Generation of human excitatory forebrain neurons by cooperative binding of proneural NGN2 and homeobox factor EMX1
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE181019 | GEO | 2024/03/27
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Generation of human excitatory forebrain neurons by cooperative binding of proneural NGN2 and homeobox factor EMX1
| PRJNA750423 | ENA
Project description:Human neurons engineered from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through Neurogenin 2 (Ngn2) overexpression are widely used to study neuronal differentiation mechanisms and to model neurological diseases. However, the differentiation paths and heterogeneity of emerged neurons have not been fully explored. Here we used single-cell transcriptomics to dissect the cell states that emerge during Ngn2 overexpression across a time course from pluripotency to neuron functional maturation. We find a substantial molecular heterogeneity in the neuron types generated, with at least two populations that express genes associated with neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Neuron heterogeneity is observed across multiple iPSC clones and lines from different individuals. We find that neuron fate acquisition is sensitive to Ngn2 expression level and the duration of Ngn2 forced expression. Our data reveals that Ngn2 dosage can regulate neuron fate acquisition, and that Ngn2-iN heterogeneity can confound results that are sensitive to neuron type.
2021-08-05 | E-MTAB-10632 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:We generated human excitatory neurons using a protocol for rapid 21-day induction using neurogenin-2 overexpression (Zhang et al., 2013) in a publicly available control iPSC line. We validated the glutamatergic neuronal identity of the neurons by immunofluorescence and transcriptomics. We exposed 6 of the 12 replicate neuron cultures to therapeutic plasma levels of clozapine (300 ng/mL) for the last 3 days of culture, and the remaining 6 to replicates to the clozapine solvent alone (methanol) to be used as controls. We harvested the cultures and extracted total RNA, depleted ribosomal RNA and subjected them to RNA sequencing. Of the 6 control replicates 2 failed RNA quality control, and thus a total of 6 exposed and 4 control cultures were used for further analysis. Here, we provide that raw sequencing data as well as a list of all of the genes and their expression levels resulting from the RNA-sequencing. This dataset can be used as a reference data for future studies that access additional neuronal cell types, clozapine exposure conditions, and other antipsychotic medication. Related Research Article: Das, D., Peng, X., Lam, A.N., Bader, J.S., Avramopoulos, D., 2021. Transcriptome analysis of human induced excitatory neurons supports a strong effect of clozapine on cholesterol biosynthesis. Schizophr Res 228, 324-326. (Das et al., 2021).
| S-EPMC7910509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The EMX (Empty Spiracles Homeobox) genes EMX1 and EMX2 are two homeodomain gene members of the EMX family of transcription factors involved in the regulation of various biological processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, during brain development and neural crest migration. They play a role in the specification of positional identity, the proliferation of neural stem cells, and the differentiation of certain neuronal cell phenotypes. In general, they act as transcription factors in early embryogenesis and neuroembryogenesis from metazoans to higher vertebrates. The EMX1 and EMX2's potential as tumor suppressor genes has been suggested in some cancers. Our work showed that EMX1/EMX2 act as tumor suppressors in sarcomas by repressing the activity of stem cell regulatory genes (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, MYC, NANOG, NES, and PROM1). EMX protein downregulation, therefore, induced the malignance and stemness of cells both in vitro and in vivo. In murine knockout (KO) models lacking Emx genes, 3MC-induced sarcomas were more aggressive and infiltrative, had a greater capacity for tumor self-renewal, and had higher stem cell gene expression and nestin expression than those in wild-type models. These results showing that EMX genes acted as stemness regulators were reproduced in different subtypes of sarcoma. Therefore, it is possible that the EMX genes could have a generalized behavior regulating proliferation of neural crest-derived progenitors. Together, these results indicate that the EMX1 and EMX2 genes negatively regulate these tumor-altering populations or cancer stem cells, acting as tumor suppressors in sarcoma.
