Stable reprogrammed heterokaryons form spontaneously in Purkinje neurons after bone marrow transplant.

Heterokaryons are the product of cell fusion without subsequent nuclear or chromosome loss. Decades of research using Sendai-virus or polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated fusion in tissue culture showed that the terminally differentiated state of a cell could be altered. But whether stable non-dividing heterokaryons could occur in animals has remained unclear. Here, we show that green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive bone-marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) contribute to adult mouse Purkinje neurons through cell fusion. The formation of heterokaryons increases in a linear manner over 1.5 years and seems to be stable. The dominant Purkinje neurons caused the BMDC nuclei within the resulting heterokaryons to enlarge, exhibit dispersed chromatin and activate a Purkinje neuron-specific transgene, L7-GFP. The observed reprogrammed heterokaryons that form in brain may provide insights into gene regulation associated with cell-fate plasticity.

Cell Fusion along the Anterior-Posterior Neuroaxis in Mice with Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

BACKGROUND: It is well documented that bone marrow-derived cells can fuse with a diverse range of cells, including brain cells, under normal or pathological conditions. Inflammation leads to robust fusion of bone marrow-derived cells with Purkinje cells and the formation of binucleate heterokaryons in the cerebellum. Heterokaryons form through the fusion of two developmentally differential cells and as a result contain two distinct nuclei without subsequent nuclear or chromosome loss. AIM: In the brain, fusion of bone marrow-derived cells appears to be restricted to the complex and large Purkinje cells, raising the question whether the size of the recipient cell is important for cell fusion in the central nervous system. Purkinje cells are among the largest neurons in the central nervous system and accordingly can harbor two nuclei. RESULTS: Using a well-characterized model for heterokaryon formation in the cerebellum (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis - a mouse model of multiple sclerosis), we report for the first time that green fluorescent protein-labeled bone marrow-derived cells can fuse and form heterokaryons with spinal cord motor neurons. These spinal cord heterokaryons are predominantly located in or adjacent to an active or previously active inflammation site, demonstrating that inflammation and infiltration of immune cells are key for cell fusion in the central nervous system. While some motor neurons were found to contain two nuclei, co-expressing green fluorescent protein and the neuronal marker, neuron-specific nuclear protein, a number of small interneurons also co-expressed green fluorescent protein and the neuronal marker, neuron-specific nuclear protein. These small heterokaryons were scattered in the gray matter of the spinal cord. CONCLUSION: This novel finding expands the repertoire of neurons that can form heterokaryons with bone marrow-derived cells in the central nervous system, albeit in low numbers, possibly leading to a novel therapy for spinal cord motor neurons or other neurons that are compromised in the central nervous system.

Neural stem cells: a potential source for remyelination in neuroinflammatory disease.

In multiple sclerosis, the central nervous system is lesioned through invasion of plaque-forming inflammatory cells, primarily contributing to immune attack of myelin and oligodendrocytes. In this report we address the possible activation and differentiation of central nervous system stem cells following such immunological insults in a well-characterized rat model of multiple sclerosis characterised by spinal cord pathology. Dye-labeled central nervous system stem cells, residing within the ependymal layer of the central canal responded to the multiple sclerosis-like conditions by proliferation, while some of the migrating stem cell-derived cells expressed markers typical for oligodendrocytes (04) and astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) in the demyelinated area. Our results indicate that regenerative stem cell activation following immunoactivity is different from that after trauma, exemplified by the slower time course of stem cell proliferation and migration of progeny, in addition to the ability of the stem cell-derived cells to express oligodendrocyte markers. Finally, deleterious effects of macrophages on the stem cell population were evident and may contribute to the depletion of the stem cell population in neuroinflammatory disorders.

Distribution and characterization of progenitor cells within the human filum terminale.

