Magnetic resonance imaging focused on the ferritin heavy chain 1 reporter gene detects neuronal differentiation in stem cells

The neuronal differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells offers a new strategy for the treatment of neurological disorders.Thus,there is a need to identify a noninvasive and sensitive in vivo imaging approach for real-time monitoring of transplanted stem cells.Our previous study confirmed that magnetic resonance imaging,with a focus on the ferritin heavy chain 1 reporter gene,could track the proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells that had been transduced with lentivirus carrying the ferritin heavy chain 1 reporter gene.However,we could not determine whether or when bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells had undergone neuronal differentiation based on changes in the magnetic resonance imaging signal.To solve this problem,we identified a neuron-specific enolase that can be differentially expressed before and after neuronal differentiation in stem cells.In this study,we successfully constructed a lentivirus carrying the neuron-specific enolase promoter and expressing the ferritin heavy chain 1 reporter gene;we used this lentivirus to transduce bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.Cellular and animal studies showed that the neuron-specific enolase promoter effectively drove the expression of ferritin heavy chain 1 after neuronal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells;this led to intracellular accumulation of iron and corresponding changes in the magnetic resonance imaging signal.In summary,we established an innovative magnetic resonance imaging approach focused on the induction of reporter gene expression by a neuron-specific promoter.This imaging method can be used to noninvasively and sensitively detect neuronal differentiation in stem cells,which may be useful in stem cell-based therapies.

Cell cycle exit and neuronal differentiation 1-engineered embryonic neural stem cells enhance neuronal differentiation and neurobehavioral recovery after experimental traumatic brain injury

Our previous study showed that cell cycle exit and neuronal differentiation 1(CEND1)may participate in neural stem cell cycle exit and oriented differentiation.However,whether CEND1-transfected neural stem cells can improve the prognosis of traumatic brain injury remained unclear.In this study,we performed quantitative proteomic analysis and found that after traumatic brain injury,CEND1 expression was downregulated in mouse brain tissue.Three days after traumatic brain injury,we transplanted CEND1-transfected neural stem cells into the area surrounding the injury site.We found that at 5 weeks after traumatic brain injury,transplantation of CEND1-transfected neural stem cells markedly alleviated brain atrophy and greatly improved neurological function.In vivo and in vitro results indicate that CEND1 overexpression inhibited the proliferation of neural stem cells,but significantly promoted their neuronal differentiation.Additionally,CEND1 overexpression reduced protein levels of Notch1 and cyclin D1,but increased levels of p21 in CEND1-transfected neural stem cells.Treatment with CEND1-transfected neural stem cells was superior to similar treatment without CEND1 transfection.These findings suggest that transplantation of CEND1-transfected neural stem cells is a promising cell therapy for traumatic brain injury.This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the School of Biomedical Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University,China(approval No.2016034)on November 25,2016.

The X-linked mental retardation gene PHF8 is a histone demethylase involved in neuronal differentiation

Recent studies have identified mutations in PHF8, an X-linked gene encoding a JmjC domain-containing protein, as a causal factor for X-linked mental retardation （XLMR） and cleft lip/cleft palate. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we show that PHF8 is a histone demethylase and coactivator for retinoic acid receptor （RAR）. Although activities for both H3K4me3/2/1 and H3K9me2/1 demethylation were detected in cellularbased assays, reeombinant PHF8 exhibited only H3K9me2/1 demethylase activity in vitro, suggesting that PHF8 is an H3K9me2/1 demethylase whose specificity may be modulated in vivo. Importantly, a mutant PHF8 （phenylalanine at position 279 to serine） identified in the XLMR patients is defective in enzymatie activity, indicating that the loss of histone demethylase activity is causally linked with the onset of disease. In addition, we show that PHF8 binds specifically to H3K4me3/2 peptides via an N-terminal PHD finger domain. Consistent with a role for PHF8 in neuronal differentiation, knockdown of PHF8 in mouse embryonic carcinoma P19 cells impairs RA-induced neuronal differentiation, whereas overexpression of the wild-type but not the F279S mutant PHF8 drives PI9 cells toward neuronal differentiation. Furthermore, we show that PHF8 interacts with RAR~ and functions as a coactivator for RARa. Taken together, our results suggest that histone methylation modulated by PHF8 plays a critical role in neuronal differentiation.

