The Ventral Hippocampus Is the Embryonic Origin for Adult Neural Stem Cells in the Dentate Gyrus

SummaryAdult neurogenesis represents a unique form of plasticity in the dentate gyrus requiring the presence of long-lived neural stem cells (LL-NSCs). However, the embryonic origin of these LL-NSCs remains unclear. The prevailing model assumes that the dentate neuroepithelium throughout the longitudinal axis of the hippocampus generates both the LL-NSCs and embryonically produced granule neurons. Here we show that the NSCs initially originate from the ventral hippocampus during late gestation and then relocate into the dorsal hippocampus. The descendants of these cells are the source for the LL-NSCs in the subgranular zone (SGZ). Furthermore, we show that the origin of these cells and their maintenance in the dentate are controlled by distinct sources of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh). The revelation of the complexity of both the embryonic origin of hippocampal LL-NSCs and the sources of Shh has important implications for the functions of LL-NSCs in the adult hippocampus

Loss of Wdfy3 in mice alters cerebral cortical neurogenesis reflecting aspects of the autism pathology.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are complex and heterogeneous developmental disabilities affecting an ever-increasing number of children worldwide. The diverse manifestations and complex, largely genetic aetiology of ASDs pose a major challenge to the identification of unifying neuropathological features. Here we describe the neurodevelopmental defects in mice that carry deleterious alleles of the Wdfy3 gene, recently recognized as causative in ASDs. Loss of Wdfy3 leads to a regionally enlarged cerebral cortex resembling early brain overgrowth described in many children on the autism spectrum. In addition, affected mouse mutants display migration defects of cortical projection neurons, a recognized cause of epilepsy, which is significantly comorbid with autism. Our analysis of affected mouse mutants defines an important role for Wdfy3 in regulating neural progenitor divisions and neural migration in the developing brain. Furthermore, Wdfy3 is essential for cerebral expansion and functional organization while its loss-of-function results in pathological changes characteristic of ASDs

Meningeal defects alter the tangential migration of cortical interneurons in Foxc1hith/hith mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Tangential migration presents the primary mode of migration of cortical interneurons translocating into the cerebral cortex from subpallial domains. This migration takes place in multiple streams with the most superficial one located in the cortical marginal zone. While a number of forebrain-expressed molecules regulating this process have emerged, it remains unclear to what extent structures outside the brain, like the forebrain meninges, are involved.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We studied a unique <it>Foxc1 </it>hypomorph mouse model (<it>Foxc1^hith/hith</it>) with meningeal defects and impaired tangential migration of cortical interneurons. We identified a territorial correlation between meningeal defects and disruption of interneuron migration along the adjacent marginal zone in these animals, suggesting that impaired meningeal integrity might be the primary cause for the observed migration defects. Moreover, we postulate that the meningeal factor regulating tangential migration that is affected in homozygote mutants is the chemokine Cxcl12. In addition, by using chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, we provide evidence that the <it>Cxcl12 </it>gene is a direct transcriptional target of Foxc1 in the meninges. Further, we observe migration defects of a lesser degree in Cajal-Retzius cells migrating within the cortical marginal zone, indicating a less important role for Cxcl12 in their migration. Finally, the developmental migration defects observed in <it>Foxc1^hith/hith</it>mutants do not lead to obvious differences in interneuron distribution in the adult if compared to control animals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest a critical role for the forebrain meninges to promote during development the tangential migration of cortical interneurons along the cortical marginal zone and Cxcl12 as the factor responsible for this property.</p

