Name: conversion of human induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) into functional spinal and cranial motor neurons using piggybac vectors
Uploaded: 2019-05-01T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Conversion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs into Functional Spinal and Cranial Motor Neurons Using PiggyBac Vectors at JoVE.com

The authors wish to thank the Imaging Facility at Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, for support and technical advice. We are grateful to members of the Center for Life Nano Science for helpful discussion. This work was partially supported by a grant from AriSLA (pilot grant 2016 &#34;StressFUS&#34;) to AR.

1. Maintenance of Human iPSCs
<ol>
	<li>Preparation of matrix-coated plates
	<ol>
		<li>Thaw one 5 mL vial of matrix (see Table of Materials) at 4 &#176;C overnight. The original matrix stocks come at different stock concentrations and aliquots are made according to the dilution factor indicated on the datasheet, specific for the individual lot. It is important to keep the vial and tubes ice cold to prevent premature gelling of the matrix. Dispense matrix into aliquots in pre-chilled c...

<ol>
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D., 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=Induced+pluripotent+stem+cells+from+a+spinal+muscular+atrophy+patient.">Induced pluripotent stem cells from a spinal muscular atrophy patient.</a> Nature. 457 (7227), 277-280 (2009).</li><li>Lenzi, 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=ALS+mutant+FUS+proteins+are+recruited+into+stress+granules+in+induced+Pluripotent+Stem+Cells+(iPSCs)+derived+motoneurons.">ALS mutant FUS proteins are recruited into stress granules in induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) derived motoneurons.</a> Disease models &amp; mechanisms. 8 (7), 755-766 (2015).</li><li>Wijesekera, L. C., Leigh, P. 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O., 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=Synergistic+binding+of+transcription+factors+to+cell-specific+enhancers+programs+motor+neuron+identity.">Synergistic binding of transcription factors to cell-specific enhancers programs motor neuron identity.</a> Nature neuroscience. 16 (9), 1219-1227 (2013).</li><li>De Santis, R., Garone, M. G., Pagani, F., de Turris, V., Di Angelantonio, S., Rosa, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+conversion+of+human+pluripotent+stem+cells+into+cranial+motor+neurons+using+a+piggyBac+vector.">Direct conversion of human pluripotent stem cells into cranial motor neurons using a piggyBac vector.</a> Stem Cell Research. 29, 189-196 (2018).</li><li>Yusa, K., Zhou, L., Li, M. A., Bradley, A., Craig, N. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+hyperactive+piggyBac+transposase+for+mammalian+applications.">A hyperactive piggyBac transposase for mammalian applications.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108 (4), 1531-1536 (2011).</li><li>Sances, S., 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=Modeling+ALS+with+motor+neurons+derived+from+human+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells.">Modeling ALS with motor neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.</a> Nature Neuroscience. 16 (4), 542-553 (2016).</li><li>Miller, J. D., 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=Human+iPSC-based+modeling+of+late-onset+disease+via+progerin-induced+aging.">Human iPSC-based modeling of late-onset disease via progerin-induced aging.</a> Cell stem cell. 13 (6), 691-705 (2013).</li><li>Lenzi, 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=Differentiation+of+control+and+ALS+mutant+human+iPSCs+into+functional+skeletal+muscle+cells,+a+tool+for+the+study+of+neuromuscolar+diseases.">Differentiation of control and ALS mutant human iPSCs into functional skeletal muscle cells, a tool for the study of neuromuscolar diseases.</a> Stem Cell Research. 17 (1), 140-147 (2016).</li><li>Zhang, 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=Rapid+Single-Step+Induction+of+Functional+Neurons+from+Human+Pluripotent+Stem+Cells.">Rapid Single-Step Induction of Functional Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.</a> Neuron. 78 (5), 785-798 (2013).</li><li>Theka, 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=Rapid+generation+of+functional+dopaminergic+neurons+from+human+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells+through+a+single-step+procedure+using+cell+lineage+transcription+factors.">Rapid generation of functional dopaminergic neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells through a single-step procedure using cell lineage transcription factors.</a> Stem cells translational medicine. 2 (6), 473-479 (2013).</li><li>Pawlowski, M., 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=Inducible+and+Deterministic+Forward+Programming+of+Human+Pluripotent+Stem+Cells+into+Neurons,+Skeletal+Myocytes,+and+Oligodendrocytes.">Inducible and Deterministic Forward Programming of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Neurons, Skeletal Myocytes, and Oligodendrocytes.</a> Stem Cell Reports. 8 (4), 803-812 (2017).</li><li>Li, X., 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=Fast+Generation+of+Functional+Subtype+Astrocytes+from+Human+Pluripotent+Stem+Cells.">Fast Generation of Functional Subtype Astrocytes from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.</a> Stem Cell Reports. 11 (4), 998-1008 (2018).</li><li>Nehme, R., 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=Combining+NGN2+Programming+with+Developmental+Patterning+Generates+Human+Excitatory+Neurons+with+NMDAR-Mediated+Synaptic+Transmission.">Combining NGN2 Programming with Developmental Patterning Generates Human Excitatory Neurons with NMDAR-Mediated Synaptic Transmission.</a> Cell reports. 23 (8), 2509-2523 (2018).</li></ol>

