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Developmental excitation-inhibition imbalance underlying psychoses revealed by single-cell analyses of discordant twins-derived cerebral organoids.

ABSTRACT: Despite extensive genetic and neuroimaging studies, detailed cellular mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and bipolar disorder remain poorly understood. Recent progress in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies enables identification of cell-type-specific pathophysiology. However, its application to psychiatric disorders is challenging because of methodological difficulties in analyzing human brains and the confounds due to a lifetime of illness. Brain organoids derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of the patients are a powerful avenue to investigate the pathophysiological processes. Here, we generated iPSC-derived cerebral organoids from monozygotic twins discordant for psychosis. scRNA-seq analysis of the organoids revealed enhanced GABAergic specification and reduced cell proliferation following diminished Wnt signaling in the patient, which was confirmed in iPSC-derived forebrain neuronal cells. Two additional monozygotic twin pairs discordant for schizophrenia also confirmed the excess GABAergic specification of the patients' neural progenitor cells. With a well-controlled genetic background, our data suggest that unbalanced specification of excitatory and inhibitory neurons during cortical development underlies psychoses.

SUBMITTER: Sawada T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7577852 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Developmental excitation-inhibition imbalance underlying psychoses revealed by single-cell analyses of discordant twins-derived cerebral organoids.

Sawada Tomoyo T Chater Thomas E TE Sasagawa Yohei Y Yoshimura Mika M Fujimori-Tonou Noriko N Tanaka Kaori K Benjamin Kynon J M KJM Paquola Apuã C M ACM Erwin Jennifer A JA Goda Yukiko Y Nikaido Itoshi I Kato Tadafumi T

Molecular psychiatry 20200807 11

Despite extensive genetic and neuroimaging studies, detailed cellular mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and bipolar disorder remain poorly understood. Recent progress in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies enables identification of cell-type-specific pathophysiology. However, its application to psychiatric disorders is challenging because of methodological difficulties in analyzing human brains and the confounds due to a lifetime of illness. Brain organoids derived from induced ...[more]

PMID: 32764691

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Project description:We developed a human cerebral organoid model derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with targeted genome editing to abolish protein expression of the Contactin Associated Protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk gene, mimicking loss-of-function mutations seen in patients. CNTNAP2-/- cerebral organoids displayed accelerated cell cycle, ventricular zone disorganisation and increased cortical folding. Proteomic analysis revealed disruptions in glutamatergic/GABAergic synaptic pathways and neurodevelopment, highlighting increased protein expression of corticogenesis and neurodevelopment-related genes such as Forkhead box protein G1 (FOXG1) and Paired box 6 (PAX6). Transcriptomic analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEG) belonging to inhibitory neuron-related gene networks. Interestingly, there was a weak correlation between the transcriptomic and proteomic data, suggesting nuanced translational control mechanisms. Along these lines we find upregulated Protein Kinase B (Akt)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling in CNTNAP2-/- organoids. Spatial transcriptomics analysis of CNTNAP2-/- ventricular zones demonstrated pervasive changes in gene expression, particularly in PAX6- cells, implicating upregulation of cell cycle regulation pathways, synaptic and glutamatergic/GABAergic pathways. We noted a significant overlap of all omics datasets with idiopathic ASD (macrocephaly) iPSC-derived telencephalic organoids DEG, where FOXG1 was upregulated, along with aberrant expression of Glutamate decarboxylase 1 (GAD1) and T-Box Brain Transcription Factor 1 (TBR1), suggesting altered GABAergic/glutamatergic neuron development. These findings potentially highlight a shared mechanism in the early cortical development of various forms of ASD, further elucidate the role of CNTNAP2 in ASD pathophysiology and cortical development and pave the way for targeted therapies using cerebral organoids as preclinical models.

Dataset Information

Developmental excitation-inhibition imbalance underlying psychoses revealed by single-cell analyses of discordant twins-derived cerebral organoids.

Publications

Developmental excitation-inhibition imbalance underlying psychoses revealed by single-cell analyses of discordant twins-derived cerebral organoids.

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