Name: developing hipsc derived serum free embryoid bodies for the interrogation of 3-d stem cell cultures using physiologically relevant assays
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Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays at JoVE.com

We thank Elizabeth Benevides for proofreading the article. We thank Drs. John Hussman and Gene Blatt for their helpful discussions and comments.

1. Generation of Neural Progenitor Cells
<ol>
	<li>Maintain hiPSCs derived from fibroblasts and PBMCs in 6-well plates on a &#947;-irradiated mouse embryonic feeder (MEF) cell layer in human iPSC medium supplemented with small-molecules (see the Materials Table). 
	NOTE: Daily maintenance is a modified version of previously reported procedures1,16.
	<ol>
		<li>Plate 6 x 105 MEFs onto each well of a 6-well tissue culture grade pl...

<ol>
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P., Rubin, L., Eggan, K., Brock, M., Lipnick, S., Rao, M., Chang, S., Li, A., Noggle, S. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=iPSC-Derived+Dopamine+Neurons+Reveal+Differences+Between+Monozygotic+Twins+Discordant+for+Parkinson's+Disease.">iPSC-Derived Dopamine Neurons Reveal Differences Between Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Parkinson's Disease.</a> Cell Rep. 9 (4), 1173-1182 (2014).</li><li>Huang, S. 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=Tankyrase+inhibition+stabilizes+axin+and+antagonizes+Wnt+signalling.">Tankyrase inhibition stabilizes axin and antagonizes Wnt signalling.</a> Nature. 461 (7264), 614-620 (2009).</li><li>Chambers, S. 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The protocol described here provides the conditions for differentiating a hiPSC source into a 3-D structure that recapitulates an early developmental stage of the frontal cortex. This procedure yields structures that can be interrogated for electrophysiology while also being amenable to microscopy. The final morphology of the SFEB resembles that of organotypic brain slice cultures and allows high quality detailed confocal imaging. This protocol can successfully generate SFEBs from both fibroblast and peripheral-blood mon...

