antigen-specific CD8+ T cells expressing CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) in a preclinical model. Mechanistic studies using mixed bone marrow chimeras identified that CD40 and CD80/86, but not CD70 signaling in Batf3-dependent conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) is required for the antitumor efficacy of neoantigen vaccine and generation of neoantigen-specific CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells. Although CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells exhibited robust in vitro effector function, in vivo depletion of this subset did not alter the antitumor efficacy of neoantigen/TLR3/CD40 agonists vaccination. These findings indicate that the vaccine-primed CX3CR1+ subset is dispensable for antitumor CD8+ T cell responses, but can be used as a blood-based T-cell biomarker for effective priming of CD8+ T cells as post-differentiated T cells. Taken together, our results reveal a critical role of CD40 and CD80/86 signaling in cDC1s in antitumor efficacy of neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines, and implicate the potential utility of CX3CR1 as a circulating predictive T-cell biomarker in vaccine therapy.

An iPSC-based neural model of sialidosis uncovers glycolytic impairment-causing presynaptic dysfunction and deregulation of Ca2+ dynamics.

Sialidosis is a neuropathic lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency in the NEU1 gene-encoding lysosomal neuraminidase and characterized by abnormal accumulation of undigested sialyl-oligoconjugates in systemic organs including brain. Although patients exhibit neurological symptoms, the underlying neuropathological mechanism remains unclear. Here, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from skin fibroblasts with sialidosis and induced the differentiation into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and neurons. Sialidosis NPCs and neurons mimicked the disease-like phenotypes including reduced neuraminidase activity, accumulation of sialyl-oligoconjugates and lysosomal expansions. Functional analysis also revealed that sialidosis neurons displayed two distinct abnormalities, defective exocytotic glutamate release and augmented α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor (AMPAR)-mediated Ca2+ influx. These abnormalities were restored by overexpression of the wild-type NEU1 gene, demonstrating causative role of neuraminidase deficiency in functional impairments of disease neurons. Comprehensive proteomics analysis revealed the significant reduction of SNARE proteins and glycolytic enzymes in synaptosomal fraction, with downregulation of ATP production. Bypassing the glycolysis by treatment of pyruvate, which is final metabolite of glycolysis pathway, improved both the synaptsomal ATP production and the exocytotic function. We also found that upregulation of AMPAR and L-type voltage dependent Ca2+ channel (VDCC) subunits in disease neurons, with the restoration of AMPAR-mediated Ca2+ over-load by treatment of antagonists for the AMPAR and L-type VDCC. Our present study provides new insights into both the neuronal pathophysiology and potential therapeutic strategy for sialidosis.

Protein phosphatase 6 controls BCR-induced apoptosis of WEHI-231 cells by regulating ubiquitination of Bcl-xL.

Crosslinking BCR in the immature B cell line WEHI-231 causes apoptosis. We found that Bcl-xL was degraded by polyubiquitination upon BCR crosslinking and in this study explored the mechanism that controls the degradation of Bcl-xL. Ser(62) of Bcl-xL was phosphorylated by JNK to trigger polyubiquitination, and this was opposed by serine/threonine protein phosphatase 6 (PP6) that physically associated with Bcl-xL. We show BCR crosslinking decreased PP6 activity to allow Ser(62) phosphorylation of Bcl-xL. CD40 crosslinking rescues BCR-induced apoptosis, and we found PP6 associated with CD40 and PP6 activation in response to CD40. Our data suggest that PP6 activity is regulated to control apoptosis by modulating Ser(62) phosphorylation of Bcl-xL, which results in its polyubiquitination and degradation.

Neurotrophins and Other Growth Factors in the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease.

The involvement of the changed expression/function of neurotrophic factors in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), has been suggested. AD is one of the age-related dementias, and is characterized by cognitive impairment with decreased memory function. Developing evidence demonstrates that decreased cell survival, synaptic dysfunction, and reduced neurogenesis are involved in the pathogenesis of AD. On the other hand, it is well known that neurotrophic factors, especially brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high-affinity receptor TrkB, have multiple roles in the central nervous system (CNS), including neuronal maintenance, synaptic plasticity, and neurogenesis, which are closely linked to learning and memory function. Thus, many investigations regarding therapeutic approaches to AD, and/or the screening of novel drug candidates for its treatment, focus on upregulation of the BDNF/TrkB system. Furthermore, current studies also demonstrate that GDNF, IGF1, and bFGF, which play roles in neuroprotection, are associated with AD. In this review, we introduce data demonstrating close relationships between the pathogenesis of AD, neurotrophic factors, and drug candidates, including natural compounds that upregulate the BDNF-mediated neurotrophic system.

Involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in the pathogenesis of stress-related brain diseases.

Neurotrophins including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF, have critical roles in neuronal differentiation, cell survival, and synaptic function in the peripheral and central nervous system. It is well known that a variety of intracellular signaling stimulated by TrkB, a high-affinity receptor for BDNF, is involved in the physiological and pathological neuronal aspects via affecting cell viability, synaptic function, neurogenesis, and cognitive function. As expected, an alteration of the BDNF/TrkB system is suspected to be one of the molecular mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in cognitive diseases and mental disorders. Recent evidence has also highlighted a possible link between the alteration of TrkB signaling and chronic stress. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that downregulation of the BDNF/TrkB system and chronic stress have a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mental disorders. In this review, we introduce current evidence showing a close relationship between the BDNF/TrkB system and the development of cognition impairment in stress-related disorders, and the possible contribution of the upregulation of the BDNF/TrkB system in a therapeutic approach against these brain diseases.

Predictive and Prognostic Implications of Circulating CX3CR1+ CD8+ T Cells in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Chemo-Immunotherapy.

Lack of reliable predictive biomarkers is a major limitation of combination therapy with chemotherapy and anti-programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (anti-PD-1/PD-L1) therapy (chemo-immunotherapy). We previously observed that the increase of peripheral blood CD8+ T cells expressing CX3CR1, a marker of differentiation, correlates with response to anti-PD-1 therapy; however, the predictive and prognostic value of T-cell CX3CR1 expression during chemo-immunotherapy is unknown. Here, we evaluated the utility of circulating CX3CR1+CD8+ T cells as a predictive correlate of response to chemo-immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At least 10% increase of the CX3CR1+ subset in circulating CD8+ T cells from baseline (CX3CR1 score) was associated with response to chemo-immunotherapy as early as 4 weeks with 85.7% overall accuracy of predicting response at 6 weeks. Furthermore, at least 10% increase of the CX3CR1 score correlated with substantially better progression-free (P = 0.0051) and overall survival (P = 0.0138) on Kaplan-Meier analysis. Combined single-cell RNA/T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing of circulating T cells from longitudinally obtained blood samples and TCR sequencing of tumor tissue from the same patient who received a long-term benefit from the treatment demonstrated remarkable changes in genomic and transcriptomic signatures of T cells as well as evolution of TCR clonotypes in peripheral blood containing highly frequent tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte repertoires overexpressing CX3CR1 early after initiation of the treatment despite stable findings of the imaging study. Collectively, these findings highlight the potential utility of T-cell CX3CR1 expression as a dynamic blood-based biomarker during the early course of chemo-immunotherapy and a marker to identify frequent circulating tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte repertoires. Significance: Current approaches to combined chemotherapy and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy (chemo-immunotherapy) for patients with NSCLC are limited by the lack of reliable predictive biomarkers. This study shows the utility of T-cell differentiation marker, CX3CR1, as an early on-treatment predictor of response and changes in genomic/transcriptomic signatures of circulating tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte repertoires in patients with NSCLC undergoing chemo-immunotherapy.

Generation of cDC-like cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells via Notch signaling.