This protocol allows to efficiently convert human iPSCs into spinal and cranial motor neurons thanks to the ectopic expression of lineage-specific transcription factors. These transgenes are inducible by doxycycline and stably integrated in the genome thanks to a piggyBac transposon-based vector. In a mixed population, one or several copies of the piggyBac vector will be randomly integrated into the genome of individual cells, increasing the risk of genome integrity alterations. Moreover, a progressive selection of iPSC ...

Motor neuron (MN) degeneration plays a causative role in human diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Establishing suitable in vitro cell model systems that recapitulate the complexity of the human MN is an important step towards the development of new therapeutic approaches. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are endowed with remarkable plurilineage differentiation properties, have now been derived from a number of patients affected by motor neuron diseases1,2. Additional iPSC lines carrying pathogenic mutations associated to MN diseases have been generated by gene editing, starting from control &#34;healthy&#34;&#160;pluripotent stem cells3. These lines represent useful tools for in vitro disease modeling and drug screening, provided that appropriate methods for iPSC differentiation into MNs are available. The rationale behind the development of this method is to provide the scientific community interested in MN diseases with a fast and efficient differentiation protocol giving rise to mature functional MNs. The first advantage of this method is its timeframe of execution. Another relevant point of strength comes from the elimination of any purification step. Finally, the protocol can be used to generate two distinct populations of motor neurons.
The possibility of generating different subtypes of MNs is particularly relevant for modeling of MN diseases. Not all MN subtypes are equally vulnerable in ALS and SMA and the onset of symptoms in different motor units greatly influences the prognosis. In ALS, spinal onset with symptoms starting in upper and lower limbs leads to death in about 3-5&#8239;years4. Conversely, bulbar onset, starting with degeneration of cranial MNs, has a worst prognosis. Moreover, the percentage of bulbar onset is significantly higher in patients with mutations in the RNA-binding proteins FUS and TDP-43 than in individuals with SOD1 mutations5. Almost the totality of alternative MN differentiation protocols relies on the activity of retinoic acid (RA), which confer a spinal character to differentiating iPSCs6,7,8. This limits the possibility of studying intrinsic factors, which could be protective in specific MN subtypes9,10.
Consistent with a previous work in mouse embryonic stem cells11, we have recently shown that in human iPSCs ectopic expression of Ngn2, Isl1 and Lhx3 (NIL) induces a spinal MN identity, while Ngn2 and Isl1 plus Phox2a (NIP) specify cranial MNs12. We have hence developed an efficient protocol, leading to the production of human MNs endowed with functional properties in a 12 days turnaround. The purpose of this method is to obtain, in a short time frame and without the need for purification (e.g., by FACS), cell populations highly enriched for MNs with spinal or cranial identity.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:2004px;" width="2004">
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	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:364px;">5-Bapta</td>
			<td style="width:208px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:143px;">A4926-1G</td>
			<td style="width:1289px;">chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Accutase</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A6964-100ML&#160;</td>
			<td>Cell dissociation reagent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-CHAT</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore&#160;</td>
			<td>AB144P</td>
			<td>Anti-Choline Acetyltransferase. Primary antibody used in immunostaining assays. RRID: AB_2079751; Lot number: 2971003</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-goat Alexa Fluor 488&#160;</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>A11055</td>
			<td>Secondary antibody used for immonofluorescence assays. RRID: AB_2534102; Lot number: 1915848</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-mouse Alexa Fluor 647</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>A31571</td>
			<td>Secondary antibody used for immonofluorescence assays. RRID: AB_162542; Lot number: 1757130</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-Oct4&#160;</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>611202</td>
			<td>Primary antibody used in immunostaining assays. RRID: AB_398736; Lot number: 5233722</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-Phox2b</td>
			<td>Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.</td>
			<td>sc-376997</td>