We have previously reported a 3-D model system, generated from patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that recapitulates some aspects of early cortical network development1. This 3-D model, a serum-free embryoid body (SFEB), improves on previous simple aggregation hiPSC models2,3. A growing body of work is revealing that 3-D structures like our SFEBs, approximate aspects of neural development commonly observed in vivo and at an earlier time point than observed in 2-dimensional (2-D)/monolayer hiPSC models4,5. Initial studies have been focused on the self-organizing complexity of 3-D bodies without demonstrating their physiological complexity2.
The protocol described here has been used on undifferentiated hiPSCs derived from fibroblasts and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). These cells are maintained on &#947;-irradiated mouse embryonic feeders (MEFs). These hiPSC colonies are manually cleaned of spontaneously differentiated cells, enzymatically harvested, and resuspended in medium containing Rho-Kinase inhibitor Y-27632 (ROCKi). Undifferentiated hiPSCs are subjected to dissociation and centrifugation before being transferred to 96-well low adhesion V-bottom plates. After plating, neural induction is initiated using dual SMAD inhibition (SB431542 and LDN193189 along with dickkopf 1 (DKK-1)) to drive an anterior-frontal forebrain neuronal-fate lineage6. After 14 days, the SFEBs are transferred to cell culture inserts in a 6-well plate. Once transferred, the round SFEBs begin to spread and thin, while maintaining local network connections as is often observed in hippocampal organotypic slice culture preparations using similar cell culture inserts1,7.
The use of an SFEB based 3-D platform in this format is amenable to the efficient production of cortical networks that may be interrogated using cell based physiological assays such as calcium imaging or electrophysiological assays such as single cell recordings or multi-electrode array (MEA)1. Although 3-D systems bear the markers of early cortical development, other studies have shown that these 3-D bodies may require longer incubation times to allow for the inherently slower pace of human tissue development8. This SFEB protocol successfully generates 3-D SFEBs from undifferentiated hiPSCs that captures aspects of the early development of the cortex.
The potential of SFEBs to model network aberrations in neurological disorders is a strength of this system. The hiPSCs derived from patient tissue can be grown into cells of the nervous system that are subject to assays relating to cell biology as well as concomitant gene expression. Human iPSCs are being used to ascertain the genetic profile of large groups of individuals with varying neurological disorders with complex etiologies such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia9, Rett Syndrome10, and Alzheimer&#39;s disease11,12. Until recently, iPSC models were typically monolayer preparations that, while proficient in evaluating molecular interactions, were inadequate in deciphering the complex cellular interactions seen in vivo. Animal models have been the default substitute for recreating the whole-organ platform. These animal models are plagued by poor translation of findings and have limited ability to replicate human genetic profiles identified by large genetic screening studies. Thus, the development of 3-D systems from iPSCs adds a needed layer of complexity in human disease modeling13,14. The next step for 3D hiPSC platforms is to accommodate the large scale requirements of high throughput screening using cell based assays15.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1173">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:573px;">SFEB Neuronal Differentiation Cell culture Media. Reagents. Components&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:183px;"></td>
			<td style="width:164px;"></td>
			<td style="width:253px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">STEMdiff Neural Induction Medium (hiPSC Media)</td>
			<td>STEMCELL Technologies</td>
			<td>0-5835</td>
			<td>250ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">PluriQ ES-DMEM Medium (MEF Media)</td>
			<td>GlobalStem</td>
			<td>GSM-2001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">DM1 Media Components</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">D-MEM/F-12 (1X), Glutamax liquid, 1:1</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">10565018</td>
			<td>385ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Knockout Serum Replacement</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">10828028</td>
			<td>20% 100ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Pen/Strep</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">15140122</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Glutamax 200mM</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">35050061</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">MEM Non-Essential Amino Acids Solution 10 mM (100X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">11140050</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">2-Mercaptoethanol (1,000X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">21985023</td>
			<td>900ul</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">DM2 Media Components</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">D-MEM/F-12 (1X), Glutamax liquid, 1:1</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">10565018</td>
			<td>500ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Glutamax 200mM</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">35050061</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Pen/Strep</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">15140122</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">N-2 Supplement (100X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">17502048</td>
			<td>10ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">DM3 Media Components</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">NEUROBASAL Medium (1X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">21103049</td>
			<td>500ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">B-27 Supplement Minus Vitamin A (50X), liquid</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">12587010</td>
			<td>10ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Glutamax 200mM</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">35050061</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Pen/Strep</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td align="right">15140122</td>
			<td>5ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Small Molecules</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Thiazovivin</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0017</td>
			<td>2uM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">SB431542</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0010-10</td>
			<td>1:1000 (10uM)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Dorsomorphin</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0024</td>
			<td>1uM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">LDN-193189</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0074-10</td>
			<td>250nM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Y27632 (ROCKi)</td>
			<td>Stemgent</td>
			<td>04-0012-10</td>
			<td>10uM</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Recombinant Protiens</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">DKK-1</td>
			<td>Peprotech</td>
			<td>120-30</td>
			<td>200ng/ml</td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Components/Materials</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Cell Culture inserts 0.4uM, 30mm Diameter</td>
			<td>Millicell</td>
			<td>PICM0RG50</td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts</td>
			<td>GlobalStem</td>
			<td>GSC-6301G</td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">96 well V bottom w/Lids</td>
			<td>Evergreen</td>
			<td>222-8031-01V</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">StemPro Accutase Cell Dissociation Reagent</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>A1110501</td>
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			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">TritonX-100</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td align="right">85111</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td align="right">10010023</td>
			<td>500 mL</td>
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		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Normal Donkey Serum</td>
			<td>Jackson Labs</td>
			<td>017-000-121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Leibovitz&#39;s L-15 Medium</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td align="right">11415114</td>
			<td>500 mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">DRAQ5 (Nuclear Marker)&#160;</td>
			<td>ThermoFisher</td>
			<td>65-0880-96</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">MEA Plates</td>
			<td>Axion Biosystems</td>
			<td>M768-GL1-30Pt200</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">6 well flat bottom</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td align="right">353046</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Name</td>
			<td>Company&#160;</td>
			<td>Catalog Number</td>
			<td>Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Antibody</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Nestin</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MAB5326</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Brn-2</td>
			<td>Protein tech</td>
			<td>14596-1-AP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">VGLUT1&#160;</td>
			<td>Synaptic Systems&#160;</td>
			<td>135 303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Pax6</td>
			<td>abcam</td>
			<td>ab5790</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Calretinin&#160;</td>
			<td>abcam</td>
			<td>ab702</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Calbindin</td>
			<td>abcam</td>
			<td>ab11426</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">CoupTFII</td>
			<td>R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td>PPH714700</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Nkx 2.1</td>
			<td>abcam</td>
			<td>ab12650</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tuj1</td>
			<td>abcam</td>
			<td>ab41489</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Reelin</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MAB5364</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">Tbr1</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>MAB2261</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">NFH</td>
			<td>Dako</td>
			<td>M0762</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