Importance and hurdles to drug discovery for neurological disease

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110873/1/ana23997.pd

Foxc1 is required by pericytes during fetal brain angiogenesis

Summary Brain pericytes play a critical role in blood vessel stability and blood–brain barrier maturation. Despite this, how brain pericytes function in these different capacities is only beginning to be understood. Here we show that the forkhead transcription factor Foxc1 is expressed by brain pericytes during development and is critical for pericyte regulation of vascular development in the fetal brain. Conditional deletion of Foxc1 from pericytes and vascular smooth muscle cells leads to late-gestation cerebral micro-hemorrhages as well as pericyte and endothelial cell hyperplasia due to increased proliferation of both cell types. Conditional Foxc1 mutants do not have widespread defects in BBB maturation, though focal breakdown of BBB integrity is observed in large, dysplastic vessels. qPCR profiling of brain microvessels isolated from conditional mutants showed alterations in pericyte-expressed proteoglycans while other genes previously implicated in pericyte–endothelial cell interactions were unchanged. Collectively these data point towards an important role for Foxc1 in certain brain pericyte functions (e.g. vessel morphogenesis) but not others (e.g. barriergenesis)

Aberrant seizure-induced neurogenesis in experimental temporal lobe epilepsy

Neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus persists throughout life and is increased by seizures. The dentate granule cell (DGC) layer is often abnormal in human and experimental temporal lobe epilepsy, with dispersion of the layer and the appearance of ectopic granule neurons in the hilus. We tested the hypothesis that these abnormalities result from aberrant DGC neurogenesis after seizure-induced injury. Bromodeoxyuridine labeling, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry were used to identify proliferating progenitors and mature DGCs in the adult rat pilocarpine temporal lobe epilepsy model. We also examined dentate gyri from epileptic human hippocampal surgical specimens. Prox-1 immunohistochemistry and pulse-chase bromodeoxyuridine labeling showed that progenitors migrate aberrantly to the hilus and molecular layer after prolonged seizures and differentiate into ectopic DGCs in rat. Neuroblast marker expression indicated the delayed appearance of chainlike progenitor cell formations extending into the hilus and molecular layer, suggesting that seizures alter migratory behavior of DGC precursors. Ectopic putative DGCs also were found in the hilus and molecular layer of epileptic human dentate gyrus. These findings indicate that seizure-induced abnormalities of neuroblast migration lead to abnormal integration of newborn DGCs in the epileptic adult hippocampus, and implicate aberrant neurogenesis in the development or progression of recurrent seizures. Ann Neurol 2005Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/49280/1/20699_ftp.pd

FoxG1 Directly Represses Dentate Granule Cell Fate During Forebrain Development

The cortex consists of 100s of neuronal subtypes that are organized into distinct functional regions; however, the mechanisms underlying cell fate determination remain unclear. Foxg1 is involved in several developmental processes, including telencephalic patterning, cell proliferation and cell fate determination. Constitutive disruption of Foxg1 leads to the transformation of cortical neurons into Cajal-Retzius (CR) cells, accompanied by a substantial expansion of the cortical hem through the consumption of the cortex. However, rather than the induction of a cell fate switch, another group has reported a large lateral to medial repatterning of the developing telencephalon as the explanation for this change in cell type output. Here, we conditionally disrupted Foxg1 in telencephalic progenitor cells by crossing Foxg1fl/fl mice with Nestin-CreERTM mice combined with tamoxifen (TM) induction at distinct developmental stages beginning at E10.5 to further elucidate the role of FoxG1 in cell fate determination after telencephalon pattern formation. The number of dentate gyrus (DG) granule-like cells was significantly increased in the cortex. The increase was even detected after deletion at E14.5. In vivo mosaic deletion and in vitro cell culture further revealed a cell-autonomous role for FoxG1 in repressing granule cell fate. However, the cortical hem, which is required for the patterning and the development of the hippocampus, was only slightly enlarged and thus may not contribute to the cell fate switch. Lef1 expression was significantly upregulated in the lateral, cortical VZ and FoxG1 may function upstream of Wnt signaling. Our results provide new insights into the functions of FoxG1 and the mechanisms of cell fate determination during telencephalic development

Dual ankyrinG and subpial autoantibodies in a man with well-controlled HIV infection with steroid-responsive meningoencephalitis: A case report