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in regulating the innate and adaptive immune responses, and have long been a major focus of cancer immunotherapy. Accumulating evidence suggests that conventional type 1 DCs (cDC1s) excel in cross-presentation of exogenous antigens on MHC-I molecules and induction of antitumor CD8+ T cell immunity; however, obtaining large numbers of cDC1s is difficult. The use of reprogramming and differentiation technology is advantageous for obtaining unlimited numbers of autologous cDC1s especially for therapeutic interventions where repeated vaccinations are required. However, generation of cDC1s from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) remains elusive. METHODS: Human iPSCs established from peripheral blood T cells and monocytes were differentiated to myeloid cells under on-feeder or feeder-free culture conditions in vitro. Phenotype, genomic and transcriptomic signature, and function of human iPSC-derived DCs were analyzed. The role of Notch signaling for the generation of HLA-DR+ cells from human iPSCs was interrogated by a loss- and gain-of-function approach. RESULTS: Flow cytometric analyses and single-cell profiling of HLA-DR+ cells revealed that human iPSCs gave rise to CD141+XCR1+CLEC9A+ cells (cDC1s), CLEC4AhiCLEC10A-CD1c+ cells (cDC2As), CLEC4AloCLEC10A+CD1c+ cells (cDC2Bs), CD163-CD5+CD1c+ cells (CD5+cDC2s), and AXL+SIGLEC6+ cells (AS-DCs) on OP9 feeder cells expressing the Notch ligand delta-like 1 (OP9-DL1) while the majority of iPSC-derived cells differentiated on OP9 cells were CD163+CD5-CD1c+ cells (DC3s) and monocytes. Plasmacytoid DCs were not differentiated from iPSCs on either OP9 or OP9-DL1 cells. Inhibition of Notch signaling during co-culture of iPSC-derived CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells with OP9-DL1 cells abrogated generation of cDC1s, cDC2As, cDC2Bs, CD5+cDC2s, and AS-DCs but increased frequency of DC3s. Notch-activated human iPSC-derived XCR1+CLEC9A+HLA-DR+CD11c+ cells exhibited similar gene expression profile with peripheral blood cDC1s. Human iPSC-derived DCs have phagocytic, T-cell proliferative, and cytokine-producing functions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates a critical role of Notch signaling in regulating developmental pathway of human cDCs. These findings provide insights into the future development of personalized treatment with unlimited numbers of autologous cDCs from human iPSCs.

Rapid and Simplified Induction of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells (NSCs/NPCs) and Neurons from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs).

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their progeny displaying tissue-specific characteristics have paved the way for regenerative medicine and research in various fields such as the elucidation of the pathological mechanism of diseases and the discovery of drug candidates. iPSC-derived neurons are particularly valuable as it is difficult to analyze neural cells obtained from the central nervous system in humans. For neuronal induction with iPSCs, one of the commonly used approaches is the isolation and expansion of neural rosettes, following the formation of embryonic bodies (EBs). However, this process is laborious, inefficient, and requires further purification of the cells. To overcome these limitations, we have developed an efficient neural induction method that allows for the generation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs) from iPSCs within 7 days and of functional mature neurons. Our method yields a PAX6-positive homogeneous cell population, a cortical NSCs/NPCs, and the resultant NSCs/NPCs can be cryopreserved, expanded, and differentiated into functional mature neurons. Moreover, our protocol will be less expensive than other methods since the protocol requires fewer neural supplements during neural induction. This article also presents the FM1-43 imaging assay, which is useful for the presynaptic assessment of the iPSCs-derived human neurons. This protocol provides a quick and simplified way to generate NSCs/NPCs and neurons, enabling researchers to establish in vitro cellular models to study brain disease pathology.

Neoadjuvant In Situ Immunomodulation Enhances Systemic Antitumor Immunity against Highly Metastatic Tumors.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy, given before surgical resection, is a promising approach to develop systemic antitumor immunity for the treatment of high-risk resectable disease. Here, using syngeneic and orthotopic mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer, we have tested the hypothesis that generation of tumor-specific T-cell responses by induction and activation of tumor-residing Batf3-dependent conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1) before resection improves control of distant metastatic disease and survival. Mice bearing highly metastatic orthotopic tumors were treated with a combinatorial in situ immunomodulation (ISIM) regimen comprised of intratumoral administration of Flt3L, local radiotherapy, and in situ TLR3/CD40 stimulations, followed by surgical resection. Neoadjuvant ISIM (neo-ISIM) generated tumor-specific CD8+ T cells that infiltrated into distant nonirradiated metastatic sites, which delayed the progression of lung metastases and improved survival after the resection of primary tumors. The efficacy of neo-ISIM was dependent on de novo adaptive T-cell immunity elicited by Batf3-dependent dendritic cells and was enhanced by increasing dose and fractionation of radiotherapy, and early surgical resection after the completion of neo-ISIM. Importantly, neo-ISIM synergized with programmed cell death protein-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1) blockade to improve control of distant metastases and prolong survival, while removal of tumor-draining lymph nodes abrogated the antimetastatic efficacy of neo-ISIM. Our findings illustrate the therapeutic potential of neoadjuvant multimodal intralesional therapy for the treatment of resectable tumors with high risk of relapse. SIGNIFICANCE: Neoadjuvant induction and activation of cDC1s in primary tumors enhances systemic antitumor immunity, suppresses metastatic progression, improves survival, and synergizes with anti-PD-L1 therapy.

