Morphological diversification and functional maturation of human astrocytes in glia-enriched cortical organoid transplanted in mouse brain.

Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell type in the brain, are underrepresented in traditional cortical organoid models due to the delayed onset of cortical gliogenesis. Here we introduce a new glia-enriched cortical organoid model that exhibits accelerated astrogliogenesis. We demonstrated that induction of a gliogenic switch in a subset of progenitors enabled the rapid derivation of astroglial cells, which account for 25-31% of the cell population within 8-10 weeks of differentiation. Intracerebral transplantation of these organoids reliably generated a diverse repertoire of cortical neurons and anatomical subclasses of human astrocytes. Spatial transcriptome profiling identified layer-specific expression patterns among distinct subclasses of astrocytes within organoid transplants. Using an in vivo acute neuroinflammation model, we identified a subpopulation of astrocytes that rapidly activates pro-inflammatory pathways upon cytokine stimulation. Additionally, we demonstrated that CD38 signaling has a crucial role in mediating metabolic and mitochondrial stress in reactive astrocytes. This model provides a robust platform for investigating human astrocyte function.

Mitochondrial DNA replication stress triggers a pro-inflammatory endosomal pathway of nucleoid disposal.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes essential subunits of the oxidative phosphorylation system, but is also a major damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) that engages innate immune sensors when released into the cytoplasm, outside of cells or into circulation. As a DAMP, mtDNA not only contributes to anti-viral resistance, but also causes pathogenic inflammation in many disease contexts. Cells experiencing mtDNA stress caused by depletion of the mtDNA-packaging protein, transcription factor A, mitochondrial (TFAM) or during herpes simplex virus-1 infection exhibit elongated mitochondria, enlargement of nucleoids (mtDNA-protein complexes) and activation of cGAS-STING innate immune signalling via mtDNA released into the cytoplasm. However, the relationship among aberrant mitochondria and nucleoid dynamics, mtDNA release and cGAS-STING activation remains unclear. Here we show that, under a variety of mtDNA replication stress conditions and during herpes simplex virus-1 infection, enlarged nucleoids that remain bound to TFAM exit mitochondria. Enlarged nucleoids arise from mtDNA experiencing replication stress, which causes nucleoid clustering via a block in mitochondrial fission at a stage when endoplasmic reticulum actin polymerization would normally commence, defining a fission checkpoint that ensures mtDNA has completed replication and is competent for segregation into daughter mitochondria. Chronic engagement of this checkpoint results in enlarged nucleoids trafficking into early and then late endosomes for disposal. Endosomal rupture during transit through this endosomal pathway ultimately causes mtDNA-mediated cGAS-STING activation. Thus, we propose that replication-incompetent nucleoids are selectively eliminated by an adaptive mitochondria-endosomal quality control pathway that is prone to innate immune system activation, which might represent a therapeutic target to prevent mtDNA-mediated inflammation during viral infection and other pathogenic states.

Tyro3 promotes the maturation of glutamatergic synapses.

The receptor tyrosine kinase Tyro3 is abundantly expressed in neurons of the neocortex, hippocampus, and striatum, but its role in these cells is unknown. We found that neuronal expression of this receptor was markedly up-regulated in the postnatal mouse neocortex immediately prior to the final development of glutamatergic synapses. In the absence of Tyro3, cortical and hippocampal synapses never completed end-stage differentiation and remained electrophysiologically and ultrastructurally immature. Tyro3-/- cortical neurons also exhibited diminished plasma membrane expression of the GluA2 subunits of AMPA-type glutamate receptors, which are essential to mature synaptic function. Correspondingly, GluA2 membrane insertion in wild-type neurons was stimulated by Gas6, a Tyro3 ligand widely expressed in the postnatal brain. Behaviorally, Tyro3-/- mice displayed learning enhancements in spatial recognition and fear-conditioning assays. Together, these results demonstrate that Tyro3 promotes the functional maturation of glutamatergic synapses by driving plasma membrane translocation of GluA2 AMPA receptor subunits.

Oligodendrocyte calcium signaling promotes actin-dependent myelin sheath extension.

