Functional cortical neurons and astrocytes from human pluripotent stem cells in 3D culture.

The human cerebral cortex develops through an elaborate succession of cellular events that, when disrupted, can lead to neuropsychiatric disease. The ability to reprogram somatic cells into pluripotent cells that can be differentiated in vitro provides a unique opportunity to study normal and abnormal corticogenesis. Here, we present a simple and reproducible 3D culture approach for generating a laminated cerebral cortex-like structure, named human cortical spheroids (hCSs), from pluripotent stem cells. hCSs contain neurons from both deep and superficial cortical layers and map transcriptionally to in vivo fetal development. These neurons are electrophysiologically mature, display spontaneous activity, are surrounded by nonreactive astrocytes and form functional synapses. Experiments in acute hCS slices demonstrate that cortical neurons participate in network activity and produce complex synaptic events. These 3D cultures should allow a detailed interrogation of human cortical development, function and disease, and may prove a versatile platform for generating other neuronal and glial subtypes in vitro.

Using induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate cardiac phenotypes in Timothy syndrome.

Individuals with congenital or acquired prolongation of the QT interval, or long QT syndrome (LQTS), are at risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia. LQTS is commonly genetic in origin but can also be caused or exacerbated by environmental factors. A missense mutation in the L-type calcium channel Ca(V)1.2 leads to LQTS in patients with Timothy syndrome. To explore the effect of the Timothy syndrome mutation on the electrical activity and contraction of human cardiomyocytes, we reprogrammed human skin cells from Timothy syndrome patients to generate induced pluripotent stem cells, and differentiated these cells into cardiomyocytes. Electrophysiological recording and calcium (Ca(2+)) imaging studies of these cells revealed irregular contraction, excess Ca(2+) influx, prolonged action potentials, irregular electrical activity and abnormal calcium transients in ventricular-like cells. We found that roscovitine, a compound that increases the voltage-dependent inactivation of Ca(V)1.2 (refs 6-8), restored the electrical and Ca(2+) signalling properties of cardiomyocytes from Timothy syndrome patients. This study provides new opportunities for studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias in humans, and provides a robust assay for developing new drugs to treat these diseases.

Anatomical and functional maturation of the mid-gestation human enteric nervous system.

Immature gastrointestinal motility impedes preterm infant survival. The enteric nervous system controls gastrointestinal motility, yet it is unknown when the human enteric nervous system matures enough to carry out vital functions. Here we demonstrate that the second trimester human fetal enteric nervous system takes on a striped organization akin to the embryonic mouse. Further, we perform ex vivo functional assays of human fetal tissue and find that human fetal gastrointestinal motility matures in a similar progression to embryonic mouse gastrointestinal motility. Together, this provides critical knowledge, which facilitates comparisons with common animal models to advance translational disease investigations and testing of pharmacological agents to enhance gastrointestinal motility in prematurity.

Comparing the efficacy in reducing brain injury of different neuroprotective agents following neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in newborn rats: a multi-drug randomized controlled screening trial.

Intrapartum hypoxia-ischemia leading to neonatal encephalopathy (NE) results in significant neonatal mortality and morbidity worldwide, with > 85% of cases occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Therapeutic hypothermia (HT) is currently the only available safe and effective treatment of HIE in high-income countries (HIC); however, it has shown limited safety or efficacy in LMIC. Therefore, other therapies are urgently required. We aimed to compare the treatment effects of putative neuroprotective drug candidates following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury in an established P7 rat Vannucci model. We conducted the first multi-drug randomized controlled preclinical screening trial, investigating 25 potential therapeutic agents using a standardized experimental setting in which P7 rat pups were exposed to unilateral HI brain injury. The brains were analysed for unilateral hemispheric brain area loss after 7 days survival. Twenty animal experiments were performed. Eight of the 25 therapeutic agents significantly reduced brain area loss with the strongest treatment effect for Caffeine, Sonic Hedgehog Agonist (SAG) and Allopurinol, followed by Melatonin, Clemastine, ß-Hydroxybutyrate, Omegaven, and Iodide. The probability of efficacy was superior to that of HT for Caffeine, SAG, Allopurinol, Melatonin, Clemastine, ß-hydroxybutyrate, and Omegaven. We provide the results of the first systematic preclinical screening of potential neuroprotective treatments and present alternative single therapies that may be promising treatment options for HT in LMIC.

Crosstalk between small-cell lung cancer cells and astrocytes mimics brain development to promote brain metastasis.

Brain metastases represent an important clinical problem for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the mechanisms underlying SCLC growth in the brain remain poorly understood. Here, using intracranial injections in mice and assembloids between SCLC aggregates and human cortical organoids in culture, we found that SCLC cells recruit reactive astrocytes to the tumour microenvironment. This crosstalk between SCLC cells and astrocytes drives the induction of gene expression programmes that are similar to those found during early brain development in neurons and astrocytes. Mechanistically, the brain development factor Reelin, secreted by SCLC cells, recruits astrocytes to brain metastases. These astrocytes in turn promote SCLC growth by secreting neuronal pro-survival factors such as SERPINE1. Thus, SCLC brain metastases grow by co-opting mechanisms involved in reciprocal neuron-astrocyte interactions during brain development. Targeting such developmental programmes activated in this cancer ecosystem may help prevent and treat brain metastases.

