Dataset Information

Innate immunocompetent iNSpheroids:A hiPSC-derived 3D model to study the central nervous system captures an early CNS response to rAAV

ABSTRACT: Gene therapies using adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) for central nervous system (CNS) disorders face challenges due to host immune responses not represented in classical preclinical models. Here, we present a human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived innate immunocompetent 3D CNS model that recapitulates neuroinflammatory hallmarks, serving as a platform for preclinical gene therapy development. Utilizing various scales of stirred-tank bioreactor systems, we produced iNSpheroids composed of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, alongside microglial cells (iMGL) to mimic the neuro-immune axis. These systems enabled large-scale production of iNSpheroids and subsequent miniaturization for co-culture experiments and screening of inflammatory stimuli, while maintaining a highly controlled environment. The iMGL-iNSpheroids demonstrated active neuron-microglia crosstalk and exhibited distinct inflammatory responses to a series of neuroinflammatory factors. iMGL-iNSpheroids mounted a mild and transient response to rAAV9, mediated by the activation of inflammatory pathways (e.g., TNF-via NF-κB activation) in glial cell populations.. This model offers a valuable tool to dissect neuroinflammatory mechanisms, accelerating gene therapy development.

ORGANISM(S): Dependoparvovirus Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE298806 | GEO | 2026/06/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Astrogliosis is an inflammatory process by which astrocytes undergo morphological, transcriptional, and functional changes that primarily contribute to tissue healing and restore CNS homeostasis as a response to neuroinflammation. However, excessive astrocyte activation causes neuronal death, immune cell activation and infiltration, and chronic neuroinflammation. The advent of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived three-dimensional (3D) models has aided research of complex CNS processes by generating complex structures of neural cells able to decode the molecular mechanisms that trigger and sustain astrocyte activation and drive microenvironment remodeling in the human CNS. Despite depicting interactions between different brain cell types and their microenvironment, the lack of reproducibility, and immature/activated cell phenotypes typical of these models limit their utility to address neuroinflammation mechanisms. Here we establish a hiPSC-derived model of neuroinflammation to dissect cellular crosstalk along the neuroinflammatory axis. A methodology pioneered by our team was used, in which hiPSC-derived neural progenitors were cultured in perfusion stirred-tank bioreactors and differentiated into 3D neurospheroids composed of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. This model recapitulates specific features of the brain microenvironment, such as human brain-like ECM deposition and neuron-glia functional interactions. The neurospheroids were challenged with prototypical inflammatory factors reported to induce activation of astrocytes in mice models, namely TNF-α, IL-α, and C1q. By performing whole transcriptome analysis (RNAseq), we observed an upregulation of several inflammatory-related genes associated with TNF and NF-kB signaling (e.g., CXCL5, CCL2, TNAIP3, and NFKB2). Whole proteome analysis (SWATH-MS) also depicted the enrichment of proteins involved in cell response to stress and cytokine regulation, namely TXLNA, DCTN5, and NOLC1. Concomitantly, time course analysis of conditioned media from the stimulated neurospheroids exhibited increased secretion of inflammation-related cytokines (e.g., CCL2, CXCL10, IL-6, and IL-8). Astrocytes in challenged neurospheroids displayed an impaired capacity for clearance of extracellular glutamate and secretion of glutamine compared to the unstimulated control, indicating functional impairment and known molecular effects of TNF signaling. Together, these results further demonstrate astrocyte functionality within the neurospheroids, which undergo canonical astrogliosis events that are considered hallmarks of neuroinflammation. The human neurospheroid model described may contribute to better understand the mechanisms governing human astrogliosis and be used as a platform to study glial-neuron mature interactions during acute stimulation and inflammation.

Dataset Information

Innate immunocompetent iNSpheroids:A hiPSC-derived 3D model to study the central nervous system captures an early CNS response to rAAV

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets