ABSTRACT: Neural formation from ES cells provides a novel system for studying axonogenesis in projection neurons. We used microarrays to clarify the global gene expression patterns of ES-derived motoneurons and compared with the parental undifferentiated ES cells. HB9-GFP ES cells on day 7 were mechanically pipetted into small cell clumps and concentrated to a density of approximately 1Ã104 cells/μl in neural differentiation medium. The animals received total laminectomy from T8 to T10. Total RNA was extracted from the undifferentiated ES cells (1531), the sorted HB9-GFP+ cells (1557), the sorted sox1 neural stem cells (1602) and the mouse cerebellar granule cells (1532) on postnatal day 6 and performed hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:Although many distinct mutations in a variety of genes are known to cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), it remains poorly understood how they selectively impact motor neuron biology and whether they converge on common pathways to cause neural degeneration. Here, we have combined reprogramming and stem cell differentiation approaches with genome engineering and RNA sequencing to define the transcriptional changes that are induced in human motor neurons by mutant SOD1. Mutant SOD1 protein induced a transcriptional signature indicative of increased oxidative stress, reduced mitochondrial function, altered sub-cellular transport as well as activation of the ER stress and unfolded protein response pathways. Functional studies demonstrated that perturbations in these pathways were indeed the source of altered transcript levels. 5 samples, 2 patient-derived SOD1A4V and 3 isogenic control samples where the mutation has been corrected. All samples are motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and isolated after lentiviral infection with an Hb9:RFP construct and FACS purification. Each sample is a separate biological replicate.
Project description:This datased was used to obtain a genome-wide expression signature for the early response of mouse motor neurons to mutant SOD1 astrocytes conditioned media. Neurons, far from living in isolation, are surrounded by a host of other neuronal and non-neuronal cells, such as astrocytes. The latter entertain complex functional interactions with neighboring neurons, which, under normal conditions, are important for the their well-being. In pathological situations, however, altered astrocyte behavior may contribute to the demise of neighboring neurons. Such non-cell autonomous pathogenic scenario is increasingly considered in a variety of disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most frequent adult-onset paralytic disorder. Assembly and interrogation of gene regulatory models has helped elucidate causal mechanisms responsible for the presentation of several tumor-related phenotypes. To systematically elucidate the effectors of neurodegeneration in a model of ALS, we first developed techniques for the efficient purification of motor neurons (MNs), the primary target of ALS neurodegenerative process. We then generated gene expression profiles to fully characterize the critical timepoints associated with initiation and commitment of MN degenerative progression in an in vitro murine mutant SOD1 (mSOD1) model of ALS. ES cells were derived from transgenic Hlxb9-GFP1Tmj mice expressing eGFP and CD2 driven by the mouse HB9 promoter. These cells were then differentiated into motor neurons (ES-MN) as described previously [PMID 12176325] ES-MN were exposed to non-transgenic (NTg), G93A mutant SOD1 (mSOD1) or wtSOD1 over-expression astrocytes conditioned media for 0 days (time zero control), 1 day, and 3 days. Total RNA was extracted and profiled by RNAseq.
Project description:Neural formation from ES cells provides a novel system for studying axonogenesis in projection neurons. We used microarrays to clarify the global gene expression patterns of ES-derived motoneurons and compared with the parental undifferentiated ES cells.