developing hipsc derived serum free embryoid bodies for the interrogation of 3-d stem cell cultures using physiologically relevant assays

Although a number of in vitro disease models have been developed using hiPSCs, one limitation is that these two-dimensional (2-D) systems may not represent the underlying cytoarchitectural and functional complexity of the affected individuals carrying suspected disease variants. Conventional 2-D models remain incomplete representations of in vivo-like structures and do not adequately capture the complexity of the brain. Thus, there is an emerging need for more 3-D hiPSC-based models that can better recapitulate the cellular interactions and functions seen in an in vivo system.
Here we report a protocol to develop a 3-D system from undifferentiated hiPSCs based on the serum free embryoid body (SFEB). This 3-D model mirrors aspects of a developing ventralized neocortex and allows for studies into functions integral to living neural cells and intact tissue such as migration, connectivity, communication, and maturation. Specifically, we demonstrate that the SFEBs using our protocol can be interrogated using physiologically relevant and high-content cell based assays such as calcium imaging, and multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings without cryosectioning. In the case of MEA recordings, we demonstrate that SFEBs increase both spike activity and network-level bursting activity during long-term culturing. This SFEB protocol provides a robust and scalable system for the study of developing network formation in a 3-D model that captures aspects of early cortical development.

SFEBs grown using our technique yielded tissue with morphological characteristics that resemble an early developing cortical subventricular zone replete with extensive Tuj1-positive neurons, as well as neural progenitors (Figure 3A). Numerous developing cortical rosettes were observed in the outer layers and inner layers of the SFEB (Figure 3B). The outer edge of the SFEB resembles a developing cortical plate containing postmitot...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays at JoVE.com

Developing HiPSC Derived Serum Free Embryoid Bodies for the Interrogation of 3-D Stem Cell Cultures Using Physiologically Relevant Assays

Here we report a protocol to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) system from human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) called the serum free embryoid body (SFEB). This 3-D model can be used like an organotypic slice culture to model human cortical development and for the physiological interrogation of developing neural circuits.

Although a number of in vitro disease models have been developed using hiPSCs, one limitation is that these two-dimensional (2-D) systems may not ...

