This work was supported by funds from the John S. Dunn Foundation and the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity of the University of Texas Medical Branch (P.W.).

<ol>
	<li>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> All countries and territories with active Zika virus transmisson. , (2016).</li><li>Brasil, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zika+Virus+Infection+in+Pregnant+Women+in+Rio+de+Janeiro.">Zika Virus Infection in Pregnant Women in Rio de Janeiro.</a> N Engl J Med. 375 (24), 2321-2334 (2016).</li><li>Hills, S. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transmission+of+Zika+Virus+Through+Sexual+Contact+with+Travelers+to+Areas+of+Ongoing+Transmission+-+Continental+United+States,+2016.">Transmission of Zika Virus Through Sexual Contact with Travelers to Areas of Ongoing Transmission - Continental United States, 2016.</a> MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 65 (8), 215-216 (2016).</li><li>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Facts about microcephaly. , (2016).</li><li>Garcez, P. P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zika+virus+impairs+growth+in+human+neurospheres+and+brain+organoids.">Zika virus impairs growth in human neurospheres and brain organoids.</a> Science. 352 (6287), 816-818 (2016).</li><li>Li, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zika+Virus+Disrupts+Neural+Progenitor+Development+and+Leads+to+Microcephaly+in+Mice.">Zika Virus Disrupts Neural Progenitor Development and Leads to Microcephaly in Mice.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 19 (5), 672 (2016).</li><li>Tang, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zika+Virus+Infects+Human+Cortical+Neural+Progenitors+and+Attenuates+Their+Growth.">Zika Virus Infects Human Cortical Neural Progenitors and Attenuates Their Growth.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 18 (5), 587-590 (2016).</li><li>Wu, K. Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Vertical+transmission+of+Zika+virus+targeting+the+radial+glial+cells+affects+cortex+development+of+offspring+mice.">Vertical transmission of Zika virus targeting the radial glial cells affects cortex development of offspring mice.</a> Cell Res. 26 (6), 645-654 (2016).</li><li>Jensen, J. B., Parmar, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Strengths+and+limitations+of+the+neurosphere+culture+system.">Strengths and limitations of the neurosphere culture system.</a> Mol Neurobiol. 34 (3), 153-161 (2006).</li><li>Wu, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Region-specific+generation+of+cholinergic+neurons+from+fetal+human+neural+stem+cells+grafted+in+adult+rat.">Region-specific generation of cholinergic neurons from fetal human neural stem cells grafted in adult rat.</a> Nat Neurosci. 5 (12), 1271-1278 (2002).</li><li>McGrath, E. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Differential+Responses+of+Human+Fetal+Brain+Neural+Stem+Cells+to+Zika+Virus+Infection.">Differential Responses of Human Fetal Brain Neural Stem Cells to Zika Virus Infection.</a> Stem Cell Reports. 8 (3), 715-727 (2017).</li><li>Svendsen, C. N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+method+for+the+rapid+and+long+term+growth+of+human+neural+precursor+cells.">A new method for the rapid and long term growth of human neural precursor cells.</a> J Neurosci Methods. 85 (2), 141-152 (1998).</li><li>Tarasenko, Y. I., Yu, Y., Jordan, P. M., Bottenstein, J., Wu, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effect+of+growth+factors+on+proliferation+and+phenotypic+differentiation+of+human+fetal+neural+stem+cells.">Effect of growth factors on proliferation and phenotypic differentiation of human fetal neural stem cells.</a> J Neurosci Res. 78 (5), 625-636 (2004).</li><li>Barrows, N. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+Screen+of+FDA-Approved+Drugs+for+Inhibitors+of+Zika+Virus+Infection.">A Screen of FDA-Approved Drugs for Inhibitors of Zika Virus Infection.</a> Cell Host Microbe. 20 (2), 259-270 (2016).</li><li>Jakel, R. J., Schneider, B. L., Svendsen, C. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Using+human+neural+stem+cells+to+model+neurological+disease.">Using human neural stem cells to model neurological disease.</a> Nat Rev Genet. 5 (2), 136-144 (2004).</li><li>Lopez-Garcia, I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+stretch-induced+neurotrauma+model+for+medium-throughput+screening+in+vitro:+identification+of+rifampicin+as+a+neuroprotectant.">Development of a stretch-induced neurotrauma model for medium-throughput screening in vitro: identification of rifampicin as a neuroprotectant.</a> Br J Pharmacol. , (2016).</li><li>Mich, J. K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Prospective+identification+of+functionally+distinct+stem+cells+and+neurosphere-initiating+cells+in+adult+mouse+forebrain.">Prospective identification of functionally distinct stem cells and neurosphere-initiating cells in adult mouse forebrain.</a> Elife. 3, e02669 (2014).</li></ol>