Project description:Human pluripotent stem cells are a promising source of diverse cells for developmental studies, cell transplantation, disease modeling, and drug testing. However, their widespread use even for intensely studied cell types like spinal motor neurons, is hindered by the long duration and low yields of existing protocols for in vitro differentiation and by the molecular heterogeneity of the populations generated. We report a combination of small molecules that induce up to 50% motor neurons within 3 weeks from human pluripotent stem cells with defined subtype identities that are relevant to neurodegenerative diseases. Despite their accelerated differentiation, motor neurons expressed combinations of HB9, ISL1 and column-specific markers that mirror those observed in vivo in human fetal spinal cord. They also exhibited spontaneous and induced activity, and projected axons towards muscles when grafted into developing chick spinal cord. Strikingly, this novel protocol preferentially generates motor neurons expressing markers of limb-innervating lateral motor column motor neurons (FOXP1+/LHX3-). Access to high-yield cultures of human limb-innervating motor neuron subtypes will facilitate in-depth study of motor neuron subtype-specific properties, disease modeling, and development of large-scale cell-based screening assays. We analyze 3 samples including 2 positive samples and 1 negative sample. Descriptions are as follow: a) Positive Sample 1: SHH-derived, day 21 GFP-high FACS purified motor neurons.b) Positive Sample 2: S+P-derived, day 21 GFP-high FACS purified motor neurons. c) Negative: S+P condition, day 21 no GFP FACS purified motor neurons
Project description:Regulating the transition from lineage-restricted progenitors to terminally differentiated cells is a central aspect of nervous system development. Here, we investigated the role of the nucleoprotein Geminin in regulating neurogenesis at a mechanistic level during both Xenopus primary neurogenesis and mammalian neuronal differentiation in vitro. The latter work utilized both neural cells derived from embryonic stem and embryonal carcinoma cells in vitro and neural stem cells from mouse forebrain. In all of these contexts, Geminin antagonized the ability of neural bHLH transcription factors to activate transcriptional programs promoting neurogenesis. Furthermore, Geminin promoted a bivalent chromatin state, characterized by the presence of both activating and repressive histone modifications, at genes encoding transcription factors that promote neurogenesis. This epigenetic state restrains the expression of genes that regulate commitment of undifferentiated stem and neuronal precursor cells to neuronal lineages. Geminin is highly expressed in undifferentiated neuronal precursor cells but is downregulated prior to differentiation. Therefore, these data support a model whereby Geminin promotes the neuronal precursor cell state by modulating both the epigenetic status and expression of genes encoding neurogenesis-promoting factors. Additional developmental signals acting in these cells can then control their transition toward terminal neuronal or glial differentiation during mammalian neurogenesis. A mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell line for inducible knockdown of the small nucleoprotein Geminin was utilized. ES cells were used to generate neural precursor cells by monolayer culture in N2B27 media for 5 days, and doxycycline-inducible knockdown of Geminin was performed from day 3. Changes in gene expression resulting from Geminin knockdown were assessed by RNA sequencing. Three experimental replicates were generated for Geminin knockdown (plus Dox) with a corresponding no-Dox control. These were subjected to sequencing, and data were analyzed using TopHat and Cufflinks/Cuffdiff. Transcripts were considered as differentially expressed upon Gem knockdown if data met statistical significance cutoffs in Cuffdiff (sufficient sequence alignments were obtained for analysis and transcript had significant change in FPKM value (normalized transcript abundance; fragments per kb of exon per million fragments mapped) between the no Dox and plus Dox sample pairs) in at least two of the three replicates.
Project description:Transcriptional programming of cell identity promises to open up new frontiers in regenerative medicine by enabling the efficient production of clinically relevant cell types. We examine if such cellular programming is accomplished by transcription factors that each have an independent and additive effect on cellular identity, or if programming factors synergize to produce an effect that is not independently obtainable. The combinations of Ngn2-Isl1-Lhx3 and Ngn2-Isl1-Phox2a transcription factors program embryonic stem cells to express a spinal or cranial motor neuron identity respectively. The two alternate expression programs are determined by recruitment of Isl1/Lhx3 and Isl1/Phox2a pairs to distinct genomic locations characterized by two alternative dimeric homeobox motifs. These results suggest that the function of programming modules relies on synergistic interactions among transcription factors and thus cannot be extrapolated from the study of individual transcription factors in a different cellular context. In this study, we functionally characterize induced motor neurons that have been directly generated from ES cells via the forced expression of two different combinations of three transcription factors. Spinal motor neurons are induced via the expression of Ngn2, Isl1, and Lhx3 (iNIL), while cortical motor neurons are induced via the expression of Ngn2, Isl1, and Phox2a (iNIP). Here we profile the gene expression patterns of both types of induced motor neurons, directed differentiation motor neurons, and control cells. In all, 20 microarray experiments are provided in this submission, including 3 replicates of a control condition, 3 replicates of cells that have 24hrs induction of iNIL, 2 replicates of induced spinal motor neurons (induction of iNIL for 48hrs) that have been Hb9-GFP sorted, 3 replicates of induced spinal motor neurons exposed to retinoic acid that have been Hb9-GFP sorted, 3 replicates of motor neurons that have been differentiated in vitro using RA and Hh signalling, 3 replicates of induced cortical motor neurons (induction of iNIP for 48hrs), and 3 replicates of cells in which Isl1 in induced alone (induction of iI for 48hrs). For ChIP-Seq Samples: In this study, we functionally characterize induced motor neurons that have been directly generated from ES cells via the forced expression of two different combinations of three transcription factors. Spinal motor neurons are induced via the expression of Ngn2, Isl1, and Lhx3 (iNIL), while cortical motor neurons are induced via the expression of Ngn2, Isl1, and Phox2a (iNIP). The genome-wide binding of some of the programming factors is characterized here using ChIP-seq. We characterize the binding of Lhx3 and Isl1/2 in iNIL cells, Phox2a and Isl1/2 in iNIP cells, and Isl1/2 in cells in which Isl1 is induced alone (iI). There are 7 Illumina sequence datasets in this submission; one replicate for each of iLhx3-V5 and Isl1/2 in iNIL cells, two replicates for each of iPhox2a-V5 and Isl1/2 in iNIP cells, and one replicate for Isl1/2 in iI cells. An appropriate pseudo-IP control experiment is included.
