Project description:Adult human neural crest-derived stem cells are of extraordinary high plasticity and promising candidates for the use in regenerative medicine. Here we describe for the first time a novel neural crest-derived stem cell population within the respiratory epithelium of adult human inferior turbinate. In contrast to superior and middle turbinates, high amounts of source material could be isolated from human inferior turbinates using minimally-invasive surgery methods isolation is efficient even from older patients. Within their endogenous niche, inferior turbinate stem cells (ITSCs) expressed high levels of nestin, p75NTR and S100. Immuno-electron microscopy using anti-p75 antibodies displayed that ITSCs are of glial origin and closely related to non-myelinating Schwann cells. Cultivated ITSCs were positive for nestin and S100 as well as the neural crest markers Slug and Sox10. Whole genome microarray analysis showed pronounced differences to human ES cells in respect to pluripotency markers OCT4, SOX2, LIN28 and NANOG, whereas expression of WDR5, KLF4 and c-MYC was nearly similar. ITSCs were able to differentiate into ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal cell types. Additionally ITSCs are able to survive and perform neural crest typical chain migration in vivo when transplanted into chicken embryos. However ITSCs do not form teratomas in immunodeficient mice. Finally, we developed a separation strategy based on magnetic cell sorting of p75 positive ITSCs, which formed larger neurospheres and proliferated faster than p75 negative ITSCs. Taken together our study describes a novel, readily accessible source of multipotent human neural crest-derived stem cells for potential cell-replacement therapy. RNA samples to be analyzed by microarrays were prepared using Qiagen RNeasy columns with on-column DNA digestion. 500 ng of total RNA per sample was used as input into a linear amplification protocol (Ambion) which involved synthesis of T7-linked double-stranded cDNA and 12 hours of in vitro transcription incorporating biotin-labelled nucleotides. Purified and labeled cRNA was then hybridized for 18h onto HumanHT-12 v4 expression BeadChips (Illumina) following the manufacturers instructions. After washing as recommended, chips were stained with streptavidin-Cy3 (GE Healthcare) and scanned using the iScan reader (Illumina) and accompanying software.
Project description:We describe a so far uncharacterized, embryonic and self-renewing Neural Plate Border Stem Cell (NBSC) population with the capacity to differentiate into central nervous and neural crest lineages. NBSCs can be obtained by neural transcription factor-mediated reprogramming (BRN2, SOX2, KLF4, and ZIC3) of human adult dermal fibroblasts and peripheral blood cells (induced Neural Plate Border Stem Cells, iNBSCs) or by directed differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (NBSCs). Moreover, human (i)NBSCs share molecular and functional features with an endogenous NBSC population isolated from neural folds of E8.5 mouse embryos. Upon differentiation, iNBSCs give rise to either (1) radial glia-type stem cells, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, motoneurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes or (2) cells from the neural crest lineage. Here we provide array-based expression data of (i)NBSCs and CNS- and neural crest progeny derived thereof. The former comprise radial glia-type stem cells, while the latter are neural crest and mesenchymal stem cell-like cells. The data provided reveal that (i)NBSCs can be directed into defined neural lineages and that iNBSCs pass through successive developmental stages. These data support the notion that it is possible to reprogram human adult cells into expandable, multipotent NBSCs that define a novel embryonic neural stem cell population in human and mouse.
Project description:Global transcriptome analysis via RNAseq shows a high silimarity between the expression profiles of adult human cardiac stem cells and adult human inferior turbinate stem cells
Project description:Neural crest cells are multipotent cells that delaminate from the neuroepithelium, migrating throughout the embryo. Aberrant migration causes developmental defects. Animal models are improving our understanding of neural crest anomalies, but in vivo migration behaviours are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that murine neural crest cells display actin-based lamellipodia and filopodia in vivo. Using neural crest-specific knockouts or inhibitors, we show that the serine-threonine kinase Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (GSK3), and the cytoskeletal regulator Lamellipodin (Lpd), are required for lamellipodia formation whilst preventing focal adhesion maturation. Lpd is a novel substrate of GSK3 and phosphorylation of Lpd favours interactions with the Scar/WAVE complex (lamellipodia formation) at the expense of VASP and Mena interactions (adhesion maturation and filopodia formation). This improved understanding of cytoskeletal regulation in mammalian neural crest migration has general implications for neural crest anomalies and cancer.
Project description:Global expression analysis of neural crest-like skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and Sox2-positive follicle dermal cells that SKPs originate from. In spite of the remarkable regenerative capacity of mammalian skin, an adult dermal stem cell has not yet been identified. Here, we provide evidence that SKPs, multipotent neural crest-like skin-derived precursors, represent an adult dermal stem cell. When transplanted into adult skin, SKPs can reconstitute the adult dermis, contribute to dermal wound-healing, home to a hair follicle niche, and instruct epidermal cells to make hair follicles. Hair follicle-derived SKPs self-renew, maintain their multipotency, and serially reconstitute hair follicles. The endogenous origin of SKPs are Sox2-positive follicle dermal cells that share a similar global gene expression profile with SKPs. These endogenous cells home back to their follicle niche, induce hair follicle morphogenesis, and differentiate into neural and dermal progeny. Hair follicle-associated dermal cells will move out of their niche to contribute to dermal maintenance and wound-healing. These studies therefore identify a dermal stem cell, and provide a biological rationale for the presence of a multipotent precursor within adult dermis, findings with important therapeutic implications.
