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A novel hydrogel-based instructive biohybrid 3D culture system for modeling human neural stem cell plasticity, neurogenesis, neurodevelopment, and neurodegeneration

ABSTRACT: Meaningful models of human neural development and neurodegeneration are extremely important when exploring stem-cell-based regenerative therapies. However, existing 3D cultures fall short of being highly defined, modular, and controllable. Adapting a glycosaminoglycan-based, cell-responsive hydrogel platform, we stimulated primary and induced human neural stem cells (NSCs) to manifest neurogenic plasticity and form extensive neuronal networks in vitro. The 3D cultures exhibited neurotransmitter responsiveness, electrophysiological activity, and tissue-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. By whole transcriptome sequencing, we identified that 3D cultures express mature neuronal markers, and reflect the in vivo genetic program of mature cortical neurons compared to 2D cultures. Thus, our data suggest that our established 3D hydrogel culture supports the tissue-mimetic maturation of human neurons in an unprecedented manner. We modeled neurodegenerative conditions by treating the cultures with A?42 peptide and observed the known human pathological effects of Alzheimer?s disease including reduced NSC proliferation, impaired neuronal network formation, synaptic loss and failure in ECM deposition as well as elevated Tau hyperphosphorylation and formation of neurofibrillary tangles. We also determined the changes in transcriptomes of primary and induced NSC-derived neurons after A?42, providing a useful resource for further studies. Thus, our hydrogel-based human cortical 3D cell culture is a powerful platform for studying various aspects of neural development and neurodegeneration, as exemplified for A?42 toxicity and neurogenic stem cell plasticity.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE78117 | GEO | 2020/01/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent an unlimited cell source for the generation of in vitro models of patient-specific dopaminergic (DA) neurons, posing a possibility to overcome the restricted accessibility to disease-affected tissue for mechanistic studies on Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the complexity of the human brain is not fully recapitulated by existing monolayer culture methods. Consequently, neurons differentiated in a three dimensional (3D) in vitro culture system might better mimic the in vivo cellular environment for basic mechanistic studies and represent better predictors of drug responses in vivo. Thus, in this work we established a new in vitro cell culture model based on the microencapsulation of hiPSCs in small alginate/fibronectin beads and their differentiation to DA neurons. Optimisation of hydrogel matrix concentrations and composition resulted in high viability of embedded iPSCs. Neural differentiation capacity and DA neuronal yield, analyzed by qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, and western blot analyses, were increased in the 3D neuronal cultures compared to neurons generated using the conventional 2D culture system. Additionally, electrophysiological parameters and metabolic switching profile supported the increased functionality and an anticipated metabolic resetting of neurons grown in alginate scaffolds with respect to the 2D neurons. We also report long-term maintenance of neuronal cultures and mature functional properties. Furthermore, our findings indicate that our 3D model system can recapitulate mitochondrial superoxide production as an important mitochondrial phenotype observed in PD patients’-derived neurons and that this phenotype might be detectable earlier during neuronal differentiation. Taken together, these results indicate that our alginate-based 3D culture system offers an advantageous strategy for the reliable and rapid derivation of mature and functional DA neurons from iPSCs.

Project description:Stem cells are a potential key strategy for treating neurodegenerative diseases in which the generation of new neurons is critical. A better understanding of the characteristics and molecular properties of neural stem cells (NSC) and differentiated neurons can help in assessing neuronal maturity and possibly in devising better therapeutic strategies. We have therefore performed an in-depth gene expression profiling study of the C17.2 NSC line and primary neurons (PN) derived from embryonic mouse brains. Microarray analysis revealed a neuron-specific gene expression signature that distinguishes PN from NSCs, with elevated levels of transcripts involved in neuronal functions such as neurite development, axon guidance, in PN. The same comparison revealed decreased levels of multiple cytokine transcripts such as IFN, TNF, TGF, and IL. Among the differentially expressed genes, we found a statistically significant enrichment of genes in the ephrin, neurotrophin, CDK5 and actin pathways which control multiple neuronal-specific functions. Furthermore, genes involved in cell cycle were among the most significantly changed in PN. In order to better understand the role of cell cycle arrest in mediating NSCs differentiation, we blocked the cell cycle of NSCs with Mitomycin C (MMC) and examined cellular morphology and gene expression signatures. Although these MMC-treated NSCs displayed a neuronal morphology and expressed some neuronal differentiation marker genes, their gene expression patterns was very different from primary neurons. We conclude that: 1) Fully differentiated primary neurons display a specific neuronal gene expression signature; 2) cell-cycle block in NSC does not induce the formation of fully differentiated neurons; 3) Cytokines such as IFN, TNF, TGF and IL are part of normal NSC function and/or physiology; 4) Signaling pathways of ephrin, neurotrophin, CDK5 and actin, related to major neuronal features, are dynamically enriched in genes showing changes in expression level. Gene expression profiles in neuronal stem cell, mitomycin-treated neuronal stem cells and primary neuronal cultures were compared to examine cellular morphology and gene expression signatures during neuronal differentiation.

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A novel hydrogel-based instructive biohybrid 3D culture system for modeling human neural stem cell plasticity, neurogenesis, neurodevelopment, and neurodegeneration

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