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

The ability to culture and manipulate hNSCs provides a critical tool that can be used for a variety of purposes from modeling human disease to high throughput drug screening10,11,12,14,15,16,17. Many questions remained to be addressed such as how human fetal brain NSCs or their progeny are s...

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus transmitted either sexually, or by the mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. ZIKV was recently identified as a severe public health threat due to its ease of transmission and affiliated neurological symptoms1. One of the most concerning neurological effects is the development of microcephaly in fetuses born to pregnant infected mothers2,3. Microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder where the head is smaller than the typical size during fetal development and at birth, with the circumference less than 2 standard deviations below the mean4. The smaller head circumference is commonly accompanied by a variety of comorbidities such as developmental delays, seizures, vision and hearing loss, and feeding difficulty.
Recent studies have used animal models or induced pluripotent stem cells to study the effect of ZIKV infection on neurodevelopment5,6,7,8. While these studies have contributed to our knowledge of ZIKV, the use of different species or genetically modified cells may be time consuming and/or add additional variables that may confound the effect of ZIKV on developing neural cells5,6,7,8. However, the difficulty with hNSC culture, particularly the non-adherent neurosphere culture described in this protocol, is that the culture is very sensitive to the methods used to conduct the culture9. Any change in medium components, or even the physical handling of the culture vessel, is enough to elicit a reaction from the cells9. To address these issues, we developed an in vitro human fetal brain-derived neural stem cell (hNSCs) culture to mechanistically interrogate the effect of ZIKV on fetal neural stem cells. Using our method, hNSCs were maintained for over 80 passages without apparent phenotypic changes10. Furthermore, chromosomal alterations such as trisomy were either none or minimal11. This hNSC culture grows as a non-adherent neurosphere culture. One advantage of neurospheres is that the spheres create a unique environmental niche in culture that is more reflective of in vivo niches compared to two-dimensional cultures9. Another advantage of this protocol is that multiple cell types can be derived from the hNSC culture, enabling an investigator to observe the impact of a given variable on hNSC survival and differentiation. This protocol is applicable to individuals looking to answer mechanistic questions regarding central nervous system development or dysfunction. The following protocol describes how to expand a hNSC culture to infect with ZIKV, and subsequently differentiate the hNSCs to observe the impact of infection on the differentiation process. It also includes methods to store hNSCs for long-term usage, and to differentiate hNSCs into various types of neurons that allow further investigation of ZIKV-induced deficits contributing to brain malformation11. We believe this protocol is also of interest to investigators seeking to understand the impact of any environmental stimulus such as infection or toxins on neural stem cell survival and differentiation.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>11965-092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>F12</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>11765-054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glucose (10%)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>G8644</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES (1M)</td>
			<td>Corning/cellgro</td>
			<td>25-060-c1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pen Strep (100x)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Insulin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>I4011</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-Glutamine</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25030-081</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Transferrin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>T2036</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Progesterone</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P8783</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Putrescine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P5780</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium selenite</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S5261</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Heparin Sigma</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H3149</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>basic fibroblast growth factor</td>
			<td>R&#38;D system</td>
			<td>233-FB</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>epidermal growth factor</td>
			<td>R&#38;D system</td>
			<td>236-EG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>leukemia inhibitory factor</td>
			<td>R&#38;D system</td>
			<td>7734-LF</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Laminin</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>23017-015</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2.5% trypsin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15090-046</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin inhibitor</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>T6522</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Poly-D-Lysine hydrobromide(PDL)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P6407-5MG</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B-27 supplement</td>
			<td>Gibco/Invitrogen</td>
			<td>17504-044</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>16000-044</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dimethyl sulfoxide</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D2650-100ml</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s phosphate-buffered saline</td>
			<td>Corning/cellgro</td>
			<td>21-031-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A4378-25G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Normal goat serum</td>
			<td>Jackson ImmunoResearch Lab</td>
			<td>005-000-121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>FisherBiotech</td>
			<td>BP151-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nestin antibody</td>
			<td>BD Transduction Laboratories</td>
			<td>611659</td>
			<td>1:200 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Class III beta-tubulin antibody (TuJ1)</td>
			<td>Covnce</td>
			<td>MMS-435p</td>
			<td>1:2000 dulution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GFAP antibody</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>AB5804</td>
			<td>1:1000 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAPI</td>
			<td>Molecular Probes</td>
			<td>D1306</td>
			<td>1:2000 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ZIKV antibody</td>
			<td>World Reference Collection for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses at the University of Texas Medical Branch</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>1:2000 dilution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluoromount G</td>
			<td>SouthernBiotech</td>
			<td>0100-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CO2 incubator</td>
			<td>Thermo Forma</td>
			<td>Model# 3110</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge</td>
			<td>Thermo fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>75004221</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Biological safety cabinet</td>
			<td>Forma scientific Claas II A/B3</td>
			<td>Model# 1284</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Freezer (-80 &#176;C)</td>
			<td>Forma scientific,Inc</td>
			<td>model# 8516</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope(phase contrast image)</td>
			<td>Hp 2230 workstation</td>
			<td>Product#NOE25us#ABA</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope (epifluorescent image)</td>
			<td>Nikon Eclipse 80i</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Confocal Microscope</td>
			<td>Nikon TE2000-E microscope with C1si confocal system</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

zika virus infection of cultured human fetal brain neural stem cells for immunocytochemical analysis

Human fetal brain neural stem cells are a unique non-genetically modified model system to study the impact of various stimuli on human developmental neurobiology. Rather than use an animal model or genetically modified induced pluripotent cells, human neural stem cells provide an effective in vitro system to examine the effects of treatments, screen drugs, or examine individual differences. Here, we provide the detailed protocols for methods used to expand human fetal brain neural stem cells in culture with serum-free media, to differentiate them into various neuronal subtypes and astrocytes via different priming procedures, and to freeze and recover these cells. Furthermore, we describe a procedure of using human fetal brain neural stem cells to study Zika virus infection.

Cultured hNSCs in their proliferative stage will grow as non-adherent neurospheres (Figure 1). Immediately following hNSC passage, there will be many individual cells, which will aggregate and begin to form spheres in the next few days (Figure 1A and 1B). Healthy spheres should be approximately 1-2 mm in diameter 9-10 days following a passage (Figure 1C). Spheres that grow larger tha...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Zika Virus Infection of Cultured Human Fetal Brain Neural Stem Cells for Immunocytochemical Analysis at JoVE.com

Zika Virus Infection of Cultured Human Fetal Brain Neural Stem Cells for Immunocytochemical Analysis

This article details the methods that are used to expand human fetal brain neural stem cells in culture, as well as how to differentiate them into various neuronal subtypes and astrocytes, with an emphasis on the use of neural stem cells to study Zika virus infection.

Human fetal brain neural stem cells are a unique non-genetically modified model system to study the impact of various stimuli on human developmental ...

zika-virus-infection-cultured-human-fetal-brain-neural-stem-cells-for

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Developmental Biology

6.4K Views.  University of Texas Medical Branch. This article details the methods that are used to expand human fetal brain neural stem cells in culture, as well as how to differentiate them into various neuronal subtypes and astrocytes, with an emphasis on the use of neural stem cells to study Zika virus infection.