Myelin is essential for rapid nerve signaling and is increasingly found to play important roles in learning and in diverse diseases of the CNS. Morphological parameters of myelin such as sheath length are thought to precisely tune conduction velocity, but the mechanisms controlling sheath morphology are poorly understood. Local calcium signaling has been observed in nascent myelin sheaths and can be modulated by neuronal activity. However, the role of calcium signaling in sheath formation remains incompletely understood. Here, we use genetic tools to attenuate oligodendrocyte calcium signaling during myelination in the developing mouse CNS. Surprisingly, genetic calcium attenuation does not grossly affect the number of myelinated axons or myelin thickness. Instead, calcium attenuation causes myelination defects resulting in shorter, dysmorphic sheaths. Mechanistically, calcium attenuation reduces actin filaments in oligodendrocytes, and an intact actin cytoskeleton is necessary and sufficient to achieve accurate myelin morphology. Together, our work reveals a cellular mechanism required for accurate CNS myelin formation and may provide mechanistic insight into how oligodendrocytes respond to neuronal activity to sculpt and refine myelin sheaths.

NGLY1 mutations cause protein aggregation in human neurons.

Biallelic mutations in the gene that encodes the enzyme N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1) cause a rare disease with multi-symptomatic features including developmental delay, intellectual disability, neuropathy, and seizures. NGLY1's activity in human neural cells is currently not well understood. To understand how NGLY1 gene loss leads to the specific phenotypes of NGLY1 deficiency, we employed direct conversion of NGLY1 patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to functional cortical neurons. Transcriptomic, proteomic, and functional studies of iPSC-derived neurons lacking NGLY1 function revealed several major cellular processes that were altered, including protein aggregate-clearing functionality, mitochondrial homeostasis, and synaptic dysfunctions. These phenotypes were rescued by introduction of a functional NGLY1 gene and were observed in iPSC-derived mature neurons but not astrocytes. Finally, laser capture microscopy followed by mass spectrometry provided detailed characterization of the composition of protein aggregates specific to NGLY1-deficient neurons. Future studies will harness this knowledge for therapeutic development.

Violation of the ultrastructural size principle in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex underlies working memory impairment in the aged common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

Morphology and function of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and corresponding working memory performance, are affected early in the aging process, but nearly half of aged individuals are spared of working memory deficits. Translationally relevant model systems are critical for determining the neurobiological drivers of this variability. The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is advantageous as a model for these investigations because, as a non-human primate, marmosets have a clearly defined dlPFC that enables measurement of prefrontal-dependent cognitive functions, and their short (∼10 year) lifespan facilitates longitudinal studies of aging. Previously, we characterized working memory capacity in a cohort of marmosets that collectively covered the lifespan, and found age-related working memory impairment. We also found a remarkable degree of heterogeneity in performance, similar to that found in humans. Here, we tested the hypothesis that changes to synaptic ultrastructure that affect synaptic efficacy stratify marmosets that age with cognitive impairment from those that age without cognitive impairment. We utilized electron microscopy to visualize synapses in the marmoset dlPFC and measured the sizes of boutons, presynaptic mitochondria, and synapses. We found that coordinated scaling of the sizes of synapses and mitochondria with their associated boutons is essential for intact working memory performance in aged marmosets. Further, lack of synaptic scaling, due to a remarkable failure of synaptic mitochondria to scale with presynaptic boutons, selectively underlies age-related working memory impairment. We posit that this decoupling results in mismatched energy supply and demand, leading to impaired synaptic transmission. We also found that aged marmosets have fewer synapses in dlPFC than young, though the severity of synapse loss did not predict whether aging occurred with or without cognitive impairment. This work identifies a novel mechanism of synapse dysfunction that stratifies marmosets that age with cognitive impairment from those that age without cognitive impairment. The process by which synaptic scaling is regulated is yet unknown and warrants future investigation.

Oligodendrocyte calcium signaling sculpts myelin sheath morphology.

Myelin is essential for rapid nerve signaling and is increasingly found to play important roles in learning and in diverse diseases of the CNS. Morphological parameters of myelin such as sheath length and thickness are regulated by neuronal activity and can precisely tune conduction velocity, but the mechanisms controlling sheath morphology are poorly understood. Local calcium signaling has been observed in nascent myelin sheaths and can be modulated by neuronal activity. However, the role of calcium signaling in sheath formation and remodeling is unknown. Here, we used genetic tools to attenuate oligodendrocyte calcium signaling during active myelination in the developing mouse CNS. Surprisingly, we found that genetic calcium attenuation did not grossly affect the number of myelinated axons or myelin thickness. Instead, calcium attenuation caused striking myelination defects resulting in shorter, dysmorphic sheaths. Mechanistically, calcium attenuation reduced actin filaments in oligodendrocytes, and an intact actin cytoskeleton was necessary and sufficient to achieve accurate myelin morphology. Together, our work reveals a novel cellular mechanism required for accurate CNS myelin formation and provides mechanistic insight into how oligodendrocytes may respond to neuronal activity to sculpt myelin sheaths throughout the nervous system.

