Cortical neurons obtained from patient-derived iPSCs with GNAO1 p.G203R variant show altered differentiation and functional properties.

Pathogenic variants in the GNAO1 gene, encoding the alpha subunit of an inhibitory heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (Go) highly expressed in the mammalian brain, have been linked to encephalopathy characterized by different combinations of neurological symptoms, including developmental delay, hypotonia, epilepsy and hyperkinetic movement disorder with life-threatening paroxysmal exacerbations. Currently, there are only symptomatic treatments, and little is known about the pathophysiology of GNAO1-related disorders. Here, we report the characterization of a new in vitro model system based on patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) carrying the recurrent p.G203R amino acid substitution in Gαo, and a CRISPR-Cas9-genetically corrected isogenic control line. RNA-Seq analysis highlighted aberrant cell fate commitment in neuronal progenitor cells carrying the p.G203R pathogenic variant. Upon differentiation into cortical neurons, patients' cells showed reduced expression of early neural genes and increased expression of astrocyte markers, as well as premature and defective differentiation processes leading to aberrant formation of neuronal rosettes. Of note, comparable defects in gene expression and in the morphology of neural rosettes were observed in hiPSCs from an unrelated individual harboring the same GNAO1 variant. Functional characterization showed lower basal intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), reduced frequency of spontaneous activity, and a smaller response to several neurotransmitters in 40- and 50-days differentiated p.G203R neurons compared to control cells. These findings suggest that the GNAO1 pathogenic variant causes a neurodevelopmental phenotype characterized by aberrant differentiation of both neuronal and glial populations leading to a significant alteration of neuronal communication and signal transduction.

Comparison of the calcium signaling alterations in GABA-ergic medium spiny neurons produced from iPSCs of different origins.

Disease models based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are in high demand because of their physiological adequacy and well-reproducibility of the pathological phenotype. Nowadays, the most common approach to generate iPSCs is the reprogramming of somatic cells using vectors based on lentivirus or Sendai virus. We have previously shown impairments of calcium signaling including store-operated calcium entry in Huntington's disease-specific iPSCs-based GABA-ergic medium spiny neurons. However, different approaches for iPSCs generation make it difficult to compare the models since the mechanism of reprogramming may influence the electrophysiological properties of the terminally differentiated neurons. Here, we have studied the features of calcium homeostasis in GABA-ergic medium spiny neurons differentiated from iPSCs obtained from fibroblasts of the same donor using different methods. Our data demonstrated that there were no significant differences neither in calcium influx through the store-operated channels, nor in the levels of proteins activating this type of calcium entry in neurons differentiated from iPSCs generated with lenti- and Sendai viruses-based approaches. We also found no differences in voltage-gated calcium entry for these neurons. Thus, we clearly showed that various methods of cell reprogramming result in similar deregulations in neuronal calcium signaling which substantiates the ability to combine the experimental data on functional studies of ion channels in models based on iPSCs obtained by different methods and expands the prospects for the use of biobanking.

Brain Organoid Generation from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Home-Made Mini Bioreactors.

The iPSC-derived brain organoid is a promising technology for in vitro modeling the pathologies of the nervous system and drug screening. This technology has emerged recently. It is still in its infancy and has some limitations unsolved yet. The current protocols do not allow obtaining organoids to be consistent enough for drug discovery and preclinical studies. The maturation of organoids can take up to a year, pushing the researchers to launch multiple differentiation processes simultaneously. It imposes additional costs for the laboratory in terms of space and equipment. In addition, brain organoids often have a necrotic zone in the center, which suffers from nutrient and oxygen deficiency. Hence, most current protocols use a circulating system for culture medium to improve nutrition. Meanwhile, there are no inexpensive dynamic systems or bioreactors for organoid cultivation. This paper describes a protocol for producing brain organoids in compact and inexpensive home-made mini bioreactors. This protocol allows obtaining high quality organoids in large quantities.