Project description:We have generated isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell lines by reprogramming human fibroblasts from patients carrying the LRRK2 G2019S mutation with subsequent zinc finger nuclease - mediated targeted correction of the diseased allele. These iPS cell lines were differentiated for 30 days using a direct differentiation protocol towards midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs). Isogenic human iPS cells carrying the LRRK2 WT and G2019S locus were differentiated to dopaminergic neurons to detect gene expression changes associated with mutated LRRK2.
Project description:Electromagnetic field-mediated direct lineage reprogramming into induced dopamine neurons in vivo for Parkinson’s disease therapy [microarray2]
Project description:Electromagnetic field-mediated direct lineage reprogramming into induced dopamine neurons in vivo for Parkinson’s disease therapy [microarray1]
Project description:Dopaminergic neurons located in the ventral midbrain can be broadly subdivided into two distinct subpopulations. Substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic neurons are highly sensitive to toxic insults and selectively degenerate in Parkinson’s disease, while ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neurons are associated with other neurological disorders. Access to enriched cultures of SN and VTA dopaminergic neuronal subpopulations will facilitate disease modelling and give insight in the differential vulnerability, but it is unclear how the differentiation of human ES cells can be directed towards these distinct lineages. We found that overexpression of the lineage specifying transcription factors Sox6 and Otx2 can direct the differentiation of human ES cells into enriched populations of respectively SN or VTA neurons. Proteomic analysis of these cultures resulted in the identification of several differential expressed proteins and provided insight in pathways contributing to the selective vulnerability of SN.
Project description:Electromagnetic field-mediated direct lineage reprogramming into induced dopamine neurons in vivo for Parkinson’s disease therapy [ChIP-Seq]