Induction of lysosomal and mitochondrial biogenesis by AMPK phosphorylation of FNIP1.

Cells respond to mitochondrial poisons with rapid activation of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), causing acute metabolic changes through phosphorylation and prolonged adaptation of metabolism through transcriptional effects. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a major effector of AMPK that increases expression of lysosome genes in response to energetic stress, but how AMPK activates TFEB remains unresolved. We demonstrate that AMPK directly phosphorylates five conserved serine residues in folliculin-interacting protein 1 (FNIP1), suppressing the function of the folliculin (FLCN)-FNIP1 complex. FNIP1 phosphorylation is required for AMPK to induce nuclear translocation of TFEB and TFEB-dependent increases of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) and estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) messenger RNAs. Thus, mitochondrial damage triggers AMPK-FNIP1-dependent nuclear translocation of TFEB, inducing sequential waves of lysosomal and mitochondrial biogenesis.

Mutant Prion Protein Endoggresomes are Hubs for Local Axonal Organelle-Cytoskeletal Remodeling.

Dystrophic axons comprising misfolded mutant prion protein (PrP) aggregates are a characteristic pathological feature in the prionopathies. These aggregates form inside endolysosomes -called endoggresomes-, within swellings that line up the length of axons of degenerating neurons. The pathways impaired by endoggresomes that result in failed axonal and consequently neuronal health, remain undefined. Here, we dissect the local subcellular impairments that occur within individual mutant PrP endoggresome swelling sites in axons. Quantitative high-resolution light and electron microscopy revealed the selective impairment of the acetylated vs tyrosinated microtubule cytoskeleton, while micro-domain image analysis of live organelle dynamics within swelling sites revealed deficits uniquely to the MT-based active transport system that translocates mitochondria and endosomes toward the synapse. Cytoskeletal and defective transport results in the retention of mitochondria, endosomes, and molecular motors at swelling sites, enhancing mitochondria-Rab7 late endosome contacts that induce mitochondrial fission via the activity of Rab7, and render mitochondria dysfunctional. Our findings point to mutant Pr Pendoggresome swelling sites as selective hubs of cytoskeletal deficits and organelle retention that drive the remodeling of organelles along axons. We propose that the dysfunction imparted locally within these axonal micro-domains spreads throughout the axon over time, leading to axonal dysfunction in prionopathies.

New insights into tuft cell formation: Implications for structure-function relationships.

Tuft cells are sentinel chemosensory cells that monitor the lumen of hollow organs for noxious or infectious stimuli and respond with disease- and tissue-specific effectors. The discovery of critical tuft cell functions in intestinal type 2 immune responses and airway defense has sparked interest in the formation and function of this architecturally unique cell type. Recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics and computational biology allow for new insights into the genetics and environmental cues underlying tuft cell formation and maturation. Here, we summarize the most recent research on tuft cell development and function in various disease states and organ systems.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals a Conserved Metaplasia Program in Pancreatic Injury.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) occurs in the pancreas in response to tissue injury and is a potential precursor for adenocarcinoma. The goal of these studies was to define the populations arising from ADM, the associated transcriptional changes, and markers of disease progression. METHODS: Acinar cells were lineage-traced with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) to follow their fate post-injury. Transcripts of more than 13,000 EYFP+ cells were determined using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Developmental trajectories were generated. Data were compared with gastric metaplasia, KrasG12D-induced neoplasia, and human pancreatitis. Results were confirmed by immunostaining and electron microscopy. KrasG12D was expressed in injury-induced ADM using several inducible Cre drivers. Surgical specimens of chronic pancreatitis from 15 patients were evaluated by immunostaining. RESULTS: scRNA-seq of ADM revealed emergence of a mucin/ductal population resembling gastric pyloric metaplasia. Lineage trajectories suggest that some pyloric metaplasia cells can generate tuft and enteroendocrine cells (EECs). Comparison with KrasG12D-induced ADM identifies populations associated with disease progression. Activation of KrasG12D expression in HNF1B+ or POU2F3+ ADM populations leads to neoplastic transformation and formation of MUC5AC+ gastric-pit-like cells. Human pancreatitis samples also harbor pyloric metaplasia with a similar transcriptional phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Under conditions of chronic injury, acinar cells undergo a pyloric-type metaplasia to mucinous progenitor-like populations, which seed disparate tuft cell and EEC lineages. ADM-derived EEC subtypes are diverse. KrasG12D expression is sufficient to drive neoplasia when targeted to injury-induced ADM populations and offers an alternative origin for tumorigenesis. This program is conserved in human pancreatitis, providing insight into early events in pancreas diseases.