Modulation of mitochondrial respiration underpins neuronal differentiation enhanced by lutein

Lutein is a dietary carotenoid of particular nutritional interest as it is preferentially taken up by neural tissues. Often linked with beneficial effects on vision, a broader role for lutein in neuronal differentiation has emerged recently, although the underlying mechanisms for these effects are not yet dear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lutein on neuronal differentiation and explore the associated underpinning mechanisms. We found that lutein treatment enhanced the differentiation of SH-SYSY cells, specifically increasing neuronal arborization and expression of the neuronal process filament protein microtubule-associated protein 2. This effect was mediated by the intracellular phosphoinositide-3-kinase （PI3K） signaling pathway. While PI3K activity is a known trigger of neuronal differentiation, more recently it has also been shown to modulate the metabolic state of cells. Our analysis of bioenergetics found that lutein treatment increased glucose consumption, rates of glycolysis and enhanced respiratory activity of mitochondrial complexes. Concomitantly, the generation of reactive oxygen species was increased （con- sistent with previous reports that reactive oxygen species promote neuronal differentiation）, as well as the production of the key metabolic intermediate acetyl-CoA, an essential determinant of epigenetic status in the cell. We suggest that lutein-stimulated neuronal differentiation is mediated by PI3K-dependent modulation of mitochondrial respiration and signaling, and that the consequential metabolic shifts initiate epigenetically dependent transcriptomic reprogramming in support of this morphogenesis. These obser- vations support the potential importance of micronutrients supplementation to neurogenesis, both during normal development and in regenerative repair.

Denervated hippocampus provides a favorable microenvironment for neuronal differentiation of endogenous neural stem cells

Fimbria-fornix transection induces both exogenous and endogenous neural stem cells to differentiate into neurons in the hippocampus.This indicates that the denervated hippocampus provides an environment for neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells.However,the pathways and mechanisms in this process are still unclear.Seven days after fimbria fornix transection,our reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction,western blot assay,and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay results show a significant increase in ciliary neurotrophic factor m RNA and protein expression in the denervated hippocampus.Moreover,neural stem cells derived from hippocampi of fetal（embryonic day 17） Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with ciliary neurotrophic factor for 7 days,with an increased number of microtubule associated protein-2-positive cells and decreased number of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells detected.Our results show that ciliary neurotrophic factor expression is up-regulated in the denervated hippocampus,which may promote neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells in the denervated hippocampus.

Reducing host aldose reductase activity promotes neuronal differentiation of transplanted neural stem cells at spinal cord injury sites and facilitates locomotion recovery

Neural stem cell(NSC)transplantation is a promising strategy for replacing lost neurons following spinal cord injury.However,the survival and differentiation of transplanted NSCs is limited,possibly owing to the neurotoxic inflammatory microenvironment.Because of the important role of glucose metabolism in M1/M2 polarization of microglia/macrophages,we hypothesized that altering the phenotype of microglia/macrophages by regulating the activity of aldose reductase(AR),a key enzyme in the polyol pathway of glucose metabolism,would provide a more beneficial microenvironment for NSC survival and differentiation.Here,we reveal that inhibition of host AR promoted the polarization of microglia/macrophages toward the M2 phenotype in lesioned spinal cord injuries.M2 macrophages promoted the differentiation of NSCs into neurons in vitro.Transplantation of NSCs into injured spinal cords either deficient in AR or treated with the AR inhibitor sorbinil promoted the survival and neuronal differentiation of NSCs at the injured spinal cord site and contributed to locomotor functional recovery.Our findings suggest that inhibition of host AR activity is beneficial in enhancing the survival and neuronal differentiation of transplanted NSCs and shows potential as a treatment of spinal cord injury.