Neuroinvasive infection is the most common cause of meningoencephalitis in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but autoimmune etiologies have been reported. We present the case of a 51-year-old man living with HIV infection with steroid-responsive meningoencephalitis whose comprehensive pathogen testing was non-diagnostic. Subsequent tissue-based immunofluorescence with acute-phase cerebrospinal fluid revealed anti-neural antibodies localizing to the axon initial segment (AIS), the node of Ranvier (NoR), and the subpial space. Phage display immunoprecipitation sequencing identified ankyrinG (AnkG) as the leading candidate autoantigen. A synthetic blocking peptide encoding the PhIP-Seq-identified AnkG epitope neutralized CSF IgG binding to the AIS and NoR, thereby confirming a monoepitopic AnkG antibody response. However, subpial immunostaining persisted, indicating the presence of additional autoantibodies. Review of archival tissue-based staining identified candidate AnkG autoantibodies in a 60-year-old woman with metastatic ovarian cancer and seizures that were subsequently validated by cell-based assay. AnkG antibodies were not detected by tissue-based assay and/or PhIP-Seq in control CSF (N = 39), HIV CSF (N = 79), or other suspected and confirmed neuroinflammatory CSF cases (N = 1,236). Therefore, AnkG autoantibodies in CSF are rare but extend the catalog of AIS and NoR autoantibodies associated with neurological autoimmunity

TAOK2 Kinase Mediates PSD95 Stability and Dendritic Spine Maturation through Septin7 Phosphorylation

Abnormalities in dendritic spines are manifestations of several neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diseases. TAOK2 is one of the genes in the 16p11.2 locus, copy number variations of which are associated with autism and schizophrenia. Here, we show that the kinase activity of the serine/threonine kinase encoded by TAOK2 is required for spine maturation. TAOK2 depletion results in unstable dendritic protrusions, mislocalized shaft-synapses, and loss of compartmentalization of NMDA receptor-mediated calcium influx. Using chemical-genetics and mass spectrometry, we identified several TAOK2 phosphorylation targets. We show that TAOK2 directly phosphorylates the cytoskeletal GTPase Septin7, at an evolutionary conserved residue. This phosphorylation induces translocation of Septin7 to the spine, where it associates with and stabilizes the scaffolding protein PSD95, promoting dendritic spine maturation. This study provides a mechanistic basis for postsynaptic stability and compartmentalization via TAOK2-Sept7 signaling, with implications toward understanding the potential role of TAOK2 in neurological deficits associated with the 16p11.2 region

Bone morphogenic protein signaling is a major determinant of dentate development

To understand life-long neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG), characterizing dentate neural stem cells and the signals controlling their development are crucial. In the present study, we show that bone morphogenic protein (Bmp) signaling is a critical regulator of embryonic dentate development, required for initiating neurogenesis in embryonic DG progenitors and required for the establishment of dentate neural stem cells postnatally. We tested the hypothesis that Bmp signaling regulates dentate development in part by controlling the expression of Lef1, a Wnt responsive transcription factor expressed in dentate stem cells and absolutely required for dentate granule cell production. Bmp activation through the Acvr1 receptor induced Lef1 expression and neurogenesis in the embryonic DG. Ectopic expression of Bmp7 in the embryonic midline increased DG neurogenesis and inhibition of local Bmp signaling decreased embryonic DG neurogenesis. Mice with selective loss of Bmp expression due to defective meningeal development or with selective conditional deletion of meningeal Bmp7 also have dentate developmental defects. Conditional deletion of Activin receptor type I (Acvr1) or Smad4 (a downstream target nuclear effector of Bmp signaling) in DG neural stem cells resulted in defects in the postnatal subgranular zone and reduced neurogenesis. These results suggest that Acvr1-mediated meningeal Bmp signaling regulates Lef1 expression in the dentate, regulating embryonic DG neurogenesis, DG neural stem cell niche formation, and maintenance