石川 充

The direct reprogramming of cells has tremendous potential in in vitro neurological studies. Previous attempts to convert blood cells into induced neurons have presented several challenges, necessitating a less invasive, efficient, rapid, and convenient approach. The current study introduces an optimized method for converting somatic cells into neurons using a nonsurgical approach that employs peripheral blood cells as an alternative source to fibroblasts. We have demonstrated the efficacy of a unique combination of transcription factors, including NEUROD1, and four Yamanaka reprogramming factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC), in generating glutamatergic neurons within 3 wk. This approach, which requires only five pivotal factors (NEUROD1, OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC), has the potential to create functional neurons and circumvents the need for induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) intermediates, as evidenced by single-cell RNA sequencing and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, along with lineage-tracing experiments using Cre-LoxP system. While fibroblasts have been widely used for neuronal reprogramming, our findings suggest that peripheral blood cells offer a potential alternative, particularly in contexts where minimally invasive sampling and procedures convenient for patients are emphasized. This method provides a rapid strategy for modeling neuronal diseases and contributes to advancements in drug discovery and personalized medicine.

Dendritic spine abnormalities are believed to be one of the critical etiologies of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over the past decade, the importance of microglia in brain development, particularly in synaptic elimination, has become evident. Thus, microglial abnormalities may lead to synaptic dysfunction, which may underlie the pathogenesis of ASD. Several human studies have demonstrated aberrant microglial activation in the brains of individuals with ASD, and studies in animal models of ASD have also shown a relationship between microglial dysfunction and synaptic abnormalities. However, there are very few methods available to directly assess whether phagocytosis by human microglia is abnormal. Microglia are tissue-resident macrophages with phenotypic similarities to monocyte-derived macrophages, both of which consistently exhibit pathological phenotypes in individuals with ASD. Therefore, in this study, we examined the phagocytosis capacity of human macrophages derived from peripheral blood monocytes. These macrophages were polarized into two types: those induced by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF MΦ, traditionally referred to as "M1 MΦ") and those induced by macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF MΦ, traditionally referred to as "M2 MΦ"). Synaptosomes purified from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuron were used to assess phagocytosis capacity. Our results revealed that M-CSF MΦ exhibited higher phagocytosis capacity compared to GM-CSF MΦ, whereas ASD-M-CSF MΦ showed a marked impairment in phagocytosis. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between phagocytosis capacity and cluster of differentiation 209 expression. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the pathobiology of ASD and offers new insights into potential therapeutic targets for the disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons. Mutations in the FUS/TLS gene have been reported as the second most common mutation in Japanese patients with familial ALS. In recent years, lower motor neurons (LMNs) differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from ALS patients have been widely used to analyze the mechanisms of neuronal cell death and degeneration. METHODS: In this study, we developed a microfluidic device designed to observe axonal growth, morphology, and trafficking at high resolution in neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and tested whether our microfluidic device effectively evaluates neurodegenerative phenotypes. We used iPSCs carrying homozygous FUS/TLS mutations (FUS_H517D) to induce LMNs by expressing NEUROG2, ISL1, and LHX3 under the control of the tetracycline regulation system. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: After seven days of in vitro differentiation (DIV7), we confirmed that over 95% of iPSCs differentiated into HB9-positive LMNs. Notably, the cell viability of FUS_H517D LMNs was comparable to that of LMNs differentiated from iPSCs without the FUS/TLS mutation at DIV7. However, by DIV14 and DIV21, the viability of FUS_H517D LMNs was notably lower than that of control LMNs, indicating degeneration of FUS_H517D LMNs after differentiation. Using our microfluidic device, we assessed axonal phenotypes in FUS_H517D LMNs. Under oxidative stress conditions, we observed that the axonal length of FUS_H517D LMNs was significantly shorter than that of control cells as early as DIV7, with this axonal growth restriction becoming more pronounced by DIV11. This suggests that axonal growth restriction is an early detectable phenotype in degenerating neurons. Additionally, we examined mitochondrial trafficking within axons in our device, which is often disrupted in degenerative neurons. Our results showed a significant increase in the number of motile mitochondria in FUS_H517D LMNs, with retrograde transport accounting for a large portion of trafficking. Our microfluidic device-based culture and evaluation system using FUS_H517D LMNs offers a valuable ALS cellular model focused on early axonal phenotypes. This approach contributes to the study of molecular mechanisms underlying axonal degeneration in ALS.

We report the establishment of a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a 54-year-old male patient with an A1555G mutation in the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene (MTRNR1), associated with sensorineural hearing loss. The established iPSC line expressed stemness markers or undifferentiated state markers. We also demonstrated the capacity of the cells to differentiate into the three germ layers, suggesting its pluripotency and utility in the pathological study of sensorineural hearing loss and drug screening for ear disorders.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC), a rare and complex neurological disorder, is predominantly observed in the Western Pacific islands, including regions of Japan, Guam, and Papua. This enigmatic condition continues to capture medical attention due to affected patients displaying symptoms that parallel those seen in either classical amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Parkinson's disease (PD). Distinctly, postmortem examinations of the brains of affected individuals have shown the presence of α-synuclein aggregates and TDP-43, which are hallmarks of PD and classical ALS, respectively. These observations are further complicated by the detection of phosphorylated tau, accentuating the multifaceted proteinopathic nature of ALS/PDC. The etiological foundations of this disease remain undetermined, and genetic investigations have yet to provide conclusive answers. However, emerging evidence has implicated the contribution of astrocytes, pivotal cells for maintaining brain health, to neurodegenerative onset, and likely to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of ALS/PDC. Leveraging advanced induced pluripotent stem cell technology, our team cultivated multiple astrocyte lines to further investigate the Japanese variant of ALS/PDC (Kii ALS/PDC). CHCHD2 emerged as a significantly dysregulated gene when disease astrocytes were compared to healthy controls. Our analyses also revealed imbalances in the activation of specific pathways: those associated with astrocytic cilium dysfunction, known to be involved in neurodegeneration, and those related to major neurological disorders, including classical ALS and PD. Further in-depth examinations revealed abnormalities in the mitochondrial morphology and metabolic processes of the affected astrocytes. A particularly striking observation was the reduced expression of CHCHD2 in the spinal cord, motor cortex, and oculomotor nuclei of patients with Kii ALS/PDC. In summary, our findings suggest a potential reduction in the support Kii ALS/PDC astrocytes provide to neurons, emphasizing the need to explore the role of CHCHD2 in maintaining mitochondrial health and its implications for the disease.