Enhanced apoptosis during early neuronal differentiation in mouse ES cells with autosomal imbalance

Although particular chromosomal syndromes are phenotypicaUy and clinically distinct, the majority of individuals with autosomal imbalance, such as aneuploidy, manifest mental retardation. A common abnormal phenotype of Down syndrome （DS）, the most prevalent autosomal aneuploidy, shows a reduction in both the number and the density of neurons in the brain. As a DS model, we have recently created chimeric mice from ES cells containing a single human chromosome 21. The mice mimicked the characteristic phenotypic features of DS, and ES cells showed a higher incidence of apoptosis during early neuronal differentiation in vitro. In this study, we examined the induction of anomalous early neural development by aneuploidy in mouse ES cells by transferring various human chromosomes or additional mouse chromosomes. Results showed an elevated incidence of apoptosis in all autosome-aneuploid clones examined during early neuronal differentiation in vitro. Further, cDNA microarray analysis revealed a common cluster of down-regulated genes, of which eight known genes are related to cell proliferation, neurite outgrowth and differentiation. Importantly, targeting of these genes by siRNA knockdown in normal mouse ES cells led to enhanced apoptosis during early neuronal differentiation. These findings strongly suggest that autosomal imbalance is associated with general neuronal loss through a common molecular mechanism for apoptosis.

Presenilin mutations and their impact on neuronal differentiation in Alzheimer’s disease

The presenilin genes(PSEN1 and PSEN2)are mainly responsible for causing early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease,harboring~300 causative mutations,and representing~90%of all mutations associated with a very aggressive disease form.Presenilin 1 is the catalytic core of theγ-secretase complex that conducts the intramembranous proteolytic excision of multiple transmembrane proteins like the amyloid precursor protein,Notch-1,N-and E-cadherin,LRP,Syndecan,Delta,Jagged,CD44,ErbB4,and Nectin1a.Presenilin 1 plays an essential role in neural progenitor maintenance,neurogenesis,neurite outgrowth,synaptic function,neuronal function,myelination,and plasticity.Therefore,an imbalance caused by mutations in presenilin 1/γ-secretase might cause aberrant signaling,synaptic dysfunction,memory impairment,and increased Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio,contributing to neurodegeneration during the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.This review focuses on the neuronal differentiation dysregulation mediated by PSEN1 mutations in Alzheimer’s disease.Furthermore,we emphasize the importance of Alzheimer’s disease-induced pluripotent stem cells models in analyzing PSEN1 mutations implication over the early stages of the Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis throughout neuronal differentiation impairment.

Pleiotrophin fights Brd2 for neuronal differentiation

Bromodomain containing 2 （Brd2） protein belongs to the Bromodomains and Extra Terminal domain （BET） family of chromatin adaptors characterized by the presence of two N-terminal tandem bromodomains and an exclusive C-terminal extra terminal domain （ET） （Belkina and Denis, 2012; Shi and Vakoc, 2014）. Bromodomains are involved in recognizing acetylated histone tails and other acetylated proteins while the ET domain has been implicated in protein-protein interaction.

Review: Neuronal Differentiation Protocols of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are self-renewing cells found in almost all postnatal organs and tissues in the perivascular region. These cells present multiple characteristics that make them candidates to be applied in cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, such as their secretory action, migration to the lesion area, and immunomodulatory potential. These cells have a high capacity for mesodermal differentiation;however, numerous studies have shown that MSCs can also differentiate into neurons. However, despite positive results in multiple trials in which undifferentiated MSCs transplanted into animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, some studies suggest that the therapeutic effects obtained are enhanced by the use of MSCs differentiated towards the neuronal lineage before transplant. In this sense, there are several methods to induce in vitro reprogramming of MSCs towards the neuronal lineage, including chemical substances, growth factors, cocultures with neural lineage cells, transfection of genes, miRNAs, etc., and small molecules stand out. Therefore, this article compares multiple experimental tests in which these inducers promote neuronal differentiation of MSCs and identify those methods that originate an optimal neuronal differentiation. The analysis includes the percentage of differentiation, maturation, expression of neuronal markers, functionality, and cell survival considering the intrinsic characteristics of the MSCs used as the tissue of origin and the species from which they were isolated.