The overall goal of this protocol for the 3D human iPSC serum free embryoid bodies, is to provide an in-vitro system that approximates human early cortical development, which can be used for drug discovery. This method can help answer key questions in the stem cell field such as, how neurons derive from iPSCs, form functional networks in 3D tissue. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows us to model aspects of cortical development in a dish, from human tissue containing the genetics of diseased individuals, thus the system serves as a cell based platform for drugs screening that is scalable and can be used to study many different neurobiological disorders.Although this method can provide insight into neurobiological or neuro development disorders, it can also be applied to other systems, such as those that focus on models of neuroimmune function or neural information. For this protocol, begin with establishing fetal cells. To establish this culture, plate 600, 000 fetal cells into each well of a six well plate, with 300 milliliters of medium per well.After culturing the fetal cells for 48 hours, replace the medium. Incubate the plates for an hour, while preparing the stem cells. Thaw the stem cells in a 37 degrees celsius water bath.Once thawed, transfer the cells to a 15 milliliter conical tube and fill the tube to five milliliters with culture medium, added drop wise. Next, gently centrifuge the cells for four minutes, aspirate the supernatant and gently re-suspend the pellet in one milliliter of stem cell medium with ROCK inhibitor. After quantifying the cell density, plate 300, 000 stem cells onto the feeder cells.Then grow and expand the cultures, periodically selecting for healthy cells, after expansion and freezing cells for backup. Grow the stem cell colonies on standard plates until they reach 50%to 70%confluence. Then, use a mild enzymatic treatment and gentle trituration with the one milliliter pipette tip to harvest the hiPSCs for neuro precursor cell differentiation.Gently centrifuge the suspension, aspirate the supernatant and re-suspend the pellet in five milliliters human iPSC medium. Then, transfer the cell suspension to a 0.1%gelatin coated five centimeter cell culture dish, and incubate the plate for one hour. After an hour, transfer the non-adherent cells to a 15 milliliter centrifuge tube.Then gently rinse the plate with three milliliters of medium and transfer it to the same tube. Next, repeat the re-suspension step with gentle centrifugation, then, determine the cell density and plate the cells into a 96 well, low adhesion V bottom plate at 9, 000 cells per well. Now, spin the plate for three minutes and start culturing the cells.Over the next 14 days, every other day replace half a medium with fresh differentiating medium one. After two weeks of culturing the cells, prepare six well plates with 40 micron cell culture inserts and one milliliter of DM1 medium. Incubate these plates for at least four hours before adding the cultured cells.Next, using a 200 microliter wide mouth pipette tip, collect two week old cell aggregates worth about 20 microliters of medium. Transfer four to six aggregates onto each insert with minimal solution, remove any excess. During this step, it's important to work quickly and with a steady hand, while removing medium from around SFEBs, you may see the SFEBs move across the solution due to surface tension.It's okay to reposition them after the medium is removed. Once all the aggregates are loaded onto inserts, change the medium to one milliliter of DM2 and continue culturing the cells every other day. Replace three fourths of the medium with fresh medium.After 14 days of culture, start adding DM3 medium to the cultures. Continue the culturing for 16 more days to grow the SFEBs. Now gently detach the SFEBs from the insert, using a 200 microliter wide mouth pipette tip.Transfer the SFEBs to 12 well plates, loading four to eight per well. Then, stain them as outline in the text protocol. To prepare the 12 well and the eight plates, first wash them three times with sterile water.Then, wash them once using 75%ethanol and once more with 100%ethanol. Then, bake the plates at 50 degrees celsius for four to five hours upside down, to complete the sterilization process. After baking, add 500 microliters of 0.2%PEI solution to each well and let the plate sit at room temperature for an hour.Then, aspirate the PEI and wash the wells four times with the sterile distilled water and air dry them overnight. The next day, prepare fresh laminant in L15 medium and add 10 microliters to the center of each well. Then, add distilled water to the surrounding reservoirs to prevent evaporation and incubate the plate for one hour at 37 degrees celsius.Be sure to beam the laminant in the center of electrodes, being careful not to exceed the space of the grounding electrodes, if this space exceeded, neurons will grow over the grounding electrodes, causing noise artifacts and affecting fidelity of the recording. Now, add one prepared SFEB into each well, using gentle suction with a wide bore pipette. Then, add 200 microliters of DM2 to each well and culture the plate overnight.Later, to record neural activity, put a plate into the plate reader. Preheat it to 37 degrees celsius. Then, use the software to record 10 minutes of activity from each well.SFEB is grown using the described method, yielded tissue with morphological characteristics that resemble an early developing cortical sub-ventricular zone replete with extensive Tuj1 positive neurons, as well as neuro progenitors. Numerous developing cortical rosettes were observed in the outer layers and in the inner layers of the bodies. The outer edge of the bodies resembles a developing cortical plate containing postmitotic neurons, this is supported by the expression of Brn2, a marker for neuro progenitors and the most ventralised outer cortical layers.The outer layers also contain Reelin positive cells that may be casual gratzel cells or their progenitors. The bodies also expressed markers consistent with the mixed codal and medial ganglionic immenants origin. Based on the expression of cooked TF2 and Nkx2.1 markers.The cultured SFEBs yield at both CalR and CalB positive inter neurons. As well as, VGLUT positive excitatory neurons and Tbr1 positive glutamatergic neural progenitors. Consistent with other reports, 61%of the cells from the bodies were VGLUT positive and 43%were Tbr1 positive.MEM recordings made from the bodies, can be taken for long periods of time and the recordings showed the development of cortical network level bursting. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to grow SFEBs from human iPSCs, characterize the neurula content of punitive developing cortical rosettes with NSFEBs. and perform neurophysiological assays on maturing SFEBs.Generally, individuals new to this method might struggle because it takes time and practice to develop the necessary scientific field for the behavior of iPSCs and the iPSC to arrive neurons in culture. The cultured cells should be monitored daily. Following this procedure, other methods like calcium imaging can be performed in order to answer additional questions, such as, what drug treatments might do to cortical network oscillations.