			<td>Primary antibody used in immunostaining assays. Lot number: E0117</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-rabbit Alexa Fluor 594&#160;</td>
			<td>Immunological Sciences</td>
			<td>IS-20152-1</td>
			<td>Secondary antibody used for immonofluorescence assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">anti-TUJ1&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich&#160;</td>
			<td>T2200</td>
			<td>Primary antibody used in immunostaining assays. RRID: AB_262133</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">B27</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-093-566</td>
			<td>Serum free supplement for neuronal cell maintenance</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Bambanker</td>
			<td>Nippon Genetics</td>
			<td>NGE-BB02</td>
			<td>Cell freezing medium, used here for motor neuron progenitors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">BDNF</td>
			<td>PreproTech</td>
			<td>450-02</td>
			<td>Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Blasticidin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>203350</td>
			<td>Nucleoside antibiotic that inhibits protein synthesis in prokaryotes and eukaryotes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">BSA</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A2153</td>
			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin. Blocking agent to prevent non-specific binding of antibodies in immunostaining assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CaCl2</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>C3881</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Clampex 10 software</td>
			<td>Molecular Devices</td>
			<td>Clampex 10</td>
			<td>Membrane currents recording system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Corning Matrigel hESC-qualified Matrix</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>354277</td>
			<td style="width:1289px;">Reconstituted basement membrane preparation from the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma. Used for adhesion of iPSC to plastic and glass supports</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CRYOSTEM ACF FREEZING MEDIA</td>
			<td>Biological Industries</td>
			<td>05-710-1E</td>
			<td>Freezing medium for human iPSCs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">D-Glucose</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G5146</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DAPI powder</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>10236276001</td>
			<td>4&#8242;,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. Fluorescent stain that binds to adenine&#8211;thymine rich regions in DNA used for nuclei staining in immonofluorescence assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DAPT</td>
			<td>AdipoGen</td>
			<td>AG-CR1-0016-M005</td>
			<td>Gamma secretase inhibitor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Dispase</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>17105-041</td>
			<td>Reagent for gentle dissociation of human iPSCs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DMEM/F12</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D6421-500ML</td>
			<td>Basal medium for cell culture</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Doxycycline</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D9891-1G&#160;</td>
			<td>Used to induce expression of transgenes from epB-Bsd-TT-NIL and epB-Bsd-TT-NIP vectors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">DS2U&#160;</td>
			<td>WiCell</td>
			<td>UWWC1-DS2U</td>
			<td>Commercial human iPSC line</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">E.Z.N.A Total RNA Kit&#160;</td>
			<td>Omega bio-tek</td>
			<td>R6834-02</td>
			<td>Kit for total extraction of RNA from cultured eukaryotic cells</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">GDNF</td>
			<td>PreproTech</td>
			<td>450-10</td>
			<td>Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Gibco Episomal hiPSC Line</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A18945</td>
			<td>Commercial human iPSC line</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Glutamax</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>35050038</td>
			<td>An alternative to L-glutamine with increased stability. Improves cell health.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Hepes</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>H4034</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">iScript Reverse Transcription Supermix for RT-qPCR&#160;</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>1708841</td>
			<td>Kit for gene expression analysis using real-time qPCR</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">iTaqTM Universal SYBR Green Supermix&#160;</td>
			<td>Bio-Rad</td>
			<td>172-5121&#160;</td>