| S-EPMC8137939 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Two closely related proneural bHLH transcription factors, Ascl1 and Ngn2, both can induce mouse embryonic stem cells to differentiate into induced neurons. Although Ascl1 and Ngn2 induced transcriptional programs partially overlap, it is not known whether the differences translate into the distinct mechanisms. We found that both transcription factors induce mutually exclusive side populations by binding and inducing different lineage drivers. Furthermore, Ascl1 rapidly dismantles the pluripotency network and installs neuronal and trophoblast cell fates, while Ngn2 generates a neural stem cell-like intermediate supported by incomplete shutdown of the pluripotency network. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening, we revealed differential genetic dependencies between Ascl1 and Ngn2. Specifically, Ascl1 is more dependent on factors including Tcf7l1, that regulate pluripotency and cell cycle. In the absence of the pluripotency network repressor Tcf7l1 Ascl1 is still able to repress the core pluripotency genes, however failed to exit cell cycle. Overexpression of Cdkn1c induced cell cycle exit and restored the generation of neurons. This study illuminates two different mechanistic approaches to convert ESC to induced neurons: rapid shutdown of the initial state while installing a terminal cell identity versus repurposing the initial gene regulatory network to allow generation of neurons via intermediate states. Understanding the precise mechanism and the variety of cell states induced is essential to design efficient cell replacement therapeutic applications or precise tools for disease modelling.
2023-07-17 | GSE208199 | GEO
Project description:Since the discovery of somatic reprogramming, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been exploited to model a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Because hiPSCs represent an almost limitless source of patient-derived neurons that retain the genetic variations thought to contribute to disease etiology, they have been heralded as a patient-specific platform for high throughput drug screening. However, the utility of current protocols for generating neurons from hiPSCs remains limited by protracted differentiation timelines and heterogeneity of the neuronal phenotypes produced. Neuronal induction via the forced expression of exogenous transcription factors rapidly induces defined populations of functional neurons from fibroblasts and hiPSCs. Here, we describe an adapted protocol that accelerates maturation of functional excitatory neurons from hiPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) via lentiviral transduction of Neurogenin 2 (using both mNgn2 and hNGN2). This methodology, relying upon a robust and scalable starting population of hiPSC NPCs, should be readily amenable to scaling for hiPSC-based high-throughput drug screening.
| S-EPMC4860098 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Two closely related proneural bHLH transcription factors, Ascl1 and Ngn2, both can induce mouse embryonic stem cells to differentiate into induced neurons. Although Ascl1 and Ngn2 induced transcriptional programs partially overlap, it is not known whether the differences translate into the distinct mechanisms. We found that both transcription factors induce mutually exclusive side populations by binding and inducing different lineage drivers. Furthermore, Ascl1 rapidly dismantles the pluripotency network and installs neuronal and trophoblast cell fates, while Ngn2 generates a neural stem cell-like intermediate supported by incomplete shutdown of the pluripotency network. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening, we revealed differential genetic dependencies between Ascl1 and Ngn2. Specifically, Ascl1 is more dependent on factors including Tcf7l1, that regulate pluripotency and cell cycle. In the absence of the pluripotency network repressor Tcf7l1 Ascl1 is still able to repress the core pluripotency genes, however failed to exit cell cycle. Overexpression of Cdkn1c induced cell cycle exit and restored the generation of neurons. This study illuminates two different mechanistic approaches to convert ESC to induced neurons: rapid shutdown of the initial state while installing a terminal cell identity versus repurposing the initial gene regulatory network to allow generation of neurons via intermediate states. Understanding the precise mechanism and the variety of cell states induced is essential to design efficient cell replacement therapeutic applications or precise tools for disease modelling.
2023-07-17 | GSE206871 | GEO
Project description:Two closely related proneural bHLH transcription factors, Ascl1 and Ngn2, both can induce mouse embryonic stem cells to differentiate into induced neurons. Although Ascl1 and Ngn2 induced transcriptional programs partially overlap, it is not known whether the differences translate into the distinct mechanisms. We found that both transcription factors induce mutually exclusive side populations by binding and inducing different lineage drivers. Furthermore, Ascl1 rapidly dismantles the pluripotency network and installs neuronal and trophoblast cell fates, while Ngn2 generates a neural stem cell-like intermediate supported by incomplete shutdown of the pluripotency network. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening, we revealed differential genetic dependencies between Ascl1 and Ngn2. Specifically, Ascl1 is more dependent on factors including Tcf7l1, that regulate pluripotency and cell cycle. In the absence of the pluripotency network repressor Tcf7l1 Ascl1 is still able to repress the core pluripotency genes, however failed to exit cell cycle. Overexpression of Cdkn1c induced cell cycle exit and restored the generation of neurons. This study illuminates two different mechanistic approaches to convert ESC to induced neurons: rapid shutdown of the initial state while installing a terminal cell identity versus repurposing the initial gene regulatory network to allow generation of neurons via intermediate states. Understanding the precise mechanism and the variety of cell states induced is essential to design efficient cell replacement therapeutic applications or precise tools for disease modelling.