Project description:hEPI-NCSC are neural crest derived multipotent somatic stem cells that persist in hair follicle stem cell niche, termed the bulge, and persist into adulthood (Clewes O et al, 2011). The purpose of this project was to generate two gene expression profiles, (1) of ex vivo expanded hEPI-NCSC (XP) and (2) of cells, whihc after expansion were grown in a culture medium (NP1), which was empirically designed to pre-differentiate the multipotent stem cells into neural stem–cell like cells. Cells were pooled from three different donors
Project description:Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) are multipotent dermal stem cells that reside within a hair follicle niche and that share properties with embryonic neural crest precursors. Here, we have asked whether SKPs and their endogenous dermal precursors originate from the neural crest or whether, like the dermis itself, they originate from multiple developmental origins. To do this, we used two different mouse Cre lines that allow us to perform lineage tracing: Wnt1-cre, which targets cells deriving from the neural crest, and Myf5-cre, which targets cells of a somite origin. By crossing these Cre lines to reporter mice, we show that the endogenous follicle-associated dermal precursors in the face derive from the neural crest, and those in the dorsal trunk derive from the somites, as do the SKPs they generate. In spite of these different developmental origins, SKPs from these two locations are functionally similar, even with regard to their ability to differentiate into Schwann cells, a cell type only thought to be generated from the neural crest. Analysis of global gene expression using microarrays confirmed that facial and dorsal SKPs exhibit a very high degree of similarity, and that they are also very similar to SKPs derived from ventral dermis, which has a lateral plate origin. However, these developmentally-distinct SKPs also retain differential expression of a small number of genes that reflect their developmental origins. Thus, an adult neural crest-like dermal precursor can be generated from a non-neural crest origin, a finding with broad implications for the many neuroendocrine cells in the body. We obtained three independent isolates each of dorsal trunk SKPs, ventral trunk SKPs and facial SKPs and four isolates of MSCs, all generated from adult rats. RNA samples deriving from these cells were analyzed on the Affymetrix GeneChip Rat Gene 1.0 ST Array.
Project description:Melanocytes are pigment-producing cells of neural crest origin responsible for protecting the skin against UV-irradiation. Melanocyte dysfunction leads to pigmentation defects including albinism, vitiligo, and piebaldism and is a key feature of systemic pathologies such as Hermansky-Pudlak (HP) and Chediak-Higashi (CH) Syndromes. Pluripotent stem cell technology offers a novel approach for studying human melanocyte development and disease. Here we report that timed exposure to activators of WNT, BMP and EDN3 signaling triggers the sequential induction of neural crest and melanocyte precursor fates under dual-SMAD inhibition conditions. Using a SOX10::GFP hESC reporter line, we demonstrate that the temporal onset of WNT activation is particularly critical for human neural crest induction. Surprisingly, suppression of BMP signaling does reduce neural crest yield. Subsequent differentiation of hESC-derived melanocyte precursors under defined conditions yields pure populations of pigmented cells matching the molecular and functional properties of adult melanocytes. Melanocytes from patient-specific iPSCs faithfully reproduce the ultrastructural features of the HP- and CH-specific pigmentation defects with minimal variability across lines. Our data define a highly specific requirement for WNT signaling during neural crest induction and enable the generation of pure populations of hiPSC-derived melanocytes for faithful modeling of human pigmentation disorders. Total RNA obtained from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), ESC-derived melanocyte progenitors, ESC-derived mature melanocytes, primary melanocytes, and disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived melanocytes.
Project description:We describe a so far uncharacterized, embryonic and self-renewing Neural Plate Border Stem Cell (NBSC) population with the capacity to differentiate into central nervous and neural crest lineages. NBSCs can be obtained by neural transcription factor-mediated reprogramming (BRN2, SOX2, KLF4, and ZIC3) of human adult dermal fibroblasts and peripheral blood cells (induced Neural Plate Border Stem Cells, iNBSCs) or by directed differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, human (i)NBSCs share molecular and functional features with an endogenous NBSC population isolated from neural folds of E8.5 mouse embryos. Upon differentiation, iNBSCs give rise to either (1) radial glia-type stem cells, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, motoneurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes or (2) cells from the neural crest lineage. Here we provide array-based expression data of primary mouse Neural Plate Border Stem Cells (pNBSCs) derived from E8.5 mouse embryos and radial glia-type stem cells and neural crest progenitors derived thereof. The data provided reveal that pNBSCs can be directed into defined neural cell types of the CNS- and neural crest lineage.
Project description:hEPI-NCSC are neural crest derived multipotent somatic stem cells that persist in hair follicle stem cell niche, termed the bulge, and persist into adulthood (Clewes O et al, 2011). The purpose of this project was to generate two gene expression profiles, (1) of ex vivo expanded hEPI-NCSC (XP) and (2) of cells, whihc after expansion were grown in a culture medium (NP1), which was empirically designed to pre-differentiate the multipotent stem cells into neural stem–cell like cells.