Identification of Novel Molecular-Genetic Pathways Regulating the Development of Subpallial Derivatives
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2016 Identification Of Novel Molecular-Genetic Pathways Regulating The Development Of Subpallial Derivatives David Tischfield University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Genetics Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, and the Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons Recommended Citation Tischfield, David, "Identification Of Novel Molecular-Genetic Pathways Regulating The Development Of Subpallial Derivatives" (2016). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2611. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2611 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2611 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Identification Of Novel Molecular-Genetic Pathways Regulating The Development Of Subpallial Derivatives Abstract The embryonic subpallium produces many different neuronal cell types present throughout the adult telencephalon, including striatal medium spiny neurons (MSN) and cortical interneurons. Dysfunction of either cell type leads to neurological and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and Tourette’s syndrome. Thus, understanding the molecular pathways that regulate their development and function has important implications for understanding disease pathogenesis. This work describes novel methods and genetic factors that expand our ability to characterize the development and function of two major subpallial derivatives: cortical interneurons and striatal MSN. The first part of this thesis characterizes a novel enrichment method for producing parvalbumin-expressing (PV) interneurons from mouse embryonic stem cells. This method, which uses an atypical protein kinase C inhibitor to enhance intermediate neurogenesis, results in a markedly increased ratio of PV+ to somatostatin-expressing interneurons. The findings suggest that the mode of neurogenesis influences cortical interneuron fate determination. Moreover, PV+ interneurons can now be generated in large numbers to study their development, screen for factors that affect their physiology, and used in therapeutic applications. The second part of this thesis examines the function of two putative transcription factors, Zswim5 and Zswim6, in the regulation of striatal development. We show that these genes are expressed in subpallial precursors, and in the case of Zswim6, expressed in the adult striatum. Next, through the generation of Zswim5 and Zswim6 knockout mice, we provide a detailed anatomical, molecular, and behavioral characterization of the resulting phenotypes. Our findings er veal that loss of Zswim6 causes a reduction in striatal volume and morphological changes in MSN. Additionally, these structural changes are associated with alterations in motor behaviors including hyperactivity, impaired rotarod performance, and hyperresponsiveness to amphetamine. These results demonstrate that Zswim6 is indispensable for normal brain development and support findings in human genome-wide association studies that implicate Zswim6 with schizophrenia. Collectively, this dissertation provides novel insights into telencephalic development through the development of in vitro stem cell systems and in vivo disease mouse models that further our ability to test and understand neurological diseases. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Stewart A. Anderson Keywords Brain, Development, Interneurons, Zswim6 Subject Categories Genetics | Molecular Biology | Neuroscience and Neurobiology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2611 IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL MOLECULAR-GENETIC PATHWAYS REGULATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBPALLIAL DERIVATIVES David Tischfield A DISSERTATION in Neuroscience Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Supervisor of Dissertation Graduate Group Chairperson ____________________ _______________________ Stewart A. Anderson, MD. Joshua Gold, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry Professor of Neuroscience Dissertation Committee Douglas J. Epstein, Ph.D. Professor of Genetics Wenqin Luo, M.D. Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Marc Fuccillo, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Neuroscience IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL MOLECULAR-GENETIC PATHWAYS REGULATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBPALLIAL DERIVATIVES COPYRIGHT 2016 David James Tischfield This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ny-sa/2.0/ This dissertation is dedicated to my brothers, Max and Sam – the two best friends and scientific compadres a guy could ask for. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was funded by R01 MH066912-01 and F30 MH105045-02. This research was also made possible in part due to Florin Tuluc and Eric Reidel at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia FACS core facility. I would also like to thank members of the Anderson lab, both past and present for helpful discussions and technical assistance. I would especially like to thank my mentor, Stewart Anderson, for allowing me to work so independently on almost anything I thought worthwhile, which allowed me to grow considerably as an experimentalist and critical thinker. To all the members of my thesis committee who helped me along the way. I'd also like to thank Jennifer Tyson, who was both a scientific mentor and close friend to me throughout my PhD. Also Erik Deboer and Sean Ryan, whose presence in lab made everything that much better. Shane Fitzgerald, for being a rock solid laboratory technician, hard worker, and all around good person. Ivor Asztalos, whose aptitude for statistics saved me. To the love of my life, Jillian and her cat Monster, who patiently stood by me during all of the ups and downs that a PhD entails. And lastly, to my family, but not just for the typical reasons. Thank you to my father Jay, who literally helped me get the resources and equipment that I needed at times to do my research. Thank you to my brothers, Max and Sam, both of whom helped me numerous times throughout my PhD to analyze data, think about my projects, and provide moral support. To my extremely talented sister-in-law Victoria Abraira, who was always willing to help me with my research in any way possible. To my mother, whose jovial spirit was always welcome. And to all of my friends not listed here who have made the last 6 years a great 6 years. Thank you. iv ABSTRACT IDENTIFICATION OF NOVEL MOLECULAR-GENETIC PATHWAYS REGULATING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBPALLIAL DERIVATIVES David Tischfield Dr. Stewart Anderson The embryonic subpallium produces many different neuronal cell types present throughout the adult telencephalon, including striatal medium spiny neurons (MSN) and cortical interneurons. Dysfunction of either cell type leads to neurological and psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and Tourette’s syndrome. Thus, understanding the molecular pathways that regulate their development and function has important implications for understanding disease pathogenesis. This work describes novel methods and genetic factors that expand our ability to characterize the development and function of two major subpallial derivatives: cortical interneurons and striatal MSN. The first part of this thesis characterizes a novel enrichment method for producing parvalbumin- expressing (PV) interneurons from mouse embryonic stem cells. This method, which uses an atypical protein kinase C inhibitor to enhance intermediate neurogenesis, results in a markedly increased ratio of PV+ to somatostatin- v expressing interneurons. The findings suggest that the mode of neurogenesis influences cortical interneuron fate determination. Moreover, PV+ interneurons can now be generated in large numbers to study their development, screen for factors that affect their physiology, and used in therapeutic applications. The second part of this thesis examines the function of two putative transcription factors, Zswim5 and Zswim6, in the regulation of striatal development. We show that these genes are expressed in subpallial precursors, and in the case of Zswim6, expressed in the adult striatum. Next, through the generation of Zswim5 and Zswim6 knockout mice, we provide a detailed anatomical, molecular, and behavioral characterization of the resulting phenotypes. Our findings reveal that loss of Zswim6 causes a reduction in striatal volume and morphological changes in MSN. Additionally, these structural changes are associated with alterations in motor behaviors including hyperactivity, impaired rotarod performance, and hyperresponsiveness to amphetamine. These results demonstrate that Zswim6 is indispensable for normal brain development and support findings in human genome-wide association studies that implicate Zswim6 with schizophrenia. Collectively, this dissertation provides novel insights into telencephalic development through the development of in vitro stem cell systems and in vivo disease mouse models that further our ability to test and understand neurological diseases. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….iv ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...v TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………….......vii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………….x LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………....................xi