Direct differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into vascular network along with supporting mural cells.

During embryonic development, endothelial cells (ECs) undergo vasculogenesis to form a primitive plexus and assemble into networks comprised of mural cell-stabilized vessels with molecularly distinct artery and vein signatures. This organized vasculature is established prior to the initiation of blood flow and depends on a sequence of complex signaling events elucidated primarily in animal models, but less studied and understood in humans. Here, we have developed a simple vascular differentiation protocol for human pluripotent stem cells that generates ECs, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells simultaneously. When this protocol is applied in a 3D hydrogel, we demonstrate that it recapitulates the dynamic processes of early human vessel formation, including acquisition of distinct arterial and venous fates, resulting in a vasculogenesis angiogenesis model plexus (VAMP). The VAMP captures the major stages of vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and vascular network formation and is a simple, rapid, scalable model system for studying early human vascular development in vitro.

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.

Single cell profiling of CD45+ spinal cord cells reveals microglial and B cell heterogeneity and crosstalk following spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Immune cells play crucial roles after spinal cord injury (SCI). However, incomplete knowledge of immune contributions to injury and repair hinders development of SCI therapies. We leveraged single-cell observations to describe key populations of immune cells present in the spinal cord and changes in their transcriptional profiles from uninjured to subacute and chronic stages of SCI. METHODS: Deep-read single-cell sequencing was performed on CD45+ cells from spinal cords of uninjured and injured Swiss-webster mice. After T9 thoracic contusion, cells were collected 3-, 7-, and 60-day post-injury (dpi). Subpopulations of CD45+ immune cells were identified informatically, and their transcriptional responses characterized with time. We compared gene expression in spinal cord microglia and B cell subpopulations with those in published models of disease and injury. Microglia were compared with Disease Associated Microglia (DAM) and Injury Responsive Microglia (IRM). B cells were compared to developmental lineage states and to an Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) model. RESULTS: In uninjured and 7 dpi spinal cord, most CD45+ cells isolated were microglia while chronically B cells predominated. B cells accumulating in the spinal cord following injury included immature B to mature stages and were predominantly found in the injury zone. We defined diverse subtypes of microglia and B cells with altered gene expression with time after SCI. Spinal cord microglia gene expression indicates differences from brain microglia at rest and in inflammatory states. Expression analysis of signaling ligand-receptor partners identified microglia-B cell interactions at acute and chronic stages that may be involved in B cell recruitment, retention, and formation of ectopic lymphoid follicles. CONCLUSIONS: Immune cell responses to SCI have region-specific aspects and evolve with time. Developmentally diverse populations of B cells accumulate in the spinal cord following injury. Microglia at subacute stages express B cell recruitment factors, while chronically, they express factors predicted to reduce B cell inflammatory state. In the injured spinal cord, B cells create ectopic lymphoid structures, and express secreted factors potentially acting on microglia. Our study predicts previously unidentified crosstalk between microglia and B cells post-injury at acute and chronic stages, revealing new potential targets of inflammatory responses for SCI repair warranting future functional analyses.

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.

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.

Cell Type-Specific In Vitro Gene Expression Profiling of Stem Cell-Derived Neural Models.

Genetic and genomic studies of brain disease increasingly demonstrate disease-associated interactions between the cell types of the brain. Increasingly complex and more physiologically relevant human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-based models better explore the molecular mechanisms underlying disease but also challenge our ability to resolve cell type-specific perturbations. Here, we report an extension of the RiboTag system, first developed to achieve cell type-restricted expression of epitope-tagged ribosomal protein (RPL22) in mouse tissue, to a variety of in vitro applications, including immortalized cell lines, primary mouse astrocytes, and hiPSC-derived neurons. RiboTag expression enables depletion of up to 87 percent of off-target RNA in mixed species co-cultures. Nonetheless, depletion efficiency varies across independent experimental replicates, particularly for hiPSC-derived motor neurons. The challenges and potential of implementing RiboTags in complex in vitro cultures are discussed.

Effect of Bmi1 over-expression on gene expression in adult and embryonic murine neural stem cells.

The ability of isolated neural stem cells (NSCs) to proliferate as neurospheres is indicative of their competence as stem cells, and depends critically on the polycomb group (PcG) member Bmi1: knockdown of Bmi1 results in defective proliferation and self-renewal of isolated NSCs, whereas overexpression of Bmi1 enhances these properties. Here we report genome-wide changes in gene expression in embryonic and adult NSCs (eNSCs and aNSCs) caused by overexpression of Bmi1. We find that genes whose expression is altered by perturbations in Bmi1 levels in NSCs are mostly distinct from those affected in other multipotent stem/progenitor cells, such as those from liver and lung, aside from a small core of common targets that is enriched for genes associated with cell migration and mobility. We also show that genes differing in expression between prospectively isolated quiescent and activated NSCs are not affected by Bmi1 overexpression. In contrast, a comparison of genes showing altered expression upon Bmi1 overexpression in eNSCs and in aNSCs reveals considerable overlap, in spite of their different provenances in the brain and their differing developmental programs.

