Name: isolation and direct neuronal reprogramming of mouse astrocytes
Uploaded: 2022-07-07T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Mouse Astrocytes at JoVE.com

We would like to thank Ines M&#252;hlhahn for cloning the constructs for reprogramming, Paulina Chlebik for viral production, and Magdalena G&#246;tz and Judith Fischer-Sternjak for comments on the manuscript.

The following procedure follows the animal care guidelines of the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich in accordance with the directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Please make sure to comply with the animal care guidelines of the institution where the dissection is performed.
1. Preparation of dissection, dissociation, and culture materials
NOTE: Prepare all culture reagents within a biological safety cabinet and work usi...

<ol>
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Primary cultures of murine astrocytes are a remarkable in vitro model system to study direct neuronal reprogramming. In fact, despite being isolated at a postnatal stage, cells express typical astrocyte markers29, retain the expression of patterning genes28,29, and maintain the capacity to proliferate, similar to in vivo astrocytes at a comparable age38. After MACS-mediated isolation, cells first a...

The mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is highly complex, consisting of hundreds of different cell types, including a vast number of different neuronal subtypes1,2,3,4,5,6. Unlike other organs or tissues7,8,9, the mammalian CNS has a very limited regenerative capacity; neuronal loss following traumatic brain injury or neurodegeneration is irreversible and often results in motor and cognitive deficits10. Aiming to rescue brain functions, different strategies to replace lost neurons are under intense investigation11. Among them, direct reprogramming of somatic cells into functional neurons is emerging as a promising therapeutic approach12. Direct reprogramming, or transdifferentiation, is the process of converting one differentiated cell type into a new identity without passing through an intermediate proliferative or pluripotent state13,14,15,16. Pioneered by the identification of MyoD1 as a factor sufficient to convert fibroblasts into muscle cells17,18, this method has been successfully applied to reprogram several cell types into functional neurons19,20,21.
Astrocytes, the most abundant macroglia in the CNS22,23, are a particularly promising cell type for direct neuronal reprogramming for several reasons. First, they are widely and evenly distributed across the CNS, providing an abundant in loco source for new neurons. Second, astrocytes and neurons are developmentally closely related, as they share a common ancestor during embryonic development, the radial glial cells24. The common embryonic origin of the two cell types seems to facilitate neuronal conversion as compared to reprogramming of cells from different germ layers19,21. Furthermore, patterning information inherited by astrocytes through their radial glia origin is also maintained in adult astrocytes25,26,27, and seems to contribute to the generation of regionally appropriate neuronal subtypes28,29,30. Hence, investigating and understanding the conversion of astrocytes into neurons is an important part of achieving the full potential of this technique for cell-based replacement strategies.
The conversion of in vitro cultured astrocytes into neurons has led to several breakthroughs in the field of direct neuronal reprogramming, including: i) the identification of transcription factors sufficient to generate neurons from astrocytes15,19,31, ii) the unravelling of molecular mechanisms triggered by different reprogramming factors in the same cellular context32, and iii) highlighting the impact of developmental origin of the astrocytes on inducing different neuronal subtypes28,29,33. Furthermore, in vitro direct conversion of astrocytes unravelled several major hurdles that limit direct neuronal reprogramming34,35, such as increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production34 and differences between the mitochondrial proteome of astrocytes and neurons35. Hence, these observations strongly support the use of primary cultures of astrocytes as a model for direct neuronal reprogramming to investigate several fundamental questions in biology12, related to cell identity maintenance, roadblocks preventing cell fate changes, as well as the role of metabolism in reprogramming.
Here we present a detailed protocol to isolate astrocytes from mice at postnatal (P) age with very high purity, as demonstrated by isolating astrocytes from the murine spinal cord29. We also provide protocols to reprogram astrocytes into neurons via viral transduction or DNA plasmid transfection. Reprogrammed cells can be analyzed at 7 days post-transduction (7 DPT) to assess various aspects, such as reprogramming efficiency and neuronal morphology, or can be maintained in culture for several weeks, to assess their maturation over time. Importantly, this protocol is not specific to spinal cord astrocytes and can be readily applied to isolate astrocytes from various other brain regions, including the cortical gray matter, midbrain, and cerebellum.

