Project description:Hirschsprung’s disease (HSCR) is a congenital disease which is characterized by the reduction or absence of neurons and glial cells in the enteric nervous system (ENS). Failure of neural crest cells (NCCs) to colonize the gut during the embryonic development has been considered as one of the possible causes of the disease. In this study, the migration and gene expression of sacral NCCs from the spontaneous mouse mutant Dominant megacolon (Dom) which is a HSCR animal model expressing a mutated transcription factor Sox10, were analyzed in order to identify candidate genes which may possibly affect the NCC migration in the mutant.
Project description:The ENS of vertebrates develops from neural crest cell (NCC) deriving from mainly the vagal neural crest, while NCCs from the sacral level to a less extent. In mouse embryos, the vagal NCCs emigrate from the neural tube adjacent to the somite level from 1-7 at Embryonic day (E)9.0, and sacral NCCs emigrate from the neural tube adjacent to the level of somites caudal to somite 24 in the mouse (in the chick, caudal to somite 28) at E9.5. The spatial difference in cell colonization between vagal and sacral NCCs is that vagal NCCs completely colonize the whole gut, while the distribution of sacral NCCs is only restricted to the hindgut segment. To determine the differences between these two groups of cells, we isolated vagal and sacral NCCs by neural tube explant culture and then performed high-throughput RNA-seq to examine the transcriptional variation. We analyzed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by gene ontology (GO) analysis in which the DEGs were enriched in cell adherin, proliferation, transcriptional regulation, et al. This study might help to explore the underlying basis for the different cell behaviors between vagal and sacral NCCs during mouse embryonic development.
Project description:The autonomic nervous system is derived from the neural crest and supplies motor innervation to the smooth muscle of visceral organs, including the lower urinary tract (bladder and urethra, LUT). In rodents, autonomic innervation of the LUT is supplied by the major pelvic ganglia (PG) that lie near the neck of the bladder and proximal urethra. Compared to other autonomic ganglia, the PG are unique in that they harbor both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons. The coordinated activity of PG neurons is critical for normal functioning of the LUT – however, surprisingly little is known about how PG neuronal diversity is established or what molecular factors control PG development. In this study we conducted transcriptome profiling of Sox10-H2BVenus+ sacral neural crest (NC) progenitors to discover candidate genes involved in PG neurogenesis.
Project description:During development, much of the enteric nervous system (ENS) arises from the vagal neural crest that emerges from the caudal hindbrain and colonizes the entire gastrointestinal tract. However, a second contribution to the ENS comes from the sacral neural crest that arises in the caudal neural tube and populates the post-umbilical gut. By coupling single cell transcriptomics with axial-level specific lineage tracing in avian embryos, we compared the contributions of embryonic vagal and sacral neural crest cells to the pre-umbilical and post-umbilical chick ENS and the associated peripheral ganglia (the Nerve of Remak and pelvic plexuses) at embryonic day (E) 10.
Project description:The enteric nervous system (ENS) is derived from both the vagal and sacral component of the neural crest (NC). Here, we present the derivation of sacral ENS precursors from human PSCs via timed exposure to FGF, WNT and to GDF11 to enable posterior patterning and transition from posterior trunk to sacral NC identity respectively. Using a SOX2::H2B-tdTomato/ T::H2B-GFP dual reporter hPSC line, we demonstrate that both trunk and sacral NC emerge from a double-positive neuro-mesodermal progenitor (NMP). Vagal and sacral NC precursors yield distinct neuronal subtypes and migratory behaviors in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, xenografting of both vagal and sacral NC lineages is required to rescue a mouse model of total aganglionosis, suggesting novel opportunities in the treatment of severe forms of Hirschsprung’s disease.
Project description:The enteric nervous system (ENS) is derived from both the vagal and sacral component of the neural crest (NC). Here, we present the derivation of sacral ENS precursors from human PSCs via timed exposure to FGF, WNT and to GDF11 to enable posterior patterning and transition from posterior trunk to sacral NC identity respectively. Using a SOX2::H2B-tdTomato/ T::H2B-GFP dual reporter hPSC line, we demonstrate that both trunk and sacral NC emerge from a double-positive neuro-mesodermal progenitor (NMP). Vagal and sacral NC precursors yield distinct neuronal subtypes and migratory behaviors in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, xenografting of both vagal and sacral NC lineages is required to rescue a mouse model of total aganglionosis, suggesting novel opportunities in the treatment of severe forms of Hirschsprung’s disease.
Project description:Pelvic surgeries frequently injure the major pelvic ganglia (MPG), resulting in refractory erectile dysfunction (ED) with limited therapeutic options. Regenerative medicine offers promising avenues for nerve injury-induced ED. Sacral neural crest (NC) cells, the embryonic progenitors of MPG neurons and glia, represent an ideal cell source for targeted neural repair. Here, we establish a robust protocol to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into sacral NC cells. Upon transplantation into rats with MPG injury, these cells engraft at the lesion site, differentiate into functional autonomic neurons and glia, and secrete neurotrophic factors. Sacral NC cell therapy reconstructs MPG architecture, promotes axonal regeneration and remyelination, and restores nitrergic innervation. Furthermore, transplantation significantly improves erectile function, evidenced by an increased intracavernous pressure/mean arterial pressure (ICP/MAP) ratio, accompanied by reduced apoptosis and fibrosis and restored smooth muscle and endothelial integrity in the penis. These findings demonstrate that hPSC-derived sacral NC cells offer a novel therapeutic strategy for neurogenic ED by restoring pelvic autonomic nerve structure and function through both neurogenic differentiation and sustained neurotrophic support.
Project description:Here, control human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and SOX10 knockout (SOX10 KO) hiPSCs were induced to differentiate to neural crest stem cells (NCSCs). We sequenced mRNA samples of differentiated cells at day 7 during NCSC differentiation to generate the gene expression profiles of these cells.