Project description:Tissue from the telencephalon was isolated from E13.5 BALB/C mouse and allowed to culture as neurospheres in the presence of FGF2. These cultures were assessed for undifferentiated neural stem cells by the expression of Nestin and were found to be ~98% Nestin positive. Comparisons of these nestin positive neural stem cells will be made to R1 ES cells to identify the genes that are important in totipotent, self-renewing ES cells vs. commitment to the multipotent, self-renewing neural stem cell phenotype. Keywords: other
Project description:Comparison among ES, EC, TS, NS, differentiated neural cells derived from NS and placenta in addition to ES-N2B27 neural induction. Comparison among ES, EC, TS, NS, differentiated neural cells derived from NS and placenta in addition to ES-N2B27 neural induction.
Project description:Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells are locked into self-renewal by shielding from inductive cues. Release from this ground state in minimal conditions offers a system for delineating developmental progression from naive pluripotency. Here we examined the initial transition process. The ES cell population behaves asynchronously. We therefore exploited a short-half-life Rex1::GFP reporter to isolate cells either side of exit from naive status. Differentiation of Rex1-GFPd2 ES cells was initiated by withdrawing 2i (Kalkan et al., 2016). Undifferentiated 2i-cells and post-2i withdrawal differentiating populations (16h, 25h-Rex1-High, 25h-Rex1-Low) were subjected to proteomic analysis by Mass Spectrometry.
Project description:POU transcription factor Pou5f1 (Oct3/4) is required to maintain ES cells in an undifferentiated state. Here we show that global expression profiling of Oct3/4-manipulated ES cells delineates the downstream target genes of Oct3/4. Combined with data from genome-wide chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays, this analysis identifies not only primary downstream targets of Oct3/4, but also secondary or tertiary targets. Furthermore, the analysis also reveals that downstream target genes are regulated either positively or negatively by Oct3/4. Identification of a group of genes that show both activation and repression depending on Oct3/4 expression levels provides a possible mechanism for the requirement of appropriate Oct3/4 expression to maintain undifferentiated ES cells. As a proof-of-principle study, one of the downstream genes, Tcl1, has been analyzed in detail. We show that Oct3/4 binds to the promoter region of Tcl1 and activates its transcription. We also show that Tcl1 is involved in the regulation of proliferation, but not differentiation, in ES cells. These findings suggest that the global expression profiling of gene-manipulated ES cells can help to delineate the structure and dynamics of gene regulatory networks. Keywords: development or differentiation design,time series design ZHBTc4, ZHTc6, and EB5 ES cells were cultured without feeder cells in LIF-supplemented medium as described . For differentiation, ZHTc6 cells were cultured in the absence of Tet, which induced the overexpression of Oct3/4. ZHBTc4 cells were cultured in the presence of Tet, repressing Oct3/4 expression. Trophoblast stem (TS) cells and another ES cell line (R1) were cultured as previously described . Three independent samples were prepared for each time point. Microarray experiments were carried out as described using the NIA Mouse 22K Microarray v1.0.