Endosomal sorting drives the formation of axonal prion protein endoggresomes.

The pathogenic aggregation of misfolded prion protein (PrP) in axons underlies prion disease pathologies. The molecular mechanisms driving axonal misfolded PrP aggregate formation leading to neurotoxicity are unknown. We found that the small endolysosomal guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Arl8b recruits kinesin-1 and Vps41 (HOPS) onto endosomes carrying misfolded mutant PrP to promote their axonal entry and homotypic fusion toward aggregation inside enlarged endomembranes that we call endoggresomes. This axonal rapid endosomal sorting and transport-dependent aggregation (ARESTA) mechanism forms pathologic PrP endoggresomes that impair calcium dynamics and reduce neuronal viability. Inhibiting ARESTA diminishes endoggresome formation, rescues calcium influx, and prevents neuronal death. Our results identify ARESTA as a key pathway for the regulation of endoggresome formation and a new actionable antiaggregation target to ameliorate neuronal dysfunction in the prionopathies.

Deep learning-based point-scanning super-resolution imaging.

Point-scanning imaging systems are among the most widely used tools for high-resolution cellular and tissue imaging, benefiting from arbitrarily defined pixel sizes. The resolution, speed, sample preservation and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of point-scanning systems are difficult to optimize simultaneously. We show these limitations can be mitigated via the use of deep learning-based supersampling of undersampled images acquired on a point-scanning system, which we term point-scanning super-resolution (PSSR) imaging. We designed a 'crappifier' that computationally degrades high SNR, high-pixel resolution ground truth images to simulate low SNR, low-resolution counterparts for training PSSR models that can restore real-world undersampled images. For high spatiotemporal resolution fluorescence time-lapse data, we developed a 'multi-frame' PSSR approach that uses information in adjacent frames to improve model predictions. PSSR facilitates point-scanning image acquisition with otherwise unattainable resolution, speed and sensitivity. All the training data, models and code for PSSR are publicly available at 3DEM.org.

Tuft Cells Inhibit Pancreatic Tumorigenesis in Mice by Producing Prostaglandin D2.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) involves acinar to ductal metaplasia and genesis of tuft cells. It has been a challenge to study these rare cells because of the lack of animal models. We investigated the role of tuft cells in pancreatic tumorigenesis. METHODS: We performed studies with LSL-KrasG12D/+;Ptf1aCre/+ mice (KC; develop pancreatic tumors), KC mice crossed with mice with pancreatic disruption of Pou2f3 (KPouC mice; do not develop tuft cells), or mice with pancreatic disruption of the hematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase gene (Hpgds, KHC mice) and wild-type mice. Mice were allowed to age or were given caerulein to induce pancreatitis; pancreata were collected and analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, RNA sequencing, ultrastructural microscopy, and metabolic profiling. We performed laser-capture dissection and RNA-sequencing analysis of pancreatic tissues from 26 patients with pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), 19 patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), and 197 patients with PDA. RESULTS: Pancreata from KC mice had increased formation of tuft cells and higher levels of prostaglandin D2 than wild-type mice. Pancreas-specific deletion of POU2F3 in KC mice (KPouC mice) resulted in a loss of tuft cells and accelerated tumorigenesis. KPouC mice had increased fibrosis and activation of immune cells after administration of caerulein. Pancreata from KPouC and KHC mice had significantly lower levels of prostaglandin D2, compared with KC mice, and significantly increased numbers of PanINs and PDAs. KPouC and KHC mice had increased pancreatic injury after administration of caerulein, significantly less normal tissue, more extracellular matrix deposition, and higher PanIN grade than KC mice. Human PanIN and intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm had gene expression signatures associated with tuft cells and increased expression of Hpgds messenger RNA compared with PDA. CONCLUSIONS: In mice with KRAS-induced pancreatic tumorigenesis, loss of tuft cells accelerates tumorigenesis and increases the severity of caerulein-induced pancreatic injury, via decreased production of prostaglandin D2. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that tuft cells are a metaplasia-induced tumor attenuating cell type.