Video: Zika Virus Infection of Cultured Human Fetal Brain Neural Stem Cells for Immunocytochemical Analysis

Isolation and Quantitative Immunocytochemical Characterization of Primary Myogenic Cells and Fibroblasts from Human Skeletal Muscle

The repair and regeneration of skeletal muscle requires the action of satellite cells, which are the resident muscle stem cells. These can be isolated from human muscle biopsy samples using enzymatic digestion and their myogenic properties studied in culture. Quantitatively, the two main adherent cell types obtained from enzymatic digestion are: (i) the satellite cells (termed myogenic cells or muscle precursor cells), identified initially as CD56+ and later as CD56+/desmin+ cells and (ii) muscle-derived fibroblasts, identified as CD56&#8211; and TE-7+. Fibroblasts proliferate very efficiently in culture and in mixed cell populations these cells may overrun myogenic cells to dominate the culture. The isolation and purification of different cell types from human muscle is thus an important methodological consideration when trying to investigate the innate behavior of either cell type in culture. Here we describe a system of sorting based on the gentle enzymatic digestion of cells using collagenase and dispase followed by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) which gives both a high purity (&#62;95% myogenic cells) and good yield (~2.8 x 106 &#177; 8.87 x 105 cells/g tissue after 7 days in vitro) for experiments in culture. This approach is based on incubating the mixed muscle-derived cell population with magnetic microbeads beads conjugated to an antibody against CD56 and then passing cells though a magnetic field. CD56+ cells bound to microbeads are retained by the field whereas CD56&#8211; cells pass unimpeded through the column. Cell suspensions from any stage of the sorting process can be plated and cultured. Following a given intervention, cell morphology, and the expression and localization of proteins including nuclear transcription factors can be quantified using immunofluorescent labeling with specific antibodies and an image processing and analysis package.

The main adherent cell types derived from human muscle are myogenic cells and fibroblasts. Here, cell populations are enriched using magnetic-activated cell sorting based on the CD56 antigen. Subsequent immunolabelling with specific antibodies and use of image analysis techniques allows quantification of cytoplasmic and nuclear characteristics in individual cells.

The repair and regeneration of skeletal muscle requires the action of satellite cells, which are the resident muscle stem cells. These can be isolated ...

Direct Induction of Human Neural Stem Cells from Peripheral Blood Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells

Human disease specific neuronal cultures are essential for generating in vitro models for human neurological diseases. However, the lack of access to primary human adult neural cultures raises unique challenges. Recent developments in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) provides an alternative approach to derive neural cultures from skin fibroblasts through patient specific iPSC, but this process is labor intensive, requires special expertise and large amounts of resources, and can take several months. This prevents the wide application of this technology to the study of neurological diseases. To overcome some of these issues, we have developed a method to derive neural stem cells directly from human adult peripheral blood, bypassing the iPSC derivation process. Hematopoietic progenitor cells enriched from human adult peripheral blood were cultured in vitro and transfected with Sendai virus vectors containing transcriptional factors Sox2, Oct3/4, Klf4, and c-Myc. The transfection results in morphological changes in the cells which are further selected by using human neural progenitor medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The resulting cells are characterized by the expression for neural stem cell markers, such as nestin and SOX2. These neural stem cells could be further differentiated to neurons, astroglia and oligodendrocytes in specified differentiation media. Using easily accessible human peripheral blood samples, this method could be used to derive neural stem cells for further differentiation to neural cells for in vitro modeling of neurological disorders and may advance studies related to the pathogenesis and treatment of those diseases.

A method was developed to directly derive human neural stem cells from hematopoietic progenitor cells enriched from peripheral blood cells.

Human disease specific neuronal cultures are essential for generating in vitro models for human neurological diseases. However, the lack of access to ...

