Connecting neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration:a spotlight on the role of kinesin superfamily protein 2A(KIF2A)

Microtubules play a central role in cytoskeletal changes during neuronal development and maintenance.Microtubule dynamics is essential to polarity and shape transitions underlying neural cell division,differentiation,motility,and maturation.Kinesin superfamily protein 2A is a member of human kinesin 13 gene family of proteins that depolymerize and destabilize microtubules.In dividing cells,kinesin superfamily protein 2A is involved in mitotic progression,spindle assembly,and chromosome segregation.In postmitotic neurons,it is required for axon/dendrite specification and extension,neuronal migration,connectivity,and survival.Humans with kinesin superfamily protein 2A mutations suffer from a variety of malformations of cortical development,epilepsy,autism spectrum disorder,and neurodegeneration.In this review,we discuss how kinesin superfamily protein 2A regulates neuronal development and function,and how its deregulation causes neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders.

Harnessing therapeutic potential of induced pluripotent stem cell–derived endothelial cells for remyelination in the central nervous system

Myelin is the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibers, and its damage(demyelination) occurs in many central nervous system(CNS) diseases, including multiple sclerosis(MS), traumatic injury, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia(Barateiro et al., 2016). Repair of damaged myelin sheaths(remyelination) often fails in MS, leading to neuronal loss and irreversible functional deficits.

Insulin resistance in diabetes: The promise of using induced pluripotent stem cell technology

Insulin resistance(IR)is associated with several metabolic disorders,including type 2 diabetes(T2D).The development of IR in insulin target tissues involves genetic and acquired factors.Persons at genetic risk for T2D tend to develop IR several years before glucose intolerance.Several rodent models for both IR and T2D are being used to study the disease pathogenesis;however,these models cannot recapitulate all the aspects of this complex disorder as seen in each individual.Human pluripotent stem cells(hPSCs)can overcome the hurdles faced with the classical mouse models for studying IR.Human induced pluripotent stem cells(hiPSCs)can be generated from the somatic cells of the patients without the need to destroy a human embryo.Therefore,patient-specific hiPSCs can generate cells genetically identical to IR individuals,which can help in distinguishing between genetic and acquired defects in insulin sensitivity.Combining the technologies of genome editing and hiPSCs may provide important information about the genetic factors underlying the development of different forms of IR.Further studies are required to fill the gaps in understanding the pathogenesis of IR and diabetes.In this review,we summarize the factors involved in the development of IR in the insulin-target tissues leading to diabetes.Also,we highlight the use of hPSCs to understand the mechanisms underlying the development of IR.

A benchtop brain injury model using resected donor tissue from patients with Chiari malformation

The use of live animal models for testing new therapies for brain and spinal cord repair is a controversial area. Live animal models have associated ethical issues and scientific concerns regarding the predictability of human responses. Alternative models that replicate the 3 D architecture of the central nervous system have prompted the development of organotypic neural injury models. However, the lack of reliable means to access normal human neural tissue has driven reliance on pathological or post-mortem tissue which limits their biological utility. We have established a protocol to use donor cerebellar tonsillar tissue surgically resected from patients with Chiari malformation(cerebellar herniation towards the foramen magnum, with ectopic rather than diseased tissue) to develop an in vitro organotypic model of traumatic brain injury. Viable tissue was maintained for approximately 2 weeks with all the major neural cell types detected. Traumatic injuries could be introduced into the slices with some cardinal features of post-injury pathology evident. Biomaterial placement was also feasible within the in vitro lesions. Accordingly, this ‘proof-of-concept’ study demonstrates that the model offers potential as an alternative to the use of animal tissue for preclinical testing in neural tissue engineering. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that donor tissue from patients with Chiari malformation can be used to develop a benchtop model of traumatic brain injury. However, significant challenges in relation to the clinical availability of tissue were encountered, and we discuss logistical issues that must be considered for model scale-up.

The blood-brain barrier models to study apolipoprotein E genotypes in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by an age-dependent progressive decline of memory,impairment of cognitive functions and changes in personality and behavior.Despite the improvement in understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease,AD remains an incurable complex disorder with multifaceted pathophysiology to date.Apolipoprotein E(ApoE)is the main cholesterol carrier in the brain that supports lipid transport between brain cells.The individuals carrying the APOE4 allele are known to be at increased risk of developing AD compared with those carrying the more common APOE3 allele.

Telomere Elongation in the Breast Cancer Cell Line 21NT after Treatment with an Epigenetic Modifying Drug

Background: Telomere length dysregulation plays a major role in cancer development and aging. Telomeres are maintained by a group of specialized genes known as shelterin and shelterin-associated proteins. In breast cancer lines it has been shown that shelterin proteins are dysregulated thereby affecting the telomere stability and contributing to the neoplastic conversion of the mammary epithelial cells. Interestingly, the regulation of some of the shelterin genes is thought to be controlled epigenetically. Methods and Results: In this study, we set out to measure the effect of increased shelterin gene expression on telomere length in breast cancer cell line 21NT treated with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) using known telomere length assays. We measured telomere lengths using: Telomere Restriction Fragment length (TRF), absolute quantitative-PCR and cytogenetic Interphase Quantitative Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (iQ-FISH). We found that non-cytotoxic levels of 5-aza-CdR affect telomere lengths by causing a significant and stable increase in telomere lengths of the breast cancer cell line. The increase in telomere lengths was consistently observed when various telomere length methods were used. Conclusions: Further investigation is required to understand the underlying mechanism involved, and the significance of telomere length elongation in relation to clinical outcome when epigenetic modifying drugs are utilized.

