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Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) are believed to be one of the first cell types to be affected in all forms of AD,and their dysfunction is clinically correlated with impaired short-term memory formation and retrieval. We present an optimized in vitro protocol to generate human BFCNs from iPSCs,using cell lines from presenilin 2 (PSEN2) mutation carriers and controls. As expected,cell lines harboring the PSEN2 N141I mutation displayed an increase in the A$\beta$42/40 in iPSC-derived BFCNs. Neurons derived from PSEN2 N141I lines generated fewer maximum number of spikes in response to a square depolarizing current injection. The height of the first action potential at rheobase current injection was also significantly decreased in PSEN2 N141I BFCNs. CRISPR/Cas9 correction of the PSEN2 point mutation abolished the electrophysiological deficit,restoring both the maximal number of spikes and spike height to the levels recorded in controls. Increased A$\beta$42/40 was also normalized following CRISPR/Cas-mediated correction of the PSEN2 N141I mutation. The genome editing data confirms the robust consistency of mutation-related changes in A$\beta$42/40 ratio while also showing a PSEN2-mutation-related alteration in electrophysiology. View Publication

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived cardiomyocytes (iCMCs) would provide an unlimited cell source for regenerative medicine and drug discoveries. The objective of our study is to generate functional cardiomyocytes from human iPSCs and to develop a novel method of measuring contractility of CMCs. In a series of experiments,adult human skin fibroblasts (HSF) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with a combination of pluripotent gene DNA and mRNA under specific conditions. The iPSC colonies were identified and differentiated into various cell lineages,including CMCs. The contractile activity of CMCs was measured by a novel method of frame-by-frame cross correlation (particle image velocimetry-PIV) analysis. Our treatment regimen transformed 4% of HSFs into iPSC colonies at passage 0,a significantly improved efficiency compared with use of either DNA or mRNA alone. The iPSCs were capable of differentiating both in vitro and in vivo into endodermal,ectodermal and mesodermal cells,including CMCs with<88% of cells being positive for troponin T (CTT) and Gata4 by flow cytometry. We report a highly efficient combination of DNA and mRNA to generate iPSCs and functional iCMCs from adult human cells. We also report a novel approach to measure contractility of iCMCs. View Publication

The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and their application to patient-specific disease models offers new opportunities for studying the pathophysiology of neurological disorders. However,current methods for culturing iPSC-derived neuronal cells result in clustering of neurons,which precludes the analysis of individual neurons and defined neuronal networks. To address this challenge,cultures of human neurons on micropatterned surfaces are developed that promote neuronal survival over extended periods of time. This approach facilitates studies of neuronal development,cellular trafficking,and related mechanisms that require assessment of individual neurons and specific network connections. Importantly,micropatterns support the long-term stability of cultured neurons,which enables time-dependent analysis of cellular processes in living neurons. The approach described in this paper allows mechanistic studies of human neurons,both in terms of normal neuronal development and function,as well as time-dependent pathological processes,and provides a platform for testing of new therapeutics in neuropsychiatric disorders. View Publication

A renewable source of human monocytes and macrophages would be a valuable alternative to primary cells from peripheral blood (PB) in biomedical research. We developed an efficient protocol to derive monocytes and macrophages from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and performed a functional comparison with PB-derived cells. hiPSC-derived monocytes were functional after cryopreservation and exhibited gene expression profiles comparable with PB-derived monocytes. Notably,hiPSC-derived monocytes were more activated with greater adhesion to endothelial cells under physiological flow. hiPSC-derived monocytes were successfully polarized to M1 and M2 macrophage subtypes,which showed similar pan- and subtype-specific gene and surface protein expression and cytokine secretion to PB-derived macrophages. hiPSC-derived macrophages exhibited higher endocytosis and efferocytosis and similar bacterial and tumor cell phagocytosis to PB-derived macrophages. In summary,we developed a robust protocol to generate hiPSC monocytes and macrophages from independent hiPSC lines that showed aspects of functional maturity comparable with those from PB. View Publication

Realizing the full potential of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) requires efficient methods for genetic modification. However,techniques to generate cell type-specific lineage reporters,as well as reliable tools to disrupt,repair or overexpress genes by gene targeting,are inefficient at best and thus are not routinely used. Here we report the highly efficient targeting of three genes in human pluripotent cells using zinc-finger nuclease (ZFN)-mediated genome editing. First,using ZFNs specific for the OCT4 (POU5F1) locus,we generated OCT4-eGFP reporter cells to monitor the pluripotent state of hESCs. Second,we inserted a transgene into the AAVS1 locus to generate a robust drug-inducible overexpression system in hESCs. Finally,we targeted the PITX3 gene,demonstrating that ZFNs can be used to generate reporter cells by targeting non-expressed genes in hESCs and hiPSCs. View Publication

