Name: lineage-reprogramming of pericyte-derived cells of the adult human brain into induced neurons
Uploaded: 2014-05-12T21:45:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons at JoVE.com

We are grateful to Dr. Magdalena G&#246;tz for her input during the development of this protocol. We thank Dr. Marius Wernig (Stanford University) for generously providing us with the sox2 coding sequence. We are also very grateful to Dr. Alexandra Lepier for virus production. This work was supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (BE 4182/2-2) and the BMBF (01GN1009A) to B.B., and the Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts to M.K. and B.B. C.S. received funding from the binational SYSTHER-INREMOS Virtual Institute (German and Slovenian Federal Ministries of Education and Research) and the DFG (SFB 824).

1. Isolation and Culturing of Adult Human Brain Cells
Experiments involving human tissue should be performed in accordance with all relevant governmental and institutional regulations regarding the use of human material for research purposes. The present protocol was developed in accordance with the approval by the ethical committee of the Medical Faculty of the LMU Munich and written informed consent from all patients.
This protocol of preparing cultures of the human...

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The present protocol describes the in vitro expansion and enrichment of pericyte-derived cells following isolation from the adult human cerebral cortex and the subsequent conversion into iNs by retrovirus-mediated expression of the neurogenic transcription factors Sox2 and Ascl1. Such protocol provides an experimental in vitro system to study the lineage-conversion of brain-resident cells into neurons and potentially also glia, with the goal in mind to ultimately translate this direct conversion approac...

As opposed to reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which in turn are endowed with a plethora of differentiation potentials, direct reprogramming aims for straight conversion of one specific cell type into another. With respect to their application in the context of disease modeling and potential cell-based therapies, both reprogramming approaches have specific advantages and disadvantages. Reprogramming into iPSCs (i) provides a virtually infinite source of cells; (ii) allows for genetic engineering; (iii) endows with a nearly unlimited differentiation potential. However, major disadvantages of iPSCs entail the risk of tumorigenicity of the undifferentiated cells (teratoma formation in vivo) and the need for ex vivo cultivation and subsequent transplantation if these cells are to be used for cell-based therapies. Conversely, direct lineage-reprogramming is restricted by the lower yield of the desired cells which correlates directly with the number of the targeted cells of the starting population, but possesses the advantage that lineage-reprogrammed cells appear to exhibit no tumorigenic risk upon transplantation1,2; furthermore, direct reprogramming can even be achieved in situ, i.e. within the organ where these cells would be required, thus avoiding the need of transplantation.
With this in mind, our lab has pursued the possibility of lineage-reprogramming brain-resident cells into iNs as a novel approach towards cell-based therapies of neurodegenerative diseases. Brain-resident cells that may be potentially considered as cellular targets for lineage-reprogramming comprise different types of macroglia (astrocytes, NG2 cells and oligodendrocytes), microglia, and microvessel-associated cells (endothelial cells and pericytes). We have extensively studied the in vitro reprogramming potential of astroglia of the cerebral cortex of early postnatal mice3-5. In search of similarly suitable cell sources for direct lineage-reprogramming in the adult human brain, we encountered a cell population that can be successfully reprogrammed into iNs and exhibit hallmarks of pericytes. Here we describe a protocol of how to harvest these cells from adult human brain biopsies, to expand and enrich these cells in vitro, and finally successfully reprogram a substantial fraction of these in vitro expanded cells (in the range of 25-30%) into iNs. Reprogramming can be achieved by simultaneous retrovirus-mediated co-expression of two transcription factors, sox2 and ascl1. These PdiNs were found to acquire the ability of repetitive action potential firing and to serve as synaptic targets for other neurons indicating their capability of integrating into neural networks. Our protocol provides a straightforward procedure for the isolation and lineage conversion of adult human brain pericytes into iNs.

