Increased Ca2+ signaling in NRXN1α +/− neurons derived from ASD induced pluripotent stem cells

Molecular Autism

Hilde Peeters¹  Nele Cosemans²  Peter Dockery³  Eva B. Forman⁴  Sally A. Lynch⁵  Janusz Krawczyk⁶  Veronica McInerney⁷  Leo R. Quinlan⁸  Yanqin Wang⁹  Sahar Avazzadeh⁹  Sanbing Shen⁹  Jamie Reilly⁹  Timothy O’Brien⁹  Katya McDonagh⁹  Stephanie D. Boomkamp⁹  Amirhossein Jalali^1,10  Matthew O’Sullivan^1,11  Jacqueline Fitzgerald^1,11  Niamh Feerick^1,11  Louise Gallagher^1,11  Sean Ennis^1,12 

[1] Academic Center on Rare Diseases, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin;Centre for Human Genetics, University Hospital Leuven;Centre for Microscopy and Imaging, Anatomy, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland (NUI);Children’s University Hospital;Department of Clinical Genetics, OLCHC;Department of Haematology, Galway University Hospital;HRB Clinical Research Facility, National University of Ireland (NUI);Physiology and Human Movement Laboratory, CÚRAM SFI Centre for Research in Medical Devices, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland (NUI);Regenerative Medicine Institute, School of Medicine, Biomedical Science Building BMS-1021, National University of Ireland Galway;School of Medicine, Conway Institute, University College Dublin;School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin;UCD Academic Centre on Rare Diseases, School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin;

关键词: Autism;    Calcium signaling;    Induced pluripotent stem cells;    Neurons;    NRXN1α;    Transcriptome;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13229-019-0303-3

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a high co-morbidity of epilepsy and associated with hundreds of rare risk factors. NRXN1 deletion is among the commonest rare genetic factors shared by ASD, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and developmental delay. However, how NRXN1 deletions lead to different clinical symptoms is unknown. Patient-derived cells are essential to investigate the functional consequences of NRXN1 lesions to human neurons in different diseases. Methods Skin biopsies were donated by five healthy donors and three ASD patients carrying NRXN1α +/− deletions. Seven control and six NRXN1α +/− iPSC lines were derived and differentiated into day 100 cortical excitatory neurons using dual SMAD inhibition. Calcium (Ca2+) imaging was performed using Fluo4-AM, and the properties of Ca2+ transients were compared between two groups of neurons. Transcriptome analysis was carried out to undercover molecular pathways associated with NRXN1α +/− neurons. Results NRXN1α +/− neurons were found to display altered calcium dynamics, with significantly increased frequency, duration, and amplitude of Ca2+ transients. Whole genome RNA sequencing also revealed altered ion transport and transporter activity, with upregulated voltage-gated calcium channels as one of the most significant pathways in NRXN1α +/− neurons identified by STRING and GSEA analyses. Conclusions This is the first report to show that human NRXN1α +/− neurons derived from ASD patients’ iPSCs present novel phenotypes of upregulated VGCCs and increased Ca2+ transients, which may facilitate the development of drug screening assays for the treatment of ASD.

【 授权许可】

Unknown