			<td>Ready-to-use reaction master mix optimized for dye-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) on any real-time PCR instrument</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">K-Gluconate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G4500</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">KCl</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P9333</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">L-ascorbic acid</td>
			<td>LKT Laboratories</td>
			<td>A7210</td>
			<td>Used in cell culture as an antioxidant</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Laminin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>11243217001</td>
			<td>Promotes attachment and growth of neural cells in vitro</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Laser scanning confocal microscope&#160;</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>&#160;iX83 FluoView1200</td>
			<td>Confocal microscope for acquisition of immunostaining images</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Mg-ATP</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A9187</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">MgCl2</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>M8266</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Mounting Medium&#160;</td>
			<td>Ibidi</td>
			<td>50001</td>
			<td>Mounting solution used for confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Multiclamp patch-clamp amplifier</td>
			<td>Molecular Devices</td>
			<td>700B</td>
			<td>Membrane currents recording system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Na-GTP</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>G8877</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NaCl</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>71376</td>
			<td>chemicals for electrophysiological solutions</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NEAA</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11140035</td>
			<td>Non-Essential Amino Acids. Used as a supplement for cell culture medium, to increase cell growth and viability.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Neon 100 &#956;L Kit</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>MPK10096</td>
			<td>Cell electroporation kit</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Neon Transfection System</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>MPK5000</td>
			<td>Cell electroporation system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Neurobasal Medium</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>21103049</td>
			<td>Basal medium designed for long-term maintenance and maturation of neuronal cell populations without the need for an astrocyte feeder layer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NutriStem-XF/FF&#160;</td>
			<td>Biological Industries</td>
			<td>05-100-1A</td>
			<td>Human iPSC culture medium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>157-8</td>
			<td>Used for cell fixation in immunostaining assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">PBS</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D8662-500ML</td>
			<td>Dulbecco s Phosphate Buffer Saline w Calcium w Magnesium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">PBS Ca2+/Mg2+ free</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D8537-500ML</td>
			<td>Dulbecco s Phosphate Buffer Saline w/o Calcium w/o Magnesium</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Penicillin/Streptomycin&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P4333-100ML</td>
			<td>Penicillin/Streptomicin solution used to prevent cell culture contamination from bacteria.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">poly-ornithine</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P4957</td>
			<td>Promotes attachment and growth of neural cells in vitro</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">SU5402</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>SML0443-5MG</td>
			<td>Selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Triton X-100&#160;</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T8787</td>
			<td>4-(1,1,3,3-Tetramethylbutyl)phenyl-polyethylene glycol,&#160;t-Octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol, Polyethylene glycol&#160;tert-octylphenyl ether. Used for cell permeabilization in immunostaining assays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Upright microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>BX51VI</td>
			<td>Microscope for electrophysiological recording equipped with CoolSnap Myo camera&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Y-27632&#160; (ROCK inhibitor)</td>
			<td>Enzo Life Sciences</td>
			<td>ALX-270-333-M005&#160;</td>
			<td>Cell-permeable selective inhibitor of Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK). Increases iPSC survival</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">&#956;-Slide 8 Well&#160;</td>
			<td>Ibidi</td>
			<td>80826</td>
			<td>Support for high&#8211;end microscopic analysis of fixed cells</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