Culturing Human Pluripotent and Neural Stem Cells in an Enclosed Cell Culture System for Basic and Preclinical Research

This paper describes how to use a custom manufactured, commercially available enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research. Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) and incubators have long been the standard for culturing and expanding cell lines for basic and preclinical research. However, as the focus of many stem cell laboratories shifts from basic research to clinical translation, additional requirements are needed of the cell culturing system. All processes must be well documented and have exceptional requirements for sterility and reproducibility. In traditional incubators, gas concentrations and temperatures widely fluctuate anytime the cells are removed for feeding, passaging, or other manipulations. Such interruptions contribute to an environment that is not the standard for cGMP and GLP guidelines. These interruptions must be minimized especially when cells are utilized for therapeutic purposes. The motivation to move from the standard BSC and incubator system to a closed system is that such interruptions can be made negligible. Closed systems provide a work space to feed and manipulate cell cultures and maintain them in a controlled environment where temperature and gas concentrations are consistent. This way, pluripotent and multipotent stem cells can be maintained at optimum health from the moment of their derivation all the way to their eventual use in therapy.

Here is a protocol to grow pluripotent stem cells (PSC) and neural stem cells (NSC) in an enclosed cell culture system that permits maximum sterility and reproducibility, replacing the traditional biosafety cabinet and incubator. This equipment meets clinical good manufacturing practice (cGMP) and clinical good lab practice (cGLP) guidelines.

This paper describes how to use a custom manufactured, commercially available enclosed cell culture system for basic and preclinical research. Biosafety ...

Isolation and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells from Human Umbilical Cord and Fetal Placenta

The human umbilical cord (UC) and placenta are non-invasive, primitive and abundant sources of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that have increasingly gained attention because they do not pose any ethical or moral concerns. Current methods to isolate MSCs from UC yield low amounts of cells with variable proliferation potentials. Since UC is an anatomically-complex organ, differences in MSC properties may be due to the differences in the anatomical regions of their isolation. In this study, we first dissected the cord/placenta samples into three discrete anatomical regions: UC, cord-placenta junction (CPJ), and fetal placenta (FP). Second, two distinct zones, cord lining (CL) and Wharton&#39;s jelly (WJ), were separated. The explant culture technique was then used to isolate cells from the four sources. The time required for the primary culture of cells from the explants varied depending on the source of the tissue. Outgrowth of the cells occurred within 3 - 4 days of the CPJ explants, whereas growth was observed after 7 - 10 days and 11 - 14 days from CL/WJ and FP explants, respectively. The isolated cells were adherent to plastic and displayed fibroblastoid morphology and surface markers, such as CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105, similarly to bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs. However, the colony-forming efficiency of the cells varied, with CPJ-MSCs and WJ-MSCs showing higher efficiency than BM-MSCs. MSCs from all four sources differentiated into adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages, indicating that they were multipotent. CPJ-MSCs differentiated more efficiently in comparison to other MSC sources. These results suggest that the CPJ is the most potent anatomical region and yields a higher number of cells, with greater proliferation and self-renewal capacities in vitro. In conclusion, the comparative analysis of the MSCs from the four sources indicated that CPJ is a more promising source of MSCs for cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering.

Here, we present a protocol for the dissection of human umbilical cord (UC) and fetal placenta sample into cord lining (CL), Wharton&#39;s jelly (WJ), cord-placenta junction (CPJ), and fetal placenta (FP) for the isolation and characterization of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) using the explant culture technique.

The human umbilical cord (UC) and placenta are non-invasive, primitive and abundant sources of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that have increasingly ...