Reprogrammed mouse astrocytes retain a“memory”of tissue origin and possess more tendencies for neuronal differentiation than reprogrammed mouse embryonic fibroblasts

Direct reprogramming of a variety of somatic cells with the transcription factors Oct4(also called Pou5f1),Sox2 with either Klf4 and Myc or Lin28 and Nanog generates the induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)with marker similarity to embryonic stem cells.However,the difference between iPSCs derived from different origins is unclear.In this study,we hypothesized that reprogrammed cells retain a“memory”of their origins and possess additional potential of related tissue differentiation.We reprogrammed primary mouse astrocytes via ectopic retroviral expression of OCT3/4,Sox2,Klf4 and Myc and found the iPSCs from mouse astrocytes expressed stem cell markers and formed teratomas in SCID mice containing derivatives of all three germ layers similar to mouse embryonic stem cells besides semblable morphologies.To test our hypothesis,we compared embryonic bodies(EBs)formation and neuronal differentiation between iPSCs from mouse embryonic fibroblasts(MEFsiPSCs)and iPSCs from mouse astrocytes(mAsiPSCs).We found that mAsiPSCs grew slower and possessed more potential for neuronal differentiation compared to MEFsiPSCs.Our results suggest that mAsiPSCs retain a“memory”of the central nervous system,which confers additional potential upon neuronal differentiation.

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into neuronal cells on fetal bovine acellular dermal matrix as a tissue engineered nerve scaffold

The purpose of this study was to assess fetal bovine acellular dermal matrix as a scaffold for supporting the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neural cells fol-lowing induction with neural differentiation medium. We performed long-term, continuous observation of cell morphology, growth, differentiation, and neuronal development using several microscopy techniques in conjunction with immunohistochemistry. We examined speciifc neu-ronal proteins and Nissl bodies involved in the differentiation process in order to determine the neuronal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. The results show that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells that differentiate on fetal bovine acellular dermal matrix display neuronal morphology with unipolar and bi/multipolar neurite elongations that express neuro-nal-speciifc proteins, includingβIII tubulin. The bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells grown on fetal bovine acellular dermal matrix and induced for long periods of time with neural differen-tiation medium differentiated into a multilayered neural network-like structure with long nerve ifbers that was composed of several parallel microifbers and neuronal cells, forming a complete neural circuit with dendrite-dendrite to axon-dendrite to dendrite-axon synapses. In addition, growth cones with filopodia were observed using scanning electron microscopy. Paraffin sec-tioning showed differentiated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells with the typical features of neuronal phenotype, such as a large, round nucleus and a cytoplasm full of Nissl bodies. The data suggest that the biological scaffold fetal bovine acellular dermal matrix is capable of supporting human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into functional neurons and the subsequent formation of tissue engineered nerve.

Resveratrol promotes the survival and neuronal differentiation of hypoxia-conditioned neuronal progenitor cells in rats with cerebral ischemia

Hypoxia conditioning could increase the survival of transplanted neuronal progenitor cells(NPCs)in rats with cerebral ischemia but could also hinder neuronal differentiation partly by suppressing mitochondrial metabolism.In this work,the mitochondrial metabolism of hypoxia-conditioned NPCs(hcNPCs)was upregulated via the additional administration of resveratrol,an herbal compound,to resolve the limitation of hypoxia conditioning on neuronal differentiation.Resveratrol was first applied during the in vitro neuronal differentiation of hcNPCs and concurrently promoted the differentiation,synaptogenesis,and functional development of neurons derived from hcNPCs and restored the mitochondrial metabolism.Furthermore,this herbal compound was used as an adjuvant during hcNPC transplantation in a photothrombotic stroke rat model.Resveratrol promoted neuronal differentiation and increased the long-term survival of transplanted hcNPCs.18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and rotarod test showed that resveratrol and hcNPC transplantation synergistically improved the neurological and metabolic recovery of stroke rats.In conclusion,resveratrol promoted the neuronal differentiation and therapeutic efficiency of hcNPCs in stroke rats via restoring mitochondrial metabolism.This work suggested a novel approach to promote the clinical translation of NPC transplantation therapy.