Local, multimodal intralesional therapy renders distant brain metastases susceptible to PD-L1 blockade in a preclinical model of triple-negative breast cancer.

Despite recent progress in therapeutic strategies, prognosis of metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains dismal. Evidence suggests that the induction and activation of tumor-residing conventional type-1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) is critical for the generation of CD8+ T cells that mediate the regression of mammary tumors and potentiate anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapeutic efficacy. However, it remains unknown whether this strategy is effective against metastatic TNBC, which is poorly responsive to immunotherapy. Here, using a mouse model of TNBC, we established orthotopic mammary tumors and brain metastases, and treated mammary tumors with in situ immunomodulation (ISIM) consisting of intratumoral injections of Flt3L to mobilize cDC1s, local irradiation to induce immunogenic tumor cell death, and TLR3/CD40 stimulation to activate cDC1s. ISIM treatment of the mammary tumor increased circulating T cells with effector phenotypes, and infiltration of CD8+ T cells into the metastatic brain lesions, resulting in delayed progression of brain metastases and improved survival. Furthermore, although anti-PD-L1 therapy alone was ineffective against brain metastases, ISIM overcame resistance to anti-PD-L1 therapy, which rendered these tumor-bearing mice responsive to anti-PD-L1 therapy and further improved survival. Collectively, these results illustrate the therapeutic potential of multimodal intralesional therapy for patients with unresectable and metastatic TNBC.

In situ delivery of iPSC-derived dendritic cells with local radiotherapy generates systemic antitumor immunity and potentiates PD-L1 blockade in preclinical poorly immunogenic tumor models.

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs) are a promising therapeutic target in cancer immunotherapy given their ability to prime antigen-specific T cells, and initiate antitumor immune response. A major obstacle for DC-based immunotherapy is the difficulty to obtain a sufficient number of functional DCs. Theoretically, this limitation can be overcome by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs); however, therapeutic strategies to engage iPSC-derived DCs (iPSC-DCs) into cancer immunotherapy remain to be elucidated. Accumulating evidence showing that induction of tumor-residing DCs enhances immunomodulatory effect of radiotherapy (RT) prompted us to investigate antitumor efficacy of combining intratumoral administration of iPSC-DCs with local RT. METHODS: Mouse iPSCs were differentiated to iPSC-DCs on OP9 stromal cells expressing the notch ligand delta-like 1 in the presence of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Phenotype and the capacities of iPSC-DCs to traffic tumor-draining lymph nodes (TdLNs) and prime antigen-specific T cells were evaluated by flow cytometry and imaging flow cytometry. Antitumor efficacy of intratumoral injection of iPSC-DCs and RT was tested in syngeneic orthotopic mouse tumor models resistant to anti-PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy. RESULTS: Mouse iPSC-DCs phenotypically resembled conventional type 2 DCs, and had a capacity to promote activation, proliferation and effector differentiation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the presence of the cognate antigen in vitro. Combination of in situ administration of iPSC-DCs and RT facilitated the priming of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells, and synergistically delayed the growth of not only the treated tumor but also the distant non-irradiated tumors. Mechanistically, RT enhanced trafficking of intratumorally injected iPSC-DCs to the TdLN, upregulated CD40 expression, and increased the frequency of DC/CD8+ T cell aggregates. Phenotypic analysis of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and myeloid cells revealed an increase of stem-like Slamf6+ TIM3- CD8+ T cells and PD-L1 expression in tumor-associated macrophages and DCs. Consequently, combined therapy rendered poorly immunogenic tumors responsive to anti-PD-L1 therapy along with the development of tumor-specific immunological memory. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrate the translational potential of iPSC-DCs, and identify the therapeutic efficacy of a combinatorial platform to engage them for overcoming resistance to anti-PD-L1 therapy in poorly immunogenic tumors.

CaMKII phosphorylates serine 10 of p27 and confers apoptosis resistance to HeLa cells.