developing-hipsc-derived-serum-free-embryoid-bodies-for-interrogation

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Scalable Fluidic Injector Arrays for Viral Targeting of Intact 3-D Brain Circuits

Our understanding of neural circuits--how they mediate the computations that subserve sensation, thought, emotion, and action, and how they are corrupted in neurological and psychiatric disorders--would be greatly facilitated by a technology for rapidly targeting genes to complex 3-dimensional neural circuits, enabling fast creation of "circuit-level transgenics." We have recently developed methods in which viruses encoding for light-sensitive proteins can sensitize specific cell types to millisecond-timescale activation and silencing in the intact brain. We here present the design and implementation of an injector array capable of delivering viruses (or other fluids) to dozens of defined points within the 3-dimensional structure of the brain (Figure. 1A, 1B). The injector array comprises one or more displacement pumps that each drive a set of syringes, each of which feeds into a polyimide/fused-silica capillary via a high-pressure-tolerant connector. The capillaries are sized, and then inserted into, desired locations specified by custom-milling a stereotactic positioning board, thus allowing viruses or other reagents to be delivered to the desired set of brain regions. To use the device, the surgeon first fills the fluidic subsystem entirely with oil, backfills the capillaries with the virus, inserts the device into the brain, and infuses reagents slowly (&lt;0.1 microliters/min). The parallel nature of the injector array facilitates rapid, accurate, and robust labeling of entire neural circuits with viral payloads such as optical sensitizers to enable light-activation and silencing of defined brain circuits. Along with other technologies, such as optical fiber arrays for light delivery to desired sets of brain regions, we hope to create a toolbox that enables the systematic probing of causal neural functions in the intact brain. This technology may not only open up such systematic approaches to circuit-focused neuroscience in mammals, and facilitate labeling of brain regions in large animals such as non-human primates, but may also open up a clinical translational path for cell-specific optical control prosthetics, whose precision may enable improved treatment of intractable brain disorders. Finally, such devices as described here may facilitate precisely-timed fluidic delivery of other payloads, such as stem cells and pharmacological agents, to 3-dimensional structures, in an easily user-customizable fashion.

Controlling and analyzing neural circuits in vivo would be facilitated by a technology for delivery of viruses and other reagents to desired 3-dimensional sets of brain regions. We demonstrate customized fluidic injector array fabrication, and delivery of virally-encoded optical sensitizers, enabling optical manipulation of complex brain circuits.

Our understanding of neural circuits--how they mediate the computations that subserve sensation, thought, emotion, and action, and how they are corrupted ...

The Neuroblast Assay: An Assay for the Generation and Enrichment of Neuronal Progenitor Cells from Differentiating Neural Stem Cell Progeny Using Flow Cytometry

