Chen Yuejun, Xiong Man, Dong Yi, Haberman Alexander, Cao Jingyuan, Liu Huisheng, Zhou Wenhao, Zhang Su-Chun
Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Shanghai 201102, China.
Cell Stem Cell. 2016 Jun 2;18(6):817-826. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.03.014. Epub 2016 Apr 28.
Transplantation of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neurons is a promising avenue for treating disorders including Parkinson's disease (PD). Precise control over engrafted cell activity is highly desired, as cells do not always integrate properly into host circuitry and can cause suboptimal graft function or undesired outcomes. Here, we show tunable rescue of motor function in a mouse model of PD, following transplantation of human midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons differentiated from hPSCs engineered to express DREADDs (designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drug). Administering clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) enabled precise DREADD-dependent stimulation or inhibition of engrafted neurons, revealing D1 receptor-dependent regulation of host neuronal circuitry by engrafted cells. Transplanted cells rescued motor defects, which could be reversed or enhanced by CNO-based control of graft function, and activating engrafted cells drives behavioral changes in transplanted mice. These results highlight the ability to exogenously and noninvasively control and refine therapeutic outcomes following cell transplantation.
移植人多能干细胞(hPSC)衍生的神经元是治疗包括帕金森病(PD)在内的疾病的一条有前景的途径。由于细胞并不总是能正确整合到宿主神经回路中,可能导致移植功能欠佳或产生不良后果,因此非常需要对植入细胞的活性进行精确控制。在此,我们展示了在帕金森病小鼠模型中,移植从经基因工程改造以表达DREADDs(仅由设计药物激活的设计受体)的hPSC分化而来的人脑中脑多巴胺能(mDA)神经元后,运动功能的可调性恢复。给予氯氮平氮氧化物(CNO)能够精确地对植入神经元进行依赖于DREADD的刺激或抑制,揭示了植入细胞对宿主神经回路的D1受体依赖性调节。移植的细胞挽救了运动缺陷,通过基于CNO的移植功能控制可以使其逆转或增强,并且激活植入细胞会驱动移植小鼠的行为变化。这些结果突出了在细胞移植后对外源和非侵入性控制及优化治疗效果的能力。