BACKGROUND: Filum terminale (FT) is a structure that is intimately associated with conus medullaris, the most caudal part of the spinal cord. It is well documented that certain regions of the adult human central nervous system contains undifferentiated, progenitor cells or multipotent precursors. The primary objective of this study was to describe the distribution and progenitor features of this cell population in humans, and to confirm their ability to differentiate within the neuroectodermal lineage. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We demonstrate that neural stem/progenitor cells are present in FT obtained from patients treated for tethered cord. When human or rat FT-derived cells were cultured in defined medium, they proliferated and formed neurospheres in 13 out of 21 individuals. Cells expressing Sox2 and Musashi-1 were found to outline the central canal, and also to be distributed in islets throughout the whole FT. Following plating, the cells developed antigen profiles characteristic of astrocytes (GFAP) and neurons (ß-III-tubulin). Addition of PDGF-BB directed the cells towards a neuronal fate. Moreover, the cells obtained from young donors shows higher capacity for proliferation and are easier to expand than cells derived from older donors. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The identification of bona fide neural progenitor cells in FT suggests a possible role for progenitor cells in this extension of conus medullaris and may provide an additional source of such cells for possible therapeutic purposes. Filum terminale, human, progenitor cells, neuron, astrocytes, spinal cord.

Extensive fusion of haematopoietic cells with Purkinje neurons in response to chronic inflammation.

Transplanted bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) have been reported to fuse with cells of diverse tissues, but the extremely low frequency of fusion has led to the view that such events are biologically insignificant. Nonetheless, in mice with a lethal recessive liver disease (tyrosinaemia), transplantation of wild-type BMDCs restored liver function by cell fusion and prevented death, indicating that cell fusion can have beneficial effects. Here we report that chronic inflammation resulting from severe dermatitis or autoimmune encephalitis leads to robust fusion of BMDCs with Purkinje neurons and formation of hundreds of binucleate heterokaryons per cerebellum, a 10-100-fold higher frequency than previously reported. Single haematopoietic stem-cell transplants showed that the fusogenic cell is from the haematopoietic lineage and parabiosis experiments revealed that fusion can occur without irradiation. Transplantation of rat bone marrow into mice led to activation of dormant rat Purkinje neuron-specific genes in BMDC nuclei after fusion with mouse Purkinje neurons, consistent with nuclear reprogramming. The precise neurological role of these heterokaryons awaits elucidation, but their frequency in brain after inflammation is clearly much higher than previously appreciated.

Neurogenesis in the adult spinal cord in an experimental model of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by inflammation, demyelination, axonal degeneration and accumulation of neurological disability. Previously, we demonstrated that stem cells constitute a possible endogenous source for remyelination. We now addressed the question of whether neurogenesis can occur in neuroinflammatory lesions. We demonstrated that, in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, induced in rats 1,1'-dioctadecyl-6,6'-di(4sulphopentyl)-3,3,3',3'tetramethylindocarbocyanin(DiI)-labelled ependymal cells not only proliferated but descendants migrated to the area of neuroinflammation and differentiated into cells expressing the neuronal markers beta-III-tubulin and NeuN. Furthermore, these cells were immunoreactive for bromodeoxyuridine and PCNA, markers for cells undergoing cell proliferation. Using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique on freshly isolated 1, DiI-labelled cells from spinal cord lesions we demonstrated the ability of these cells to fire overshooting action potentials similar to those of immature neurones. We thus provide the first evidence for the initiation of neurogenesis in neuroinflammatory lesions in the adult spinal cord.

Nitric oxide exposure diverts neural stem cell fate from neurogenesis towards astrogliogenesis.

Regeneration of cells in the central nervous system is a process that might be affected during neurological disease and trauma. Because nitric oxide (NO) and its derivatives are powerful mediators in the inflammatory cascade, we have investigated the effects of pathophysiological concentrations of NO on neurogenesis, gliogenesis, and the expression of proneural genes in primary adult neural stem cell cultures. After exposure to NO, neurogenesis was downregulated, and this corresponded to decreased expression of the proneural gene neurogenin-2 and beta-III-tubulin. The decreased ability to generate neurons was also found to be transmitted to the progeny of the cells. NO exposure was instead beneficial for astroglial differentiation, which was confirmed by increased activation of the Janus tyrosine kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription transduction pathway. Our findings reveal a new role for NO during neuroinflammatory conditions, whereby its proastroglial fate-determining effect on neural stem cells might directly influence the neuroregenerative process.

Survival and neural differentiation of adult neural stem cells transplanted into the mature inner ear.