Neural stem cells (NSCs) can be isolated and expanded in large-scale, using the neurosphere assay and differentiated into the three major cell types of the central nervous system (CNS); namely, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons. These characteristics make neural stem and progenitor cells an invaluable renewable source of cells for in vitro studies such as drug screening, neurotoxicology and electrophysiology and also for cell replacement therapy in many neurological diseases. In practice, however, heterogeneity of NSC progeny, low production of neurons and oligodendrocytes, and predominance of astrocytes following differentiation limit their clinical applications. Here, we describe a novel methodology for the generation and subsequent purification of immature neurons from murine NSC progeny using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) technology. Using this methodology, a highly enriched neuronal progenitor cell population can be achieved without any noticeable astrocyte and bona fide NSC contamination. The procedure includes differentiation of NSC progeny isolated and expanded from E14 mouse ganglionic eminences using the neurosphere assay, followed by isolation and enrichment of immature neuronal cells based on their physical (size and internal complexity) and fluorescent properties using flow cytometry technology. Overall, it takes 5-7 days to generate neurospheres and 6-8 days to differentiate NSC progeny and isolate highly purified immature neuronal cells.

This video protocol demonstrates a novel method for the generation and subsequent purification of neuronal progenitor cells from a renewable source of neural stem cells (NSCs) based on their physical (size and internal granularity) and fluorescent properties using flow cytometry technology.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) can be isolated and expanded in large-scale, using the neurosphere assay and differentiated into the three major cell types of ...

Feeder-free Derivation of Neural Crest Progenitor Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential for studying human embryonic development, for modeling human diseases in the dish and as a source of transplantable cells for regenerative applications after disease or accidents. Neural crest (NC) cells are the precursors for a large variety of adult somatic cells, such as cells from the peripheral nervous system and glia, melanocytes and mesenchymal cells. They are a valuable source of cells to study aspects of human embryonic development, including cell fate specification and migration. Further differentiation of NC progenitor cells into terminally differentiated cell types offers the possibility to model human diseases in vitro, investigate disease mechanisms and generate cells for regenerative medicine. This article presents the adaptation of a currently available in vitro differentiation protocol for the derivation of NC cells from hPSCs. This new protocol requires 18 days of differentiation, is feeder-free, easily scalable and highly reproducible among human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines as well as human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Both old and new protocols yield NC cells of equal identity.

Neural crest (NC) cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) have great potential for modeling human development and disease and for cell replacement therapies. Here, a feeder-free adaptation of the currently widely used in vitro differentiation protocol for the derivation of NC cells from hPSCs is presented.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential for studying human embryonic development, for modeling human diseases in the dish and as a ...

3-D Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Infected In Vivo with Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate, intracellular parasite with a broad host range, including humans and rodents. In both humans and rodents, Toxoplasma establishes a lifelong persistent infection in the brain. While this brain infection is asymptomatic in most immunocompetent people, in the developing fetus or immunocompromised individuals such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, this predilection for and persistence in the brain can lead to devastating neurologic disease. Thus, it is clear that the brain-Toxoplasma interaction is critical to the symptomatic disease produced by Toxoplasma, yet we have little understanding of the cellular or molecular interaction between cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and the parasite. In the mouse model of CNS toxoplasmosis it has been known for over 30 years that neurons are the cells in which the parasite persists, but little information is available about which part of the neuron is generally infected (soma, dendrite, axon) and if this cellular relationship changes between strains. In part, this lack is secondary to the difficulty of imaging and visualizing whole infected neurons from an animal. Such images would typically require serial sectioning and stitching of tissue imaged by electron microscopy or confocal microscopy after immunostaining. By combining several techniques, the method described here enables the use of thick sections (160 &#181;m) to identify and image whole cells that contain cysts, allowing three-dimensional visualization and analysis of individual, chronically infected neurons without the need for immunostaining, electron microscopy, or serial sectioning and stitching. Using this technique, we can begin to understand the cellular relationship between the parasite and the infected neuron.

3-D Imaging and Analysis of Neurons Infected In Vivo with Toxoplasma gondii

Using this protocol, we were able to image 160 &#181;m thick brain sections from mice infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which enables visualization and analysis of the spatial relationship between the encysting parasite and the infected neuron.

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate, intracellular parasite with a broad host range, including humans and rodents. In both humans and rodents, Toxoplasma ...