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		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Disposable pipettes 10 ml</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Sarstedt</td>
			<td align="center" style="width:80px;">#########</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:80px;">Glass Pasteur pipettes (150 mm)</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Fisherbrand</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">FB50251</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:80px;">Glass coverslips 12 mm diameter</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Menzel</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">CB00120RA1</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Surgical disposable scalpels&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">B. Braun</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">5518083</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Tissue culture dishes&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">633180</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Conical tubes 15ml</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">BD Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">352095</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:80px;">Laminar flow hood</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="169">
			<td height="169" style="height:169px;width:80px;">Centrifuge and swing-out rotor with adapters for 15 ml and 50 ml tubes</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Hettich Lab Technology</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">1406</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="148">
			<td height="148" style="height:148px;width:80px;">Flow cytometry cell sorter: FACSAria l with FACSDiva software&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">BD Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Humified cell culture incubator</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Eppendorf Galaxy 170R</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Wather bath at 37 &#176;C</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">FACSFlow sheath fluid&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">BD Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">342003</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:80px;">Epifluorescence microscope BX61</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Olympus</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:80px;">Confocal microscope LSM710</td>
			<td style="width:80px;">Zeiss</td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
			<td style="width:80px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

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 and enable new strategies for in vitro modeling or repairing the diseased brain. Identifying brain-resident non-neuronal cell types amenable to direct conversion into iNs might allow for launching such an approach in situ, i.e. within the damaged brain tissue. Here we describe a protocol developed in the attempt of identifying cells derived from the adult human brain that fulfill this premise. This protocol involves: (1) the culturing of human cells from the cerebral cortex obtained from adult human brain biopsies; (2) the in vitro expansion (approximately requiring 2-4 weeks) and characterization of the culture by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry; (3) the enrichment by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) using anti-PDGF receptor-&#946; and anti-CD146 antibodies; (4) the retrovirus-mediated transduction with the neurogenic transcription factors sox2 and ascl1; (5) and finally the characterization of the resultant pericyte-derived induced neurons (PdiNs) by immunocytochemistry (14 days to 8 weeks following retroviral transduction). At this stage, iNs can be probed for their electrical properties by patch-clamp recording. This protocol provides a highly reproducible procedure for the in vitro lineage conversion of brain-resident pericytes into functional human iNs.

The first outcome of this protocol after successfully establishing a culture from a specimen of human adult cerebral cortex consists in the identification of the cellular composition of the culture. Immunocytochemistry for cell type specific proteins reveals a considerable degree of heterogeneity between cultures derived from specimen of different patients (Figure 1A). As quantified by flow cytometry there is always a substantial fraction of cells that express PDGFR&#946; (on average ~75%, ranging from 3...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons at JoVE.com

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

Targeting brain-resident cells for direct lineage-reprogramming offers new perspectives for brain repair. Here we describe a protocol of how to prepare cultures enriched for brain-resident pericytes from the adult human cerebral cortex and convert these into induced neurons by retrovirus-mediated expression of the transcription factors Sox2 and Ascl1.

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

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Studying the Integration of Adult-born Neurons

Neurogenesis occurs in adult mammalian brains in the sub-ventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle and in the sub-granular zone (SGZ) of the ...

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 ...

Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice

Long-lasting changes in the brain or &#8216;brain plasticity&#8217; underlie adaptive behavior and brain repair following disease or injury. Furthermore, ...

Derivation of Adult Human Fibroblasts and their Direct Conversion into Expandable Neural Progenitor Cells

Generation of&#160;induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) from adult skin fibroblasts and subsequent differentiation into somatic cells provides ...

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 ...

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

Short-Term Free-Floating Slice Cultures from the Adult Human Brain

Organotypic, or slice cultures, have been widely employed to model aspects of the central nervous system functioning in vitro. Despite the potential of ...

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 ...

Obtaining Human Microglia from Adult Human Brain Tissue

Microglia are resident innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Microglia play a critical role during development, in maintaining ...

Derivation, Expansion, Cryopreservation and Characterization of Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) can be differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to develop ex vivo cellular models ...