Dissecting the molecular basis of human interneuron migration in forebrain assembloids from Timothy syndrome.

Defects in interneuron migration can disrupt the assembly of cortical circuits and lead to neuropsychiatric disease. Using forebrain assembloids derived by integration of cortical and ventral forebrain organoids, we have previously discovered a cortical interneuron migration defect in Timothy syndrome (TS), a severe neurodevelopmental disease caused by a mutation in the L-type calcium channel (LTCC) Cav1.2. Here, we find that acute pharmacological modulation of Cav1.2 can regulate the saltation length, but not the frequency, of interneuron migration in TS. Interestingly, the defect in saltation length is related to aberrant actomyosin and myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, while the defect in saltation frequency is driven by enhanced γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) sensitivity and can be restored by GABA-A receptor antagonism. Finally, we describe hypersynchronous hCS network activity in TS that is exacerbated by interneuron migration. Taken together, these studies reveal a complex role of LTCC function in human cortical interneuron migration and strategies to restore deficits in the context of disease.

Perinatal infection, inflammation, preterm birth, and brain injury: A review with proposals for future investigations.

Preterm newborns are exposed to several risk factors for developing brain injury. Clinical studies have suggested that the presence of intrauterine infection is a consistent risk factor for preterm birth and white matter injury. Animal models have confirmed these associations by identifying inflammatory cascades originating at the maternofetal interface that penetrate the fetal blood-brain barrier and result in brain injury. Acquired diseases of prematurity further potentiate the risk for cerebral injury. Systems biology approaches incorporating ante- and post-natal risk factors and analyzing omic and multiomic data using machine learning are promising methodologies for further elucidating biologic mechanisms of fetal and neonatal brain injury.

Increased Tau Expression Correlates with Neuronal Maturation in the Developing Human Cerebral Cortex.

Although best known for its role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), tau is expressed throughout brain development, although it remains unclear when and which cell types this expression occurs and how it affects disease states in both fetal and neonatal periods. We thus sought to map tau mRNA and protein expression in the developing human brain at the cellular level using a combination of existing single-cell RNA sequencing (sc-RNAseq) data, RNA in situ hybridization (RNAscope), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Using sc-RNAseq, we found that tau mRNA expression begins in radial glia but increases dramatically as migrating neuronal precursors mature. Specifically, TBR1+ maturing neurons and SYN+ mature neurons showed significantly higher mRNA expression than GFAP+/NES+ radial glia or TBR2+ intermediate progenitors. By RNAscope, we found low levels of tau mRNA in subventricular zone (SVZ) radial glia and deep white matter intermediate progenitors, with an increase in more superficially located maturing and mature neurons. By total-tau IHC, the germinal matrix and SVZ showed little protein expression, although both RNAscope and sc-RNAseq showed mRNA, and Western blotting revealed significantly less protein in those areas compared with more mature regions. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cortical organoids showed a similar tau expression pattern by sc-RNAseq and RNAscope. Our results indicate that tau increases with neuronal maturation in both the developing fetal brain and iPSC-derived organoids and forms a basis for future research on regulatory mechanisms triggering the onset of tau gene transcription and translation, which may represent potential therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative tauopathies and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neonatal CSF oxytocin levels are associated with parent report of infant soothability and sociability.

Oxytocin (OT) has been linked to social behavior in rodents, non-human primates, and adult humans, but almost nothing is known about brain OT activity in human newborns or its impact on social development. To better understand the role of OT biology in human social functioning, a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study was conducted. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) OT levels from 18 human neonates were evaluated and examined in relationship to social-seeking behavior at term, at 3 months, and at 6 months of age. Higher neonatal CSF OT levels were consistently associated with solicitation of parental soothing and interest in social engagement with others. This is the first study to link CSF OT levels to normative human social functioning. Research is now required to test whether early OT levels serve as a biomarker for subsequent social abnormalities.

Using iPSC-derived neurons to uncover cellular phenotypes associated with Timothy syndrome.

Monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders provide key insights into the pathogenesis of disease and help us understand how specific genes control the development of the human brain. Timothy syndrome is caused by a missense mutation in the L-type calcium channel Ca(v)1.2 that is associated with developmental delay and autism. We generated cortical neuronal precursor cells and neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from individuals with Timothy syndrome. Cells from these individuals have defects in calcium (Ca(2+)) signaling and activity-dependent gene expression. They also show abnormalities in differentiation, including decreased expression of genes that are expressed in lower cortical layers and in callosal projection neurons. In addition, neurons derived from individuals with Timothy syndrome show abnormal expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and increased production of norepinephrine and dopamine. This phenotype can be reversed by treatment with roscovitine, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and atypical L-type-channel blocker. These findings provide strong evidence that Ca(v)1.2 regulates the differentiation of cortical neurons in humans and offer new insights into the causes of autism in individuals with Timothy syndrome.