Functional Evaluation of Biological Neurotoxins in Networked Cultures of Stem Cell-derived Central Nervous System Neurons

Therapeutic and mechanistic studies of the presynaptically targeted clostridial neurotoxins (CNTs) have been limited by the need for a scalable, cell-based model that produces functioning synapses and undergoes physiological responses to intoxication. Here we describe a simple and robust method to efficiently differentiate murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into defined lineages of synaptically active, networked neurons. Following an 8 day differentiation protocol, mouse embryonic stem cell-derived neurons (ESNs) rapidly express and compartmentalize neurotypic proteins, form neuronal morphologies and develop intrinsic electrical responses. By 18 days after differentiation (DIV 18), ESNs exhibit active glutamatergic and &#947;-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic synapses and emergent network behaviors characterized by an excitatory:inhibitory balance. To determine whether intoxication with CNTs functionally antagonizes synaptic neurotransmission, thereby replicating the in vivo pathophysiology that is responsible for clinical manifestations of botulism or tetanus, whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology was used to quantify spontaneous miniature excitatory post-synaptic currents (mEPSCs) in ESNs exposed to tetanus neurotoxin (TeNT) or botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) serotypes /A-/G. In all cases, ESNs exhibited near-complete loss of synaptic activity within 20 hr. Intoxicated neurons remained viable, as demonstrated by unchanged resting membrane potentials and intrinsic electrical responses. To further characterize the sensitivity of this approach, dose-dependent effects of intoxication on synaptic activity were measured 20 hr after addition of BoNT/A. Intoxication with 0.005 pM BoNT/A resulted in a significant decrement in mEPSCs, with a median inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.013 pM. Comparisons of median doses indicate that functional measurements of synaptic inhibition are faster, more specific and more sensitive than SNARE cleavage assays or the mouse lethality assay. These data validate the use of synaptically coupled, stem cell-derived neurons for the highly specific and sensitive detection of CNTs.

A custom protocol is described to differentiate mouse ES cells into defined populations of highly pure neurons exhibiting functioning synapses and emergent network behavior. Electrophysiological analysis demonstrates the loss of synaptic transmission following exposure to botulinum neurotoxin serotypes /A-/G and tetanus neurotoxin.

Therapeutic and mechanistic studies of the presynaptically targeted clostridial neurotoxins (CNTs) have been limited by the need for a scalable, ...

Enumeration of Neural Stem Cells Using Clonal Assays

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to self-renew and generate the three major neural lineages &#8212; astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes. NSCs and neural progenitors (NPs) are commonly cultured in vitro as neurospheres. This protocol describes in detail how to determine the NSC frequency in a given cell population under clonal conditions. The protocol begins with the seeding of the cells at a density that allows for the generation of clonal neurospheres. The neurospheres are then transferred to chambered coverslips and differentiated under clonal conditions in conditioned medium, which maximizes the differentiation potential of the neurospheres. Finally, the NSC frequency is calculated based on neurosphere formation and multipotency capabilities. Utilities of this protocol include the evaluation of candidate NSC markers, purification of NSCs, and the ability to distinguish NSCs from NPs. This method takes 13 days to perform, which is much shorter than current methods to enumerate NSC frequency.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) refer to cells&#160;which can self-renew and differentiate into the three neural lineages. Here, we describe a protocol to determine NSC frequency in a given cell population using neurosphere formation and differentiation under clonal conditions.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to self-renew and generate the three major neural lineages &#8212; astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes. ...

Modelling Zika Virus Infection of the Developing Human Brain In Vitro Using Stem Cell Derived Cerebral Organoids

The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in susceptible populations has led to an abrupt increase in microcephaly and other neurodevelopmental conditions in newborn infants. While mosquitos are the main route of viral transmission, it has also been shown to spread via sexual contact and vertical mother-to-fetus transmission. In this latter case of transmission, due to the unique viral tropism of ZIKV, the virus is believed to predominantly target the neural progenitor cells (NPCs) of the developing brain.
Here a method for modeling ZIKV infection, and the resulting microcephaly, that occur when human cerebral organoids are exposed to live ZIKV is described. The organoids display high levels of virus within their neural progenitor population, and exhibit severe cell death and microcephaly over time. This three-dimensional cerebral organoid model allows researchers to conduct species-matched experiments to observe and potentially intervene with ZIKV infection of the developing human brain. The model provides improved relevance over standard two-dimensional methods, and contains human-specific cellular architecture and protein expression that are not possible in animal models.