Microglial physiological properties and interactions with synapses are altered at presymptomatic stages in a mouse model of Huntington's disease pathology.

BACKGROUND: Huntington's disease (HD) is a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder that affects cognitive and motor abilities by primarily targeting the striatum and cerebral cortex. HD is caused by a mutation elongating the CAG repeats within the Huntingtin gene, resulting in HTT protein misfolding. Although the genetic cause of HD has been established, the specific susceptibility of neurons within various brain structures has remained elusive. Microglia, which are the brain's resident macrophages, have emerged as important players in neurodegeneration. Nevertheless, few studies have examined their implication in HD. METHODS: To provide novel insights, we investigated the maturation and dysfunction of striatal microglia using the R6/2 mouse model of HD. This transgenic model, which presents with 120+/-5 CAG repeats, displays progressive motor deficits beginning at 6 weeks of age, with full incapacitation by 13 weeks. We studied microglial morphology, phagocytic capacity, and synaptic contacts in the striatum of R6/2 versus wild-type (WT) littermates at 3, 10, and 13 weeks of age, using a combination of light and transmission electron microscopy. We also reconstructed dendrites and determined synaptic density within the striatum of R6/2 and WT littermates, at nanoscale resolution using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: At 3 weeks of age, prior to any known motor deficits, microglia in R6/2 animals displayed a more mature morphological phenotype than WT animals. Microglia from R6/2 mice across all ages also demonstrated increased phagocytosis, as revealed by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, microglial processes from 10-week-old R6/2 mice made fewer contacts with synaptic structures than microglial processes in 3-week-old R6/2 mice and age-matched WT littermates. Synaptic density was not affected by genotype at 3 weeks of age but increased with maturation in WT mice. The location of synapses was lastly modified in R6/2 mice compared with WT controls, from targeting dendritic spines to dendritic trunks at both 3 and 10 weeks of age. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that microglia may play an intimate role in synaptic alteration and loss during HD pathogenesis.

Regulation of the ER stress response by a mitochondrial microprotein.

Cellular homeostasis relies on having dedicated and coordinated responses to a variety of stresses. The accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a common stress that triggers a conserved pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR) that mitigates damage, and dysregulation of UPR underlies several debilitating diseases. Here, we discover that a previously uncharacterized 54-amino acid microprotein PIGBOS regulates UPR. PIGBOS localizes to the mitochondrial outer membrane where it interacts with the ER protein CLCC1 at ER-mitochondria contact sites. Functional studies reveal that the loss of PIGBOS leads to heightened UPR and increased cell death. The characterization of PIGBOS reveals an undiscovered role for a mitochondrial protein, in this case a microprotein, in the regulation of UPR originating in the ER. This study demonstrates microproteins to be an unappreciated class of genes that are critical for inter-organelle communication, homeostasis, and cell survival.

Delayed inhibition of VEGF signaling after stroke attenuates blood-brain barrier breakdown and improves functional recovery in a comorbidity-dependent manner.

Diabetes is a common comorbidity in stroke patients and a strong predictor of poor functional outcome. To provide a more mechanistic understanding of this clinically relevant problem, we focused on how diabetes affects blood-brain barrier (BBB) function after stroke. Because the BBB can be compromised for days after stroke and thus further exacerbate ischemic injury, manipulating its function presents a unique opportunity for enhancing stroke recovery long after the window for thrombolytics has passed. Using a mouse model of Type 1 diabetes, we discovered that ischemic stroke leads to an abnormal and persistent increase in vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGF-R2) expression in peri-infarct vascular networks. Correlating with this, BBB permeability was markedly increased in diabetic mice, which could not be prevented with insulin treatment after stroke. Imaging of capillary ultrastructure revealed that BBB permeability was associated with an increase in endothelial transcytosis rather than a loss of tight junctions. Pharmacological inhibition (initiated 2.5 d after stroke) or vascular-specific knockdown of VEGF-R2 after stroke attenuated BBB permeability, loss of synaptic structure in peri-infarct regions, and improved recovery of forepaw function. However, the beneficial effects of VEGF-R2 inhibition on stroke recovery were restricted to diabetic mice and appeared to worsen BBB permeability in nondiabetic mice. Collectively, these results suggest that aberrant VEGF signaling and BBB dysfunction after stroke plays a crucial role in limiting functional recovery in an experimental model of diabetes. Furthermore, our data highlight the need to develop more personalized stroke treatments for a heterogeneous clinical population.