Recent Advances in Modelling of Cerebellar Ataxia Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Maggie M
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Wong MMK, Watson LM, Becker EBE. J Neurol Neuromedicine (2017) 2(7): 11-15 Neuromedicine www.jneurology.com www.jneurology.com Journal of Neurology & Neuromedicine Mini Review Open Access Recent advances in modelling of cerebellar ataxia using induced pluripotent stem cells Maggie M. K. Wong1, Lauren M. Watson1 and Esther B. E. Becker1* 1Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom Article Info ABSTRACT Article Notes The cerebellar ataxias are a group of incurable brain disorders that are caused Received: May 15, 2017 primarily by the progressive dysfunction and degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje Accepted: July 10, 2017 cells. The lack of reliable disease models for the heterogeneous ataxias has hindered the understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms as well *Correspondence: Dr. Esther B. E. Becker as the development of effective therapies for these devastating diseases. Recent University of Oxford, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and advances in the field of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology offer Genetics, Sherrington Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, United Kingdom, new possibilities to better understand and potentially reverse disease pathology. Email: [email protected] Given the neurodevelopmental phenotypes observed in several types of ataxias, iPSC-based models have the potential to provide significant insights into disease © 2017 Becker EBE. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License progression, as well as opportunities for the development of early intervention therapies. To date, however, very few studies have successfully used iPSC-derived Keywords cells to model cerebellar ataxias. In this review, we focus on recent breakthroughs iPSC in generating human iPSC-derived Purkinje cells. We also highlight the future Cerebellum challenges that will need to be addressed in order to fully exploit these models for Ataxia the modelling of the molecular mechanisms underlying cerebellar ataxias and the Disease modelling development of effective therapeutics. Purkinje cells Development Neurodegeneration Cerebellar ataxias The cerebellar ataxias are a clinically and genetically diverse group of neurological disorders that primarily affect the cerebellum. Characterized by a progressive loss of motor coordination, other symptoms include dysarthria and disturbance of eye movements1. Cerebellar ataxias may be acquired or inherited, with hereditary ataxias toclassified date . intoAmong autosomal these, the dominant, autosomal autosomal recessive recessive, disorders X-linked Friedreich or mitochondrial2-4 forms. Over 60 genetic subtypes have been identified dominant polyglutamine spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are the ataxia (FRDA) and ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), as well as the autosomal heterogeneity, emerging evidence points to the existence of common pathogenicmost studied mechanisms forms of ataxias. that mayDespite be significantshared by clinicalseveral andgenetically genetic distinct forms of cerebellar ataxias (reviewed in ). However, it is still unclear how the proposed pathological pathways5-8 ultimately result in cerebellar dysfunction and degeneration, predominantly affecting Purkinje cells. neurodegenerative disorders. The heterogeneous nature of the cerebellar Understanding disease mechanisms is key to treating of reliable disease models have, however, hampered our understanding ofataxias the molecular combined disease with the mechanisms unavailability underlying of human brain cerebellar tissue andataxias the lackand Page 11 of 15 Wong MMK, Watson LM, Becker EBE. J Neurol Neuromedicine (2017) 2(7): 11-15 Journal of Neurology & Neuromedicine thus, the development of effective therapies. Although mouse models of several cerebellar ataxias, including FRDA and SCAs, have provided valuable insights into the morphologycells expressed with mature an extensively PC markers arborized including dendritic L7/PCP2 tree. pathophysiology of these disorders (reviewed in9), many and GRID2, and possessed a characteristic Purkinje cell questions remain about the observed species differences in disease phenotypes and the effectiveness of potential matureMoreover,22,23 these. cells displayed the distinctive firing pattern drugs in clinical trials. To help translate research from of Purkinje cells, suggesting that they were functionally Wang et al. animal models into novel treatments for ataxia patients, with human foetal used acerebellar similar self-inductive slices . Although approach these to produce Purkinje cells from human 24iPSCs co-cultured Theit is essentialcurrent obstacles to validate