Modelling Zika Virus Infection of the Developing Human Brain In Vitro Using Stem Cell Derived Cerebral Organoids

This protocol describes a technique used to model Zika virus infection of the developing human brain. Using wildtype or engineered stem cell lines, researchers may use this technique to uncover the various mechanisms or treatments that may affect early brain infection and resulting microcephaly in Zika virus-infected embryos.

The recent emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) in susceptible populations has led to an abrupt increase in microcephaly and other neurodevelopmental conditions ...

Generation of 3-D Collagen-based Hydrogels to Analyze Axonal Growth and Behavior During Nervous System Development

This protocol uses natural type I collagen to generate three-dimensional (3-D) hydrogel for monitoring and analyzing the axonal growth. The protocol is centered on culturing small pieces of embryonic or early postnatal rodent brains inside a 3-D hydrogel formed by the rat tail tendon-derived type I collagen with specific porosity. Tissue pieces are cultured inside the hydrogel and confronted to specific brain fragments or genetically-modified cell aggregates to produce and secrete molecules suitable for creating a gradient inside the porous matrix. The steps of this protocol are simple and reproducible but include critical steps to be considered carefully during its development. Moreover, the behavior of growing axons can be monitored and analyzed directly using a phase-contrast microscope or mono/multiphoton fluorescence microscope after fixation by immunocytochemical methods.

Here, we provide a method for analyzing the behavior of growing axons in 3D matrices, mimicking their natural development.

This protocol uses natural type I collagen to generate three-dimensional (3-D) hydrogel for monitoring and analyzing the axonal growth. The protocol is ...

Migration, Chemo-Attraction, and Co-Culture Assays for Human Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells and GABAergic Neurons

Role of brain vasculature in nervous system development and etiology of brain disorders is increasingly gaining attention. Our recent studies have identified a special population of vascular cells, the periventricular endothelial cells, that play a critical role in the migration and distribution of forebrain GABAergic interneurons during embryonic development. This, coupled with their cell-autonomous functions, alludes to novel roles of periventricular endothelial cells in the pathology of neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, epilepsy, and autism. Here, we have described three different in vitro assays that collectively evaluate the functions of periventricular endothelial cells and their interaction with GABAergic interneurons. Use of these assays, particularly in a human context, will allow us to identify the link between periventricular endothelial cells and brain disorders. These assays are simple, low cost, and reproducible, and can be easily adapted to any adherent cell type.

We present three simple in vitro assays-the long-distance migration assay, the co-culture migration assay, and chemo-attraction assay-that collectively evaluate the functions of human stem cell derived periventricular endothelial cells and their interaction with GABAergic interneurons.

Role of brain vasculature in nervous system development and etiology of brain disorders is increasingly gaining attention. Our recent studies have ...

GM-Free Generation of Blood-Derived Neuronal Cells

Many human&#160;neurological disorders are caused by degeneration of neurons and glial cells in the brain. Due to limitations in pharmacological and other therapeutic strategies, there is currently no cure available for the injured or diseased brain. Cell replacement appears as a promising therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative conditions. To this day, neural stem cells (NSCs) have been successfully generated from fetal tissues, human embryonic cells (ES) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). A process of dedifferentiation was initiated by activation of the novel human GPI-linked glycoprotein, which leads to generation of pluripotent stem cells. These blood-derived pluripotent stem cells (BD-PSCs) differentiate in vitro into cells with a neural phenotype as shown by brightfield and immunofluorescence microscopy. Ultrastructural analysis of these cells by means of electron microscopy confirms their primitive structure as well as neuronal-like morphology and subcellular characteristics.

We present a genetically modified-free (GM-free) method to obtain cells with a neuronal phenotype from reprogrammed peripheral blood cells. Activation of a signaling pathway linked to novel human GPI-linked protein reveals an efficient GM-free method for obtaining human pluripotent stem cells.

Many human&#160;neurological disorders are caused by degeneration of neurons and glial cells in the brain. Due to limitations in pharmacological and other ...