The cochlear sensory epithelium and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the adult mammalian inner ear do not regenerate following severe injury. To replace the degenerated SGNs, neural stem cell (NSC) is an attractive alternative for substitution cell therapy. In this study, adult mouse NSCs were transplanted into normal and deafened inner ears of guinea pigs. To more efficiently drive the implanted cells into a neuronal fate, NSCs were also transduced with neurogenin 2 (ngn2) before transplantation. In deafened inner ears and in animals transplanted with ngn2-transduced NSCs, surviving cells expressed the neuronal marker neural class III beta-tubulin. Transplanted cells were found close to the sensory epithelium and adjacent to the SGNs and their peripheral processes. The results illustrate that adult NSCs can survive and differentiate in the injured inner ear. It also demonstrates the feasibility of gene transfer to generate specific progeny for cell replacement therapy in the inner ear.

Mice carrying a R142C Notch 3 knock-in mutation do not develop a CADASIL-like phenotype.

CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy, MIM 125310) is a genetic vascular dementia disease that is linked to missense mutations, small in-frame deletions, and splice site mutations in the human Notch 3 gene. Here we describe the generation of a mouse knockin model for one of the most prevalent CADASIL mutations, an arginine to cysteine transition at position 141, R141C, which corresponds to mutation R142C in mouse NOTCH 3. CADASIL(R142C) mice show no apparent CADASIL-like phenotype after histological and MRI analysis. The NOTCH 3 (R142C) receptor is processed normally and does not appear to accumulate the ectodomain, which has been observed in CADASIL patients. We discuss possible reasons for the different outcomes of the same germline CADASIL mutation in mice and humans.

Mechanism of stem cells in the central nervous system.

Injury to the central nervous system (CNS) can result in severe functional impairment. The brain and spinal cord, which constitute the CNS, have been viewed for decades as having a very limited capacity for regeneration. However, over the last several years, the body of evidence supporting the concept of regeneration and continuous renewal of neurons in specific regions of the CNS has increased. This evidence has significantly altered our perception of the CNS and has offered new hope for possible cell therapy strategies to repair lost function. Transplantation of stem cells or the recruitment of endogenous stem cells to repair specific regions of the brain or spinal cord is the next exciting research challenge. However, our understanding of the existing stem cell pool in the adult CNS remains limited. This review will discuss the identification and characterization of CNS stem cells in the adult brain and spinal cord.

Nestin enhancer requirements for expression in normal and injured adult CNS.

The nestin gene is expressed in many CNS stem/progenitor cells, both in the embryo and the adult, and nestin is used commonly as a marker for these cells. In this report we analyze nestin enhancer requirements in the adult CNS, using transgenic mice carrying reporter genes linked to three different nestin enhancer constructs: the genomic rat nestin gene and 5 kb of upstream nestin sequence (NesPlacZ/3), 636 bp of the rat nestin second intron (E/nestin:EGFP), and a corresponding 714 bp region from the human second intron (Nes714tk/lacZ). NesPlacZ/3 and E/nestin:EGFP mice showed reporter gene expression in stem cell-containing regions of brain and spinal cord during normal conditions. NesPlacZ/3 and E/nestin:EGFP mice showed increased expression in spinal cord after injury and NesPlacZ/3 mice displayed elevated expression in the periventricular area of the brain after injury, which was not the case for the E/nestin:EGFP mice. In contrast, no expression in adult CNS in vivo was seen in the Nes714tk/lacZ mice carrying the human enhancer, neither during normal conditions nor after injury. The Nes714 tk/lacZ mice, however, expressed the reporter gene in reactive astrocytes and CNS stem cells cultured ex vivo. Collectively, this suggests a species difference for the nestin enhancer function in adult CNS and that elements outside the second intron enhancer are required for the full injury response in vivo.

Evidence for neurogenesis in the adult mammalian substantia nigra.

New neurons are generated from stem cells in a few regions of the adult mammalian brain. Here we provide evidence for the generation of dopaminergic projection neurons of the type that are lost in Parkinson's disease from stem cells in the adult rodent brain and show that the rate of neurogenesis is increased after a lesion. The number of new neurons generated under physiological conditions in substantia nigra pars compacta was found to be several orders of magnitude smaller than in the granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. However, if the rate of neuronal turnover is constant, the entire population of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra could be replaced during the lifespan of a mouse. These data indicate that neurogenesis in the adult brain is more widespread than previously thought and may have implications for our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.