Total Ginsenoside Extract from Panax ginseng Enhances Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Neuronal Differentiation by Inactivating GSK-3β

Objective:To study the effects of total ginsenosides(TG)extract from Panax ginseng on neural stem cell(NSC)proliferation and differentiation and their underlying mechanisms.Methods:The migration of NSCs after treatment with various concentrations of TG extract(50,100,or 200μg/mL)were monitored.The proliferation of NSCs was examined by a combination of cell counting kit-8 and neurosphere assays.NSC differentiation mediated by TG extract was evaluated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining to monitor the expression of nestin and microtubule associated protein 2(MAP2).The GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway in TG-treated NSCs was examined by Western blot assay.The NSCs with constitutively active GSK-3βmutant were made by adenovirus-mediated gene transfection,then the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs mediated by TG were further verified.Results:TG treatment significantly enhanced NSC migration(P<0.01 or P<0.05)and increased the proliferation of NSCs(P<0.01 or P<0.05).TG mediation also significantly upregulated MAP2 expression but downregulated nestin expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05).TG extract also significantly induced GSK-3βphosphorylation at Ser9,leading to GSK-3βinactivation and,consequently,the activation of the GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway(P<0.01 or P<0.05).In addition,constitutive activation of GSK-3βin NSCs by the transfection of GSK-3βS9 A mutant was found to significantly suppress TG-mediated NSC proliferation and differentiation(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Conclusion:TG promoted NSC proliferation and neuronal differentiation by inactivating GSK-3β.

Integrated transcriptome analysis of human iPS cells derived from a fragile X syndrome patient during neuronal differentiation

Fragile X syndrome(FXS) patients carry the expansion of over 200 CGG repeats at the promoter of fragile X mental retardation 1(FMR1), leading to decreased or absent expression of its encoded fragile X mental retardation protein(FMRP). However, the global transcriptional alteration by FMRP deficiency has not been well characterized at single nucleotide resolution, i.e., RNA-seq. Here,we performed in-vitro neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem(iPS) cells that were derived from fibroblasts of a FXS patient(FXS-iPSC). We then performed RNA-seq and examined the transcriptional misregulation at each intermediate stage during in-vitro differentiation of FXS-iPSC into neurons. After thoroughly analyzing the transcriptomic data and integrating them with those from other platforms, we found up-regulation of many genes encoding TFs for neuronal differentiation(WNT1, BMP4,POU3F4, TFAP2 C, and PAX3), down-regulation of potassium channels(KCNA1, KCNC3, KCNG2, KCNIP4, KCNJ3, KCNK9,and KCNT1) and altered temporal regulation of SHANK1 and NNAT in FXS-iPSC derived neurons, indicating impaired neuronal differentiation and function in FXS patients. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the FMRP deficiency in FXS patients has significant impact on the gene expression patterns during development, which will help to discover potential targeting candidates for the cure of FXS symptoms.

Bio-inspired chiral self-assemblies promoted neuronal differentiation of retinal progenitor cells through activation of metabolic pathway

Retinal degeneration is a main class of ocular diseases.So far,retinal progenitor cell(RPC)transplantation has been the most potential therapy for it,in which promoting RPCs neuronal differentiation remains an unmet challenge.To address this issue,innovatively designed L/D-phenylalanine based chiral nanofibers(LPG and DPG)are employed and it finds that chirality of fibers can efficiently regulate RPCs differentiation.qPCR,western blot,and immunofluorescence analysis show that right-handed helical DPG nanofibers significantly promote RPCs neuronal differentiation,whereas left-handed LPG nanofibers decrease this effect.These effects are mainly ascribed to the stereoselective interaction between chiral helical nanofibers and retinol-binding protein 4(RBP4,a key protein in the retinoic acid(RA)metabolic pathway).The findings of chirality-dependent neuronal differentiation provide new strategies for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases via optimizing differentiation of transplanted stem cells on chiral nanofibers.