Protein phosphatase (PP) 6 is a serine threonine phosphatase which belongs to the PP2A subfamily of protein phosphatases. PP6 has been implicated in the control of apoptosis. A dominant negative form PP6 (DN-PP6) mutant cDNA was prepared and transfected into HeLa cells to investigate the regulation of apoptosis. HeLa cells expressing DN-PP6 showed increased resistance to apoptosis induced by TNF and cycloheximide. CaMKII phosphorylation and the expression of p27 were increased in DN-PP6 transfectants. Transient expression or activation of CaMKII increased the expression of p27. Furthermore, CaMKII phosphorylated serine 10 of p27, which induces the translocation of p27 from nucleus to cytoplasm and increases the stability of p27. Overexpression of wild type but not the S10A mutant p27 cDNA increased the expression of Bcl-xL and conferred apoptosis resistance to HeLa cells. These results indicated that PP6 and CaMKII regulated apoptosis by controlling the expression level of p27.

Novel Drug Candidates Improve Ganglioside Accumulation and Neural Dysfunction in GM1 Gangliosidosis Models with Autophagy Activation.

GM1 gangliosidosis is a lysosomal storage disease caused by loss of lysosomal ß-galactosidase activity and characterized by progressive neurodegeneration due to massive accumulation of GM1 ganglioside in the brain. Here, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients with GM1 gangliosidosis, and the resultant neurons showed impaired neurotransmitter release as a presynaptic function and accumulation of GM1 ganglioside. Treatment of normal neurons with GM1 ganglioside also disturbed presynaptic function. A high-content drug-screening system was then established and identified two compounds as drug candidates for GM1 gangliosidosis. Treatment of the patient-derived neurons with the candidate agents activated autophagy pathways, reducing GM1 ganglioside accumulation in vitro and in vivo, and restoring the presynaptic dysfunction. Our findings thus demonstrated the potential value of patient-derived iPSC lines as cellular models of GM1 gangliosidosis and revealed two potential therapeutic agents for future clinical application.

Presynaptic Dysfunction in Neurons Derived from Tay-Sachs iPSCs.

Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) is a GM2 gangliosidosis lysosomal storage disease caused by a loss of lysosomal hexosaminidase-A (HEXA) activity and characterized by progressive neurodegeneration due to the massive accumulation of GM2 ganglioside in the brain. Here, we generated iPSCs derived from patients with TSD, and found similar potential for neural differentiation between TSD-iPSCs and normal iPSCs, although neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from the TSD-iPSCs exhibited enlarged lysosomes and upregulation of the lysosomal marker, LAMP1, caused by the accumulation of GM2 ganglioside. The NPCs derived from TSD-iPSCs also had an increased incidence of oxidative stress-induced cell death. TSD-iPSC-derived neurons showed a decrease in exocytotic activity with the accumulation of GM2 ganglioside, suggesting deficient neurotransmission in TSD. Our findings demonstrated that NPCs and mature neurons derived from TSD-iPSCs are potentially useful cellular models of TSD and are useful for investigating the efficacy of drug candidates in the future.

Frequencies of chromosomal inversions in Drosophila melanogaster in Fukushima after the nuclear power plant accident.

In order to investigate genetic impact of a large amount of radionuclides released by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in 2011, we surveyed 2,304 haploid genomes of Drosophila melanogaster collected in three localities in Fukushima in 2012 and 2013 for chromosomal inversions. No unique inversion was found in 298 genomes in 2012 and only two in 2,006 genomes in 2013. The observed frequencies were even lower than the long-term average frequency of unique inversions in Japan. The common cosmopolitan inversions were also examined in Fukushima, Kyoto, and Iriomote (Okinawa) in 2012. Among three samples in Fukushima, the flies in Iizaka, where environmental radiation level was the highest, showed the lowest frequency of In(2L)t, but the highest frequency of In(3R)P, contrary to the expectation of decreasing of their frequencies in higher polluted areas. These results suggest that, at this level of genetic analysis, Fukushima populations of D. melanogaster would not have been negatively impacted following the release of radionuclides. Transposable P-element mobility was not likely to induce DNA damage solely or synergistically with radioactivity, because their transposition activity was totally repressed in the Fukushima strains. However, it should be noted that, because of limitations in access to the exclusion zone, we could only sample the populations in areas of relatively low radioactive contamination (0.39-0.63 µSv/h). Therefore, the present study is likely to be underpowered to detect any effects that might be expected in heavily contaminated areas.