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			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>25300054</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>4&#39;, 6-Diamidino-2-phenyindole, dilactate (DAPI)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D9564</td>
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			<td>anti-mouse IgG1 Alexa 647</td>
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			<td>anti-rabbit Alexa 546</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
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			<td>Cat# 18606-20</td>
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			<td>B27 Supplement</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>17504044</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>BDNF</td>
			<td>Peprotech</td>
			<td>450-02</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>bFGF</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>13256029</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Bovine Serum Albumine (BSA)</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>Cat# A9418</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>cAMP</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>D0260</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>C-Tubes</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-093-237</td>
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			<td>DMEM/F12</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>21331020</td>
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			<td>Dorsomorphin</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>P5499</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>EGF</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>PHG0311</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>PAN Biotech</td>
			<td>P30-3302</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>Forskolin</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>F6886</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td>GDNF</td>
			<td>Peprotech</td>
			<td>450-10</td>
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			<td>gentleMACS Octo Dissociator</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-096-427</td>
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			<td>GFAP</td>
			<td>Dako</td>
			<td>Cat# Z0334; RRID: AB_100013482</td>
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			<td>Glucose</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>G8769</td>
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			<td>GlutaMax</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>35050038</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr>
			<td>HBSS</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>14025050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hepes</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15630056</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Lipofectamine 2000 (Transfection reagent)</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>Cat# 11668019</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MACS SmartStrainer 70&#181;m</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-098-462</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MiniMACS Seperator</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-102</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse anti-ACSA-2 MicroBeat Kit&#160;</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-097-678</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse IgG1 anti-Synaptophysin 1</td>
			<td>Synaptic Systems</td>
			<td>Cat# 101 011 RRID:AB_887824)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse IgG2b anti-Tuj-1 (&#946;III-tub)</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>T8660</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MS columns</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>N2 Supplement</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>17502048</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit&#160;</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-092-628</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NT3</td>
			<td>Peprotech</td>
			<td>450-03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>octoMACS Separator</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-109</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>OptiMEM &#8211; GlutaMAX (serum-reduced medium)</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>Cat# 51985-026</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin/Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15140122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Poly-D-Lysine</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>P1149</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabbit anti-RFP</td>
			<td>Rockland</td>
			<td>Cat# 600-401-379; RRID:AB_2209751</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabbit anti-Sox9</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>Cat# AB5535; RRID:AB_2239761</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Streptavidin Alexa 405</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>Cat# S32351</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>Cat# T9284</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

isolation and direct neuronal reprogramming of mouse astrocytes

Direct neuronal reprogramming is a powerful approach to generate functional neurons from different starter cell populations without passing through multipotent intermediates. This technique not only holds great promises in the field of disease modeling, as it allows to convert, for example, fibroblasts for patients suffering neurodegenerative diseases into neurons, but also represents a promising alternative for cell-based replacement therapies. In this context, a major scientific breakthrough was the demonstration that differentiated non-neural cells within the central nervous system, such as astrocytes, could be converted into functional neurons in vitro. Since then, in vitro direct reprogramming of astrocytes into neurons has provided substantial insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying forced identity conversion and the hurdles that prevent efficient reprogramming. However, results from in vitro&#160;experiments performed in different labs are difficult to compare due to differences in the methods used to isolate, culture, and reprogram astrocytes. Here, we describe a detailed protocol to reliably isolate and culture astrocytes with high purity from different regions of the central nervous system of mice at postnatal ages via magnetic cell sorting. Furthermore, we provide protocols to reprogram cultured astrocytes into neurons via viral transduction or DNA transfection. This streamlined and standardized protocol can be used to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying cell identity maintenance, the establishment of a new neuronal identity, as well as the generation of specific neuronal subtypes and their functional properties.

Primary cultures of astrocytes typically reach 80%-90% confluency between 7 to 10 days after MAC-sorting and plating (Figure 1B). Generally, a single T25 culture flask yields around 1-1.5 x 106 cells, which is sufficient for 20-30 coverslips when seeding cells at a density of 5-5.5 x 104 cells per well. The day after plating, cells typically cover 50%-60% of the coverslip surface (Figure 1C). At this stage, cultures consist almost exclusive...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Mouse Astrocytes at JoVE.com

Isolation and Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Mouse Astrocytes

Here we describe a detailed protocol to generate highly enriched cultures of astrocytes derived from different regions of the central nervous system of postnatal mice and their direct conversion into functional neurons by the forced expression of transcription factors.

Direct neuronal reprogramming is a powerful approach to generate functional neurons from different starter cell populations without passing through ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Cortical Astrocytes

Astrocytes  are an abundant cell type in the mammalian brain, yet much remains to be  learned about their molecular and functional characteristics. In ...

Sex Differences in Mouse Hippocampal Astrocytes after In-Vitro Ischemia

Sex Differences in Mouse Hippocampal Astrocytes after In-Vitro Ischemia

Astrogliosis following hypoxia/ischemia (HI)-related brain injury plays a role in increased morbidity and mortality in neonates. Recent clinical studies ...

Modeling Neuronal Death and Degeneration in Mouse Primary Cerebellar Granule Neurons

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Chronic Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Intracortical Recording in Rats

Transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) is a powerful and relatively simple approach to diffusely influence brain activity either randomly or in a ...

Analyzing the Size, Shape, and Directionality of Networks of Coupled Astrocytes

It has become increasingly clear that astrocytes modulate neuronal function not only at the synaptic and single-cell levels, but also at the network ...

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 ...

Visualizing and Analyzing Intracellular Transport of Organelles and Other Cargos in Astrocytes

Astrocytes are among the most abundant cell types in the adult brain, where they play key roles in a multiplicity of functions. As a central player in ...

In Utero Electroporation of Multiaddressable Genome-Integrating Color (MAGIC) Markers to Individualize Cortical Mouse Astrocytes

In Utero Electroporation of Multiaddressable Genome-Integrating Color MAGIC Markers to Individualize Cortical Mouse Astrocytes

Protoplasmic astrocytes (PrA) located in the mouse cerebral cortex are tightly juxtaposed, forming an apparently continuous three-dimensional matrix at ...

Neuronal Differentiation from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells In vitro

The neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) is a potential tool for elucidating the key mechanisms involved in neurogenesis and ...

In vitro Modeling for Neurological Diseases using Direct Conversion from Fibroblasts to Neuronal Progenitor Cells and Differentiation into Astrocytes

Research on neurological disorders focuses primarily on the impact of neurons on disease mechanisms. Limited availability of animal models severely ...