Non-catalytic roles for TET1 protein negatively regulating neuronal differentiation through srGAP3 in neuroblastoma cells

The methylcytosine dioxygenases TET proteins （TET1, TET2, and TET3） play important regulatory roles in neural function. In this study, we investigated the role of TET proteins in neuronal differentiation using Neuro2a cells as a model. We observed that knockdown of TET1, TET2 or TET3 promoted neuronal differentiation of Neuro2a cells, and their overexpression inhibited VPA （valproic acid）-induced neuronal differentiation, suggesting all three TET proteins negatively regulate neu- ronal differentiation of Neuro2a cells. Interestingly, the inducing activity of TET protein is independent of its enzymatic activity. Our previous studies have demon- strated that srGAP3 can negatively regulate neuronal differentiation of Neuro2a cells. Furthermore, we revealed that TET1 could positively regulate srGAP3 expression independent of its catalytic activity, and srGAP3 is required for TET-mediated neuronal differentiation of Neuro2a cells. The results presented here may facilitate better understanding of the role of TET proteins in neuronal differentiation, and provide a possible therapy target for neuroblastoma.

Propofol inhibits neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro

Propofol （2, 6-diisopropylphenol） is a general intravenous anesthetic which plays roles in the central neural system by binding GABAA receptors （GABAARs） and enhancing the chloride channels of the neurons.1 Previous studies mainly focused on the effects of anesthetics on mature neurons, but little attention was paid to their role in early neural differentiation or neural stem cells. Therefore, in the present study, we choose the widely used mouse embryonic cells （ES） cells as the model to investigate the potential effect ofpropofol on neuronal differentiation.

Salidroside attenuates oxygen and glucose deprivation-induced neuronal injury by inhibiting ferroptosis

Objective: To evaluate the effect of salidroside on oxygen and glucose deprivation(OGD)-treated NT2 cells and its underlying mechanisms of action.Methods: Retinoic acid was used to induce the differentiation of NT2 cells into neurons. The effects of salidroside on survival, apoptosis, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress of neurons undergoing OGD were evaluated. Using precursor cells as controls, the effect of salidroside on the differentiation progression of OGDtreated cells was evaluated. In addition, the effect of erastin, a ferroptosis inducer, on NT2 cells was examined to investigate the underlying mechanisms of neuroprotective action of salidroside.Results: Salidroside alleviated the effects of OGD on neuronal survival, apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress, and promoted NT2 cell differentiation. Moreover, salidroside prevented ferroptosis of OGD-treated cells, which was abolished following erastin treatment, indicating that ferroptosis mediated the regulatory pathway of salidroside.Conclusions: Salidroside attenuates OGD-induced neuronal injury by inhibiting ferroptosis and promotes neuronal differentiation.

Metabolic and proteostatic differences in quiescent and active neural stem cells

Adult neural stem cells are neurogenesis progenitor cells that play an important role in neurogenesis.Therefore,neural regeneration may be a promising target for treatment of many neurological illnesses.The regenerative capacity of adult neural stem cells can be chara cterized by two states:quiescent and active.Quiescent adult neural stem cells are more stable and guarantee the quantity and quality of the adult neural stem cell pool.Active adult neural stem cells are chara cterized by rapid proliferation and differentiation into neurons which allow for integration into neural circuits.This review focuses on diffe rences between quiescent and active adult neural stem cells in nutrition metabolism and protein homeostasis.Furthermore,we discuss the physiological significance and underlying advantages of these diffe rences.Due to the limited number of adult neural stem cells studies,we refe rred to studies of embryonic adult neural stem cells or non-mammalian adult neural stem cells to evaluate specific mechanisms.