might findings be overcomein the relevant by exploiting affected human cell types, particularly in cerebellar Purkinje cells. and were electrically active, they did not possess the recently developed human induced pluripotent stem cell cells appeared to display Purkinje cell-specific markers (iPSC) technology and neuronal differentiation protocols. Generation of cerebellar neurons using human iPSCs duecharacteristic to associated morphology ethical issues. of mature Purkinje cells. Moreover, this protocol is likely to be limited in its uptake Most recently, the Mugumura group used a very similar allowed for the robust reprogramming of human somatic cellsMajor into advancesiPSCs in the field of stem cell technology have cells from iPSCs, but with the inclusion of two additional 10-12 approach to their original method to generate Purkinje neuronal subtypes and. Human other affectedataxia patient-specific cell types in cerebellar iPSCs, ataxias,which can would subsequently be an ideal toolbe differentiatedfor studying the into pathogenic specific mediumgrowth 25factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3)) in their maturation neurons possessed. After co-culture extensively with branched mouse primary dendritic granule trees drugmechanisms screening in inhuman vitro and disease-relevant neurons, cell precursors for 75 days, the human iPSC-derived and might also be highly13,14 valuable for high-throughput to differentiate in vitro, owing. Cerebellar to their largePurkinje size, cellscomplex are throughoutwith a thick soma stem, and characteristic dendrites, andof mature the synaptic Purkinje receptor cells, particularly vulnerable in cerebellar ataxia but difficult GRID2and expressed on dendritic the mature spines. PC-specificThus, this markersprotocol L7/PCP2not only of maturation offers a shorter and more feasible protocol to generate beenmorphology, achieved unique8,13 recently firing and properties are reviewed and below. extensive period . However, significant breakthroughs have that more closely resemble those in vivo. The generation of cerebellar neurons from human iPSCs Purkinje cells, but also produces more mature looking PCs aims to recapitulate the complex in vivo molecular events remain to be addressed before researchers can fully exploit circuit formation during human embryogenesis . Early Despite this significant progress, a number of challenges thatprotocols direct attempted the specification cerebellar of differentiation cerebellar neurons, using15-17 either and neurons allow for close monitoring of their individual mouse or human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) . These developmentiPSC-based cerebellar throughout models. differentiation; Dissociated however, cultures their of approaches sought to mimic the in vivo signals18-21 involved maturation and survival is limited compared to neurons in early cerebellar development by delivering inductive signals, including bone morphogenic proteins, mitogens of appropriate support in in vitro cultures . Moreover, diseasedeveloping phenotypes in the embryonic affecting synapsebrain, likely formation, due26,27 to dendritic the lack differentiation process. However, the resulting cerebellar retraction and neuronal migration , which may only arise and neurotrophins, in a step-wise fashion throughout the from interactions between cells 28,29and their environment, and a relatively high number of cerebellar granule cells . cultures only contained a small proportion of Purkinje cells18,20 Muguruma et al. adopted a different approach, which mayA be way lost forward in these totwo-dimensional overcome this cultures.limitation might be in vitro structures patterning, by adding a combination of only three factors that include multiple cell types and mimic the in vivo aimed to induce endogenous signals mimicking cerebellar architecturethe use of organoids, of an organ self-organizing30. Despite the relative success 22,23. Followed (insulin, fibroblast growth factor 2 (Fgf2) and cyclopamine) cerebral cortex (reviewed in30,31), only one study has to floating aggregates of mouse or human ESCs thusin generating far reported organoids the generation mimicking of cerebellardevelopment organoids. of the by dissociation, fluorescence-activated cell sorting for Muguruma et al. showed that the addition of Fgf19 and derivedKIRREL2/NEPH3-positive granule cell precursors, Purkinje this cell method progenitors, resulted and in subsequent co-culture with mouse primary rhombic lip- than had previously been achieved. The differentiated stromal cell-derived factor 1 (Sdf1) during differentiation the generation of Purkinje cells at a much higher efficiency promoted the self-organisation of human ESCs into polarized three-layer structures reminiscent of the human Page 12 of 15 Wong MMK, Watson LM, Becker EBE. J Neurol Neuromedicine (2017) 2(7): 11-15 Journal of Neurology