Perego M Chiara, McMichael Benjamin D, McMurry Nicholas R, Ventrello Scott W, Bain Lisa J
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Toxics. 2023 Jul 25;11(8):644. doi: 10.3390/toxics11080644.
Arsenic exposure during embryogenesis can lead to improper neurodevelopment and changes in locomotor activity. Additionally, in vitro studies have shown that arsenic inhibits the differentiation of sensory neurons and skeletal muscle. In the current study, human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were differentiated into motor neurons over 28 days, while being exposed to up to 0.5 μM arsenic. On day 6, neuroepithelial progenitor cells (NEPs) exposed to arsenic had reduced transcript levels of the neural progenitor/stem cell marker nestin () and neuroepithelial progenitor marker , while levels of these transcripts were increased in motor neuron progenitors (MNPs) at day 12. In day 18 early motor neurons (MNs), choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) expression was reduced two-fold in cells exposed to 0.5 μM arsenic. RNA sequencing demonstrated that the cholinergic synapse pathway was impaired following exposure to 0.5 μM arsenic, and that transcript levels of genes involved in acetylcholine synthesis (CHAT), transport (solute carriers, and ) and degradation (acetylcholinesterase, ) were all downregulated in day 18 early MNs. In day 28 mature motor neurons, arsenic significantly downregulated protein expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and ChAT by 2.8- and 2.1-fold, respectively, concomitantly with a reduction in neurite length. These results show that exposure to environmentally relevant arsenic concentrations dysregulates the differentiation of human iPS cells into motor neurons and impairs the cholinergic synapse pathway, suggesting that exposure impairs cholinergic function in motor neurons.
胚胎发育过程中接触砷会导致神经发育异常和运动活动改变。此外,体外研究表明,砷会抑制感觉神经元和骨骼肌的分化。在本研究中,人类诱导多能干细胞(iPS细胞)在28天内分化为运动神经元,同时暴露于高达0.5μM的砷中。在第6天,暴露于砷的神经上皮祖细胞(NEP)中神经祖细胞/干细胞标志物巢蛋白()和神经上皮祖细胞标志物的转录水平降低,而在第12天运动神经元祖细胞(MNP)中这些转录本的水平升高。在第18天的早期运动神经元(MN)中,暴露于0.5μM砷的细胞中胆碱乙酰转移酶(CHAT)的表达降低了两倍。RNA测序表明,暴露于0.5μM砷后胆碱能突触通路受损,并且参与乙酰胆碱合成(CHAT)、转运(溶质载体,和)和降解(乙酰胆碱酯酶,)的基因转录水平在第18天的早期MN中均下调。在第28天的成熟运动神经元中,砷显著下调微管相关蛋白2(MAP2)和ChAT的蛋白表达,分别下调2.8倍和2.1倍,同时神经突长度减少。这些结果表明,暴露于环境相关浓度的砷会失调人类iPS细胞向运动神经元的分化,并损害胆碱能突触通路,提示暴露会损害运动神经元中的胆碱能功能。