NPTX1 regulates neural lineage specification from human pluripotent stem cells.

Neural induction is the first fundamental step in nervous system formation. During development, a tightly regulated niche modulates transient extracellular signals to influence neural lineage commitment. To date, however, the cascade of molecular events that sustain these signals in humans is not well understood. Here we show that NPTX1, a secreted protein, is rapidly upregulated during neural induction from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). By manipulating its expression, we were able to reduce or initiate neural lineage commitment. A time-course transcriptome analysis and functional assays show that NPTX1 acts in part by binding the Nodal receptor cofactor TDGF1, reducing both Nodal and BMP signaling. Our findings identify one of the earliest genes expressed upon neural induction and provide insight into human neural lineage specification.

Sustained levels of FGF2 maintain undifferentiated stem cell cultures with biweekly feeding.

An essential aspect of stem cell culture is the successful maintenance of the undifferentiated state. Many types of stem cells are FGF2 dependent, and pluripotent stem cells are maintained by replacing FGF2-containing media daily, while tissue-specific stem cells are typically fed every 3rd day. Frequent feeding, however, results in significant variation in growth factor levels due to FGF2 instability, which limits effective maintenance due to spontaneous differentiation. We report that stabilization of FGF2 levels using controlled release PLGA microspheres improves expression of stem cell markers, increases stem cell numbers and decreases spontaneous differentiation. The controlled release FGF2 additive reduces the frequency of media changes needed to maintain stem cell cultures, so that human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells can be maintained successfully with biweekly feedings.

Interleukin-12 promotes gamma interferon-dependent neutrophil recruitment in the lung and improves protection against respiratory Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.

The ability of exogenous interleukin-12 (IL-12) to elicit protective innate immune responses against the extracellular pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae was tested by infecting BALB/c mice intranasally (i.n.) with S. pneumoniae after i.n. administration of IL-12. It was found that administration of IL-12 resulted in lower bacterial burdens in the infected mice and significantly improved survival rates. All IL-12-treated mice contained higher levels of pulmonary gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) after infection and significantly more neutrophils than infected mice not treated with IL-12. IFN-gamma was found to be essential for IL-12-induced resistance and for neutrophil influx into the lungs, and the observed changes correlated with increased levels of the IL-8 homologue keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC). In addition, in vitro tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production by alveolar macrophages stimulated with heat-killed pneumococci was enhanced by IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha in turn could enhance production of KC by lung cells. Finally, IL-12-induced protection was dependent upon the presence of neutrophils and the KC receptor CXCR2. Taken together, the results indicate that exogenous IL-12 can improve innate defense in the lung against S. pneumoniae by inducing IFN-gamma production, which in turn enhances chemokine expression, and promotes pulmonary neutrophil recruitment into the infected lung. The findings show that IL-12 and IFN-gamma can mediate a protective effect against respiratory infection caused by extracellular bacterial pathogens.

Toll-like receptor 2 is required for control of pulmonary infection with Francisella tularensis.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) deficiency enhances murine susceptibility to infection by Francisella tularensis as indicated by accelerated mortality, higher bacterial burden, and greater histopathology. Analysis of pulmonary cytokine levels revealed that TLR2 deficiency results in significantly lower levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 but increased amounts of gamma interferon and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1. This pattern of cytokine production may contribute to the exaggerated pathogenesis seen in TLR2-/- mice. Collectively, these findings suggest that TLR2 plays an important role in tempering the host response to pneumonic tularemia.

Natural killer and CD8 T cells dominate the response by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to inactivated Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain.

Francisella tularensis is a category A biothreat agent, and as a result, it has recently generated much research interest. F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) is an attenuated form of the virulent F. tularensis organism and has previously been used as a vaccine. However, because of safety concerns, it is no longer approved for this purpose. Thus, the use of inactivated organisms is preferable for vaccine purposes. Although many studies have been performed that examine human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and in particular CD4 T cells, responses to inactivated F. tularensis, there has been no study identifying the individual human cell populations within a mixed PBMC population that respond to this organism. We sought to address this deficit. Our results indicate that natural killer and CD8 T cells comprise the majority of cells responding to F. tularensis LVS. In addition, data suggest CD8 T cell responses are maximal when antibiotic-treated organisms are used and are minimal when formaldehyde-fixed organisms are used. Given the belief that CD8 T cells can play an important role in protection against F. tularensis infection, these studies have direct relevance to the development of F. tularensis vaccines that use inactivated organisms. In addition, important new knowledge is added to our understanding of the human immune response to F. tularensis LVS.