Increased connectivity of hiPSC-derived neural networks in multiphase granular hydrogel scaffolds

To reflect human development,it is critical to create a substrate that can support long-term cell survival,differentiation,and maturation.Hydrogels are promising materials for 3D cultures.However,a bulk structure consisting of dense polymer networks often leads to suboptimal microenvironments that impedes nutrient exchange and cell-to-cell interaction.Herein,granular hydrogel-based scaffolds were used to support 3D human induced pluripotent stem cell(hiPSC)-derived neural networks.A custom designed 3D printed toolset was developed to extrude hyaluronic acid hydrogel through a porous nylon fabric to generate hydrogel granules.Cells and hydrogel granules were combined using a weaker secondary gelation step,forming self-supporting cell laden scaffolds.At three and seven days,granular scaffolds supported higher cell viability compared to bulk hydrogels,whereas granular scaffolds supported more neurite bearing cells and longer neurite extensions(65.52±11.59μm)after seven days compared to bulk hydrogels(22.90±4.70μm).Long-term(three-month)cultures of clinically relevant hiPSC-derived neural cells in granular hydrogels supported well established neuronal and astrocytic colonies and a high level of neurite extension both inside and beyond the scaffold.This approach is significant as it provides a simple,rapid and efficient way to achieve a tissue-relevant granular structure within hydrogel cultures.

Not only ACE2-the quest for additional host cell mediators of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) as a novel SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry mediator implicated in COVID-19

Two recently published studies published in Science by Daly et al.1 and Cantuti-Castelvetri et al.2 identified neuropilin-1(NRP1)as an additional cellular mediator which may facilitate the entry of the new severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS)-coronavirus(CoV)-2(SARS-CoV-2)into host cells.The findings of these elegant studies collectively indicate that,in addition to the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)in mediating the cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2;NRP1 may act as a host cell mediator that can increase the infectivity and may thus contribute to the tissue/organ tropism of this coronavirus.

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals perturbs lipid metabolism and circadian rhythms

A growing body of evidence indicates that exposure to environmental chemicals can contribute to the etiology of obesity by inappropriately stimulating adipogenesis as well as perturbing lipid metabolism and energy balance. One potential mechanism by which chemical exposure can influence lipid metabolism is through disturbance of circadian rhythms, endogenously-driven cycles of roughly 24 hr in length that coordinate biochemical, physiological, and behavioral processes in all organisms. Here we show for the first time that exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds（EDCs）, including the pesticide tributyltin, two commercial flame retardants, and a UV-filter chemical found in sunscreens,can perturb both circadian clocks and lipid metabolism in vertebrates. Exposure of developing zebrafish to EDCs affects core clock activity and leads to a remarkable increase in lipid accumulation that is reminiscent of the effects observed for longdaysin, a known disruptor of circadian rhythms. Our data reveal a novel obesogenic mechanism of action for environmental chemicals, an observation which warrants further research. Because circadian clocks regulate a wide variety of physiological processes, identification of environmental chemicals capable of perturbing these systems may provide important insights into the development of environmentally-induced metabolic disease.

Use of routine HIV testing data for early detection of emerging HIV epidemics in high-risk subpopulations:A concept demonstration study

Introduction:HIV epidemics in hard-to-reach high-risk subpopulations are often discovered years after epidemic emergence in settings with poor surveillance infrastructure.Using hypothesis-generation modeling,we aimed to investigate and demonstrate the concept of using routine HIV testing data to identify and characterize hidden epidemics in high-risk subpopulations.We also compared this approach to surveillance based on AIDS case notifications.Methods:A deterministic mathematical model was developed to simulate an emerging HIV epidemic in a high-risk subpopulation.A stochastic Monte Carlo simulation was implemented on the total population to simulate the sampling process of generating routine HIV testing data.Epidemiological measures were estimated on the simulated epidemic and on the generated testing sample.Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the results.Results:In the simulated epidemic,HIV prevalence saturated at 32%in the high-risk subpopulation and at 0.33%in the total population.The epidemic started its emergingepidemic phase 28 years after infection introduction,and saturated 67 years after infection introduction.In the simulated HIV testing sample,a significant time trend in prevalence was identified,and the generated metrics of epidemic emergence and saturation were similar to those of the simulated epidemic.The epidemic was identified 4.0(95%CI 3.4e4.6)years after epidemic emergence using routine HIV testing,but 29.7(95%CI 15.8 e52.1)years after emergence using AIDS case notifications.In the sensitivity analyses,none of the sampling biases affected the conclusion of an emerging epidemic,but some affected the estimated epidemic growth rate.Conclusions:Routine HIV testing data provides a tool to identify and characterize hidden and emerging epidemics in high-risk subpopulations.This approach can be specially useful in resource-limited settings,and can be applied alone,or along with other complementary data,to provide a meaningful characterization of emerging but hidden epidemics.