conversion of human induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) into functional spinal and cranial motor neurons using piggybac vectors

We describe here a method to obtain functional spinal and cranial motor neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Direct conversion into motor neuron is obtained by ectopic expression of alternative modules of transcription factors, namely Ngn2, Isl1 and Lhx3 (NIL) or Ngn2, Isl1 and Phox2a (NIP). NIL and NIP specify, respectively, spinal and cranial motor neuron identity. Our protocol starts with the generation of modified iPSC lines in which NIL or NIP are stably integrated in the genome via a piggyBac transposon vector. Expression of the transgenes is then induced by doxycycline and leads, in 5 days, to the conversion of iPSCs into MN progenitors. Subsequent maturation, for 7 days, leads to homogeneous populations of spinal or cranial MNs. Our method holds several advantages over previous protocols: it is extremely rapid and simplified; it does not require viral infection or further MN isolation; it allows generating different MN subpopulations (spinal and cranial) with a remarkable degree of maturation, as demonstrated by the ability to fire trains of action potentials. Moreover, a large number of motor neurons can be obtained without purification from mixed populations. iPSC-derived spinal and cranial motor neurons can be used for in vitro modeling of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases of the motor neuron. Homogeneous motor neuron populations might represent an important resource for cell type specific drug screenings.

A schematic description of the differentiation method is shown in Figure 1. Human iPSCs (WT I line3) were transfected with epB-Bsd-TT-NIL or epB-Bsd-TT-NIP, generating, upon blasticidin selection, stable and inducible cell lines12, hereafter referred to as iPSC-NIL and iPSC-NIP, respectively. Differentiating cells were characterized for the expression of the pluripotency marker OCT4 and the pan-neuronal marker TUJ1. Immunostaining analysis show...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Conversion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs into Functional Spinal and Cranial Motor Neurons Using PiggyBac Vectors at JoVE.com

Conversion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs into Functional Spinal and Cranial Motor Neurons Using PiggyBac Vectors

This protocol allows rapid and efficient conversion of induced pluripotent stem cells into motor neurons with a spinal or cranial identity, by ectopic expression of transcription factors from inducible piggyBac vectors.

Conversion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) into Functional Spinal and Cranial Motor Neurons Using PiggyBac Vectors

We describe here a method to obtain functional spinal and cranial motor neurons from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Direct conversion into ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Efficient Derivation of Human Neuronal Progenitors and Neurons from Pluripotent Human Embryonic Stem Cells with Small Molecule Induction

There is a large unfulfilled need for a clinically-suitable human neuronal cell source for repair or regeneration of the damaged central nervous system ...

The Specification of Telencephalic Glutamatergic Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Here, a stepwise procedure for efficiently generating telencephalic glutamatergic neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has been described. The ...

Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons

Direct lineage-reprogramming of non-neuronal cells into induced neurons (iNs) may provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying neurogenesis ...

Directed Dopaminergic Neuron Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta  (also known as A9 DA neurons) are the specific cell type that is lost in ...

Functional and Morphological Assessment of Diaphragm Innervation by Phrenic Motor Neurons

This protocol specifically focuses on tools for assessing phrenic motor neuron (PhMN) innervation of the diaphragm at both the electrophysiological and ...

Simple Generation of a High Yield Culture of Induced Neurons from Human Adult Skin Fibroblasts

Induced neurons (iNs), the product of somatic cells directly converted to neurons, are a way to obtain patient-derived neurons from tissue that is easily ...

Method for High Speed Stretch Injury of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Neurons in a 96-well Format

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major clinical challenge with high morbidity and mortality. Despite decades of pre-clinical research, no proven ...

Identifying Cell Surface Markers of Primary Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells by Metabolic Labeling of Sialoglycan

Neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) are the cellular basis for the complex structures and functions of the brain. They are located in specialized ...

In Vivo Direct Reprogramming of Resident Glial Cells into Interneurons by Intracerebral Injection of Viral Vectors

Converting resident glia in the brain into functional and subtype-specific neurons in vivo provides a step forward towards the development of alternative ...

3D Kinematic Analysis for the Functional Evaluation in the Rat Model of Sciatic Nerve Crush Injury

Compared to the Sciatic Functional Index (SFI), kinematic analysis is a more reliable and sensitive method for performing functional evaluations of ...