Recent successes in deriving human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) allow for the possibility of studying human neurons derived from patients with neurological diseases. Concomitant inhibition of the BMP and TGF-β1 branches of the TGF-β signaling pathways by the endogenous antagonist,Noggin,and the small molecule SB431542,respectively,induces efficient neuralization of hiPSCs,a method known as dual-SMAD inhibition. The use of small molecule inhibitors instead of their endogenous counterparts has several advantages including lower cost,consistent activity,and the maintenance of xeno-free culture conditions. We tested the efficacy of DMH1,a highly selective small molecule BMP-inhibitor for its potential to replace Noggin in the neuralization of hiPSCs. We compare Noggin and DMH1-induced neuralization of hiPSCs by measuring protein and mRNA levels of pluripotency and neural precursor markers over a period of seven days. The regulation of five of the six markers assessed was indistinguishable in the presence of concentrations of Noggin or DMH1 that have been shown to effectively inhibit BMP signaling in other systems. We observed that by varying the DMH1 or Noggin concentration,we could selectively modulate the number of SOX1 expressing cells,whereas PAX6,another neural precursor marker,remained the same. The level and timing of SOX1 expression have been shown to affect neural induction as well as neural lineage. Our observations,therefore,suggest that BMP-inhibitor concentrations need to be carefully monitored to ensure appropriate expression levels of all transcription factors necessary for the induction of a particular neuronal lineage. We further demonstrate that DMH1-induced neural progenitors can be differentiated into β3-tubulin expressing neurons,a subset of which also express tyrosine hydroxylase. Thus,the combined use of DMH1,a highly specific BMP-pathway inhibitor,and SB431542,a TGF-β1-pathway specific inhibitor,provides us with the tools to independently regulate these two pathways through the exclusive use of small molecule inhibitors. View Publication

Control of cellular (de)differentiation in a temporal,cell-specific,and exchangeable manner is of paramount importance in the field of reprogramming. Here,we have generated and characterized a mouse strain that allows iPSC generation through the Cre/loxP conditional and doxycycline/rtTA-controlled inducible expression of the OSKM reprogramming factors entirely from within the ROSA26 locus. After reprogramming,these factors can be replaced by genes of interest-for example,to enhance lineage-directed differentiation-with the use of a trap-coupled RMCE reaction. We show that,similar to ESCs,Dox-controlled expression of the cardiac transcriptional regulator Mesp1 together with Wnt inhibition enhances the generation of functional cardiomyocytes upon in vitro differentiation of such RMCE-retargeted iPSCs. This ROSA26-iPSC mouse model is therefore an excellent tool for studying both cellular reprogramming and lineage-directed differentiation factors from the same locus and will greatly facilitate the identification and ease of functional characterization of the genetic/epigenetic determinants involved in these complex processes. View Publication

The main motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are due to the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain (VM). For the future treatment of Parkinson's disease with cell transplantation it is important to develop efficient differentiation methods for production of human iPSCs and hESCs-derived midbrain-type DA neurons. Here we describe an efficient differentiation and sorting strategy for DA neurons from both human ES/iPS cells and non-human primate iPSCs. The use of non-human primate iPSCs for neuronal differentiation and autologous transplantation is important for preclinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived DA neurons. The aim of this study was to improve the safety of human- and non-human primate iPSC (PiPSC)-derived DA neurons. According to our results,NCAM(+) /CD29(low) sorting enriched VM DA neurons from pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cell populations. NCAM(+) /CD29(low) DA neurons were positive for FOXA2/TH and EN1/TH and this cell population had increased expression levels of FOXA2,LMX1A,TH,GIRK2,PITX3,EN1,NURR1 mRNA compared to unsorted neural cell populations. PiPSC-derived NCAM(+) /CD29(low) DA neurons were able to restore motor function of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rats 16 weeks after transplantation. The transplanted sorted cells also integrated in the rodent brain tissue,with robust TH+/hNCAM+ neuritic innervation of the host striatum. One year after autologous transplantation,the primate iPSC-derived neural cells survived in the striatum of one primate without any immunosuppression. These neural cell grafts contained FOXA2/TH-positive neurons in the graft site. This is an important proof of concept for the feasibility and safety of iPSC-derived cell transplantation therapies in the future. View Publication