Project description:Ectopic expression of the reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, or NANOG into human astrocytes in specific cytokine/culture conditions activated the neural stem gene program and induced generation of cells expressing neural stem/precursor markers. Here we compare the whole gene expression profile of primary human astrocytes (Astro) with neural stem cells (HNSC) derived from astrocytes reprogramming
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 methylation data of iNBSCs reprogrammed from adult dermal fibroblasts (ADF), iPSC-derived NBSCs and adult dermal fibroblasts. The data provided demonstrate robust changes in the methylation landscape after reprogramming of human adult dermal fibroblasts into iNBSCs.
Project description:Human astrocytes have reported to reprogram into neurons, but they have yet to be induced to three-dimensional (3D) neural tissue for neural organogenesis. Here, we demonstrate a remarkable strategy for 3D organoid generation by direct reprogramming human astrocytes. By combining overexpression OCT4, suppression p53 and small molecules CHIR99021, SB431542, RepSox and Y27632, termed as Op53-CSBRY, we successfully reprogramed human astrocytes into neural ectodermal cells and further induced human 3D-brain organoid. Those organoids can be finally induced into spinal cord organoids by activating FGF, SHH and BMP signaling. The grafts of Human astrocyte derived spinal cord organoids (hADSC-Organs) can survived, differentiated into spinal cord neurons, migrated long distance, formed synaptic connectivity with host neurons, bridged complete injury spinal cord tissue in mice. This method indicates that human astrocytes could be directly triggered neural organogenesis, and may hold a great promising to support local astrocytes in situ organogenesis after brain damages, such as stroke and spinal cord injury.
Project description:Ectopic expression of the reprogramming factors OCT4, SOX2, or NANOG into human astrocytes in specific cytokine/culture conditions activated the neural stem gene program and induced generation of cells expressing neural stem/precursor markers (ASTRO-NSC). To evaluate the epigenetic changes associated with this reprogramming, we analyzed the DNA methylation patterns of Astro-NSC relative to untransfected astrocytes. We compared three human AstroNANOG-NSC clones to the astrocytes from which they were derived using NimbleGen 3x720K CpG Island Plus RefSeq Promoter Arrays
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 single cell RNA-sequencing data of six iNBSC lines (310 cells total). iNBSCs were single-cell-sorted and RNA sequencing was performed following the Smart-seq2 protocol. This dataset further supports the notion that iNBSC cultures mainly consist of stem cells with a molecular and functional neural plate border-like identity and a minor fraction of cells that show signs of some spontaneous differentiation towards sensory neurons.
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:Direct cell reprogramming has enabled the direct conversion of skin fibroblasts into functional neurons and oligodendrocytes using a minimal set of cell lineage-specific transcription factors. This approach has substantial advantages since it is rapid and simple, generating the cell type of interest in a single step. However, it remains unknown whether this technology can be applied for directly reprogramming skin cells into astrocytes, the third neural lineage. Astrocytes play crucial roles in neuronal homeostasis and their dysfunctions contribute to the origin and progression of multiple human diseases. Herein, we carried out a screening using several transcription factors involved in defining the astroglial cell fate and identified NFIA, NFIB and SOX9 to be sufficient to convert with high efficiency embryonic and post-natal mouse fibroblasts into astrocytes (iAstrocytes). We proved both by gene expression profiling and functional tests that iAstrocytes are comparable to native brain astrocytes. This protocol can be then employed to generate functional iAstrocytes for a wide range of experimental applications. Induced astrocytes (iAstro) were compared to Fibroblasts (Fibro) as negative control and to primary astrocytes (astro) as positive control. Three biological replicates were analyzed for each experimental group.