2023-07-17 | GSE206870 | GEO
Project description:Two closely related proneural bHLH transcription factors, Ascl1 and Ngn2, both can induce mouse embryonic stem cells to differentiate into induced neurons. Although Ascl1 and Ngn2 induced transcriptional programs partially overlap, it is not known whether the differences translate into the distinct mechanisms. We found that both transcription factors induce mutually exclusive side populations by binding and inducing different lineage drivers. Furthermore, Ascl1 rapidly dismantles the pluripotency network and installs neuronal and trophoblast cell fates, while Ngn2 generates a neural stem cell-like intermediate supported by incomplete shutdown of the pluripotency network. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screening, we revealed differential genetic dependencies between Ascl1 and Ngn2. Specifically, Ascl1 is more dependent on factors including Tcf7l1, that regulate pluripotency and cell cycle. In the absence of the pluripotency network repressor Tcf7l1 Ascl1 is still able to repress the core pluripotency genes, however failed to exit cell cycle. Overexpression of Cdkn1c induced cell cycle exit and restored the generation of neurons. This study illuminates two different mechanistic approaches to convert ESC to induced neurons: rapid shutdown of the initial state while installing a terminal cell identity versus repurposing the initial gene regulatory network to allow generation of neurons via intermediate states. Understanding the precise mechanism and the variety of cell states induced is essential to design efficient cell replacement therapeutic applications or precise tools for disease modelling.
2023-07-17 | GSE206869 | GEO
Project description:BackgroundSarcomas are a very heterogeneous group of tumors with intrinsic developmental programs derived from the cell of origin. This implies a functional hierarchy inside tumors governed by sarcoma stem cells. Therefore, genetic and/or epigenetic changes profoundly affect the biology of sarcoma tumor stem cells. EMX genes are proposed to be transcription factors that are involved in the sarcomagenesis process, regardless of the neural or mesodermal embryological sarcoma origin. It has been shown that EMX1 or EMX2 overexpression reduces tumorigenic properties, while reducing the levels of these genes enhances these properties. Furthermore, it has been shown that EMX genes decrease the expression of stem cell regulatory genes and the stem cell phenotype. Taken together, these results indicate that the EMX1 and EMX2 genes negatively regulate these tumor-remodeling populations or sarcoma stem cells, acting as tumor suppressors in sarcoma.MethodsBioinformatic analysis, quantitative mRNA and protein expression analysis, cell models of sarcoma by ectopic expression of EMX genes. By cell biology methods we measured tumorigenesis and populations enriched on stem cell phenotypes, either in vitro or in vivo.ResultsIn this work, we showed that the canonical Wnt pathway is one of the mechanisms that explains the relationships of EMX1/EMX2 and stem cell genes in sarcoma. The Wnt-EMX1/EMX2 relationship was validated in silico with sarcoma patient datasets, in vitro in primary derived sarcoma cell lines, and in vivo. EMX expression was found to negatively regulate the Wnt pathway. In addition, the constitutive activation of the Wnt pathway revers to a more aggressive phenotype with stem cell properties, and stemness gene transcription increased even in the presence of EMX1 and/or EMX2 overexpression, establishing the relationship among the Wnt pathway, stem cell genes and the EMX transcription factors.ConclusionsOur data showed that Empty Spiracles Homeobox Genes EMX1 and EMX2 represses WNT signalling and activation of WNT pathway bypass EMX-dependent stemness repression and induces sarcomagenesis. These results also suggest the relevance of the Wnt/b-catenin/stemness axis as a therapeutic target in sarcoma.
| S-EPMC8348834 | biostudies-literature