Generation of Standardized and Reproducible Forebrain-type Cerebral Organoids from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The human cortex is highly expanded and exhibits a complex structure with specific functional areas, providing higher brain function, such as cognition. Efforts to study human cerebral cortex development have been limited by the availability of model systems. Translating results from rodent studies to the human system is restricted by species differences and studies on human primary tissues are hampered by a lack of tissue availability as well as ethical concerns. Recent development in human pluripotent stem cell (PSC) technology include the generation of three-dimensional (3D) self-organizing organotypic culture systems, which mimic to a certain extent human-specific brain development in vitro. Currently, various protocols are available for the generation of either whole brain or brain-region specific organoids. The method for the generation of homogeneous and reproducible forebrain-type organoids from induced PSC (iPSC), which we previously established and describe here, combines the intrinsic ability of PSC to self-organize with guided differentiation towards the anterior neuroectodermal lineage and matrix embedding to support the formation of a continuous neuroepithelium. More specifically, this protocol involves: (1) the generation of iPSC aggregates, including the conversion of iPSC colonies to a confluent monolayer culture; (2) the induction of anterior neuroectoderm; (3) the embedding of neuroectodermal aggregates in a matrix scaffold; (4) the generation of forebrain-type organoids from neuroectodermal aggregates; and (5) the fixation and validation of forebrain-type organoids. As such, this protocol provides an easily applicable system for the generation of standardized and reproducible iPSC-derived cortical tissue structures in vitro.

Cerebral organoids represent a new model system to investigate early human brain development in vitro. This article provides the detailed methodology to efficiently generate homogeneous dorsal forebrain-type organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells including critical characterization and validation steps.

The human cortex is highly expanded and exhibits a complex structure with specific functional areas, providing higher brain function, such as cognition. ...

Single-cell Photoconversion in Living Intact Zebrafish

Animal and plant tissue is composed of distinct populations of cells. These cells interact over time to build and maintain the tissue and can cause disease when disrupted. Scientists have developed clever techniques to investigate characteristics and natural dynamics of these cells within intact tissue by expressing fluorescent proteins in subsets of cells. However, at times, experiments require more selected visualization of cells within the tissue, sometimes at the single-cell or population-of-cells manner. To achieve this and visualize single cells within a population of cells, scientists have utilized single-cell photoconversion of fluorescent proteins. To demonstrate this technique, we show here how to direct UV light to an Eos-expressing cell of interest in an intact, living zebrafish. We then image those photoconverted Eos+ cells 24 h later to determine how they changed in the tissue. We describe two techniques: single cell photoconversion and photoconversions of populations of cell. These techniques can be used to visualize cell-cell interactions, cell-fate and differentiation, and cell migrations, making it a technique that is applicable in numerous biological questions.

Here, we present a protocol to show how cell photoconversion is achieved through UV exposure to specific areas expressing the fluorescent protein, Eos, in living animals.

Animal and plant tissue is composed of distinct populations of cells. These cells interact over time to build and maintain the tissue and can cause ...

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) germline is used to study several biologically important processes including stem cell development, apoptosis, and chromosome dynamics. While the germline is an excellent model, the analysis is often two dimensional due to the time and labor required for three-dimensional analysis. Major readouts in such studies are the number/position of nuclei and protein distribution within the germline. Here, we present a method to perform automated analysis of the germline using confocal microscopy and computational approaches to determine the number and position of nuclei in each region of the germline. Our method also analyzes germline protein distribution that enables the three-dimensional examination of protein expression in different genetic backgrounds. Further, our study shows variations in cytoskeletal architecture in distinct regions of the germline that may accommodate specific spatial developmental requirements. Finally, our method enables automated counting of the sperm in the spermatheca of each germline. Taken together, our method enables rapid and reproducible phenotypic analysis of the C. elegans germline.

Computational Analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline to Study the Distribution of Nuclei, Proteins, and the Cytoskeleton

We present an automated method for three-dimensional reconstruction of the Caenorhabditis elegans germline. Our method determines the number and position of each nucleus within the germline and analyses germline protein distribution and cytoskeletal structure.

The Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) germline is used to study several biologically important processes including stem cell development, apoptosis, and ...

Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Liver Cells

The liver detoxifies harmful substances, secretes vital proteins, and executes key metabolic activities, thus sustaining life. Consequently, liver failure&#8212;which can be caused by chronic alcohol intake, hepatitis, acute poisoning, or other insults&#8212;is a severe condition that can culminate in bleeding, jaundice, coma, and eventually death. However, approaches to treat liver failure, as well as studies of liver function and disease, have been stymied in part by the lack of a plentiful supply of human liver cells. To this end, this protocol details the efficient differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into hepatocyte-like cells, guided by a developmental roadmap that describes how liver fate is specified across six consecutive differentiation steps. By manipulating developmental signaling pathways to promote liver differentiation and to explicitly suppress the formation of unwanted cell fates, this method efficiently generates populations of human liver bud progenitors and hepatocyte-like cells by days 6 and 18 of PSC differentiation, respectively. This is achieved through the temporally-precise control of developmental signaling pathways, exerted by small molecules and growth factors in a serum-free culture medium. Differentiation in this system occurs in monolayers and yields hepatocyte-like cells that express characteristic hepatocyte enzymes and have the ability to engraft a mouse model of chronic liver failure. The ability to efficiently generate large numbers of human liver cells in vitro has ramifications for treatment of liver failure, for drug screening, and for mechanistic studies of liver disease.

This protocol details a monolayer, serum-free method to efficiently generate hepatocyte-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in 18 days. This entails six steps as hPSCs sequentially differentiate into intermediate cell-types such as the primitive streak, definitive endoderm, posterior foregut and liver bud progenitors before forming hepatocyte-like cells.

The liver detoxifies harmful substances, secretes vital proteins, and executes key metabolic activities, thus sustaining life. Consequently, liver ...

In Vitro Generation of Somite Derivatives from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In response to signals such as WNTs, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and sonic hedgehog (SHH) secreted from surrounding tissues, somites (SMs) give rise to multiple cell types, including the myotome (MYO), sclerotome (SCL), dermatome (D), and syndetome (SYN), which in turn develop into skeletal muscle, axial skeleton, dorsal dermis, and axial tendon/ligament, respectively. Therefore, the generation of SMs and their derivatives from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is critical to obtain pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) for application in regenerative medicine and for disease research in the field of orthopedic surgery. Although the induction protocols for MYO and SCL from PSCs have been previously reported by several researchers, no study has yet demonstrated the induction of SYN and D from iPSCs. Therefore, efficient induction of fully competent SMs remains a major challenge. Here, we recapitulate human SM patterning with human iPSCs in vitro by mimicking the signaling environment during chick/mouse SM development, and report on methods of systematic induction of SM derivatives (MYO, SCL, D, and SYN) from human iPSCs under chemically defined conditions through the presomitic mesoderm (PSM) and SM states. Knowledge regarding chick/mouse&#160;SM development was successfully applied to the induction of SMs with human iPSCs. This method could be a novel tool for studying human somitogenesis and patterning without the use of embryos and for cell-based therapy and disease modeling.

We present here a protocol for the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into each somite derivative (myotome, sclerotome, dermatome, and syndetome) in chemically defined conditions, which has applications in future disease modeling and cell-based therapies in orthopedic surgery.

In response to signals such as WNTs, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and sonic hedgehog (SHH) secreted from surrounding tissues, somites (SMs) give ...

Controlled Cortical Impact Model of Mouse Brain Injury with Therapeutic Transplantation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neural Cells

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Disease pathology due to TBI progresses from the primary mechanical insult to secondary injury processes, including apoptosis and inflammation. Animal modeling has been valuable in the search to unravel injury mechanisms and evaluate potential neuroprotective therapies. This protocol describes the controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of focal, open-head TBI. Specifically, parameters for producing a mild unilateral cortical injury are described. Behavioral consequences of CCI are analyzed using the adhesive tape removal test of bilateral sensorimotor integration. Regarding experimental therapy for TBI pathology, this protocol also illustrates a process for transplanting cultured cells into the brain. Neural cell cultures derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were chosen for their potential to show superior functional restoration in human TBI patients. Chronic survival of hiPSCs in the host mouse brain tissue is detected using a modified DAB immunohistochemical process.

This protocol demonstrates methodologies for a mouse model of open-skull traumatic brain injury and transplantation of cultured human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cells into the injury site. Behavioral and histologic tests of outcomes from these procedures are also described in brief.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Disease pathology due to TBI progresses from the primary mechanical ...