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Transcriptionally activated monocytes are recruited to the heart after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). After AMI in mice and humans,the number of extracellular vesicles (EVs) increased acutely. In humans,EV number correlated closely with the extent of myocardial injury. We hypothesized that EVs mediate splenic monocyte mobilization and program transcription following AMI. Some plasma EVs bear endothelial cell (EC) integrins,and both proinflammatory stimulation of ECs and AMI significantly increased VCAM-1-positive EV release. Injected EC-EVs localized to the spleen and interacted with,and mobilized,splenic monocytes in otherwise naive,healthy animals. Analysis of human plasma EV-associated miRNA showed 12 markedly enriched miRNAs after AMI; functional enrichment analyses identified 1,869 putative mRNA targets,which regulate relevant cellular functions (e.g.,proliferation and cell movement). Furthermore,gene ontology termed positive chemotaxis as the most enriched pathway for the miRNA-mRNA targets. Among the identified EV miRNAs,EC-associated miRNA-126-3p and -5p were highly regulated after AMI. miRNA-126-3p and -5p regulate cell adhesion- and chemotaxis-associated genes,including the negative regulator of cell motility,plexin-B2. EC-EV exposure significantly downregulated plexin-B2 mRNA in monocytes and upregulated motility integrin ITGB2. These findings identify EVs as a possible novel signaling pathway by linking ischemic myocardium with monocyte mobilization and transcriptional activation following AMI. View Publication

Pulmonary disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis,a disease caused by mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. Heterogeneity in CFTR genotype-phenotype relationships in affected individuals plus the escalation of drug discovery targeting specific mutations highlights the need to develop robust in vitro platforms with which to stratify therapeutic options using relevant tissue. Toward this goal,we adapted a fluorescence plate reader assay of apical CFTR-mediated chloride conductance to enable profiling of a panel of modulators on primary nasal epithelial cultures derived from patients bearing different CFTR mutations. This platform faithfully recapitulated patient-specific responses previously observed in the gold-standard but relatively low-throughput Ussing chamber. Moreover using this approach we identified a novel strategy with which to augment the response to an approved drug in specific patients. In proof of concept studies we also validated the use of this platform in measuring drug responses in lung cultures differentiated from cystic fibrosis iPS cells. Taken together we show that this medium throughput assay of CFTR activity has the potential to stratify cystic fibrosis patient-specific responses to approved drugs and investigational compounds in vitro in primary and iPS cell-derived airway cultures. View Publication

UNLABELLED Among the known genetic risk factors for Parkinson disease,mutations in GBA1,the gene responsible for the lysosomal disorder Gaucher disease,are the most common. This genetic link has directed attention to the role of the lysosome in the pathogenesis of parkinsonism. To study how glucocerebrosidase impacts parkinsonism and to evaluate new therapeutics,we generated induced human pluripotent stem cells from four patients with Type 1 (non-neuronopathic) Gaucher disease,two with and two without parkinsonism,and one patient with Type 2 (acute neuronopathic) Gaucher disease,and differentiated them into macrophages and dopaminergic neurons. These cells exhibited decreased glucocerebrosidase activity and stored the glycolipid substrates glucosylceramide and glucosylsphingosine,demonstrating their similarity to patients with Gaucher disease. Dopaminergic neurons from patients with Type 2 and Type 1 Gaucher disease with parkinsonism had reduced dopamine storage and dopamine transporter reuptake. Levels of α-synuclein,a protein present as aggregates in Parkinson disease and related synucleinopathies,were selectively elevated in neurons from the patients with parkinsonism or Type 2 Gaucher disease. The cells were then treated with NCGC607,a small-molecule noninhibitory chaperone of glucocerebrosidase identified by high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry structure optimization. This compound successfully chaperoned the mutant enzyme,restored glucocerebrosidase activity and protein levels,and reduced glycolipid storage in both iPSC-derived macrophages and dopaminergic neurons,indicating its potential for treating neuronopathic Gaucher disease. In addition,NCGC607 reduced α-synuclein levels in dopaminergic neurons from the patients with parkinsonism,suggesting that noninhibitory small-molecule chaperones of glucocerebrosidase may prove useful for the treatment of Parkinson disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Because GBA1 mutations are the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease,dopaminergic neurons were generated from iPSC lines derived from patients with Gaucher disease with and without parkinsonism. These cells exhibit deficient enzymatic activity,reduced lysosomal glucocerebrosidase levels,and storage of glucosylceramide and glucosylsphingosine. Lines generated from the patients with parkinsonism demonstrated elevated levels of α-synuclein. To reverse the observed phenotype,the neurons were treated with a novel noninhibitory glucocerebrosidase chaperone,which successfully restored glucocerebrosidase activity and protein levels and reduced glycolipid storage. In addition,the small-molecule chaperone reduced α-synuclein levels in dopaminergic neurons,indicating that chaperoning glucocerebrosidase to the lysosome may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for both Parkinson disease and neuronopathic forms of Gaucher disease. View Publication

INTRODUCTION Despite attempts to prevent brain injury during the hyperacute phase of stroke,most sufferers end up with significant neuronal loss and functional deficits. The use of cell-based therapies to recover the injured brain offers new hope. In the current study,we employed human neural stem cells (hNSCs) isolated from subventricular zone (SVZ),and directed their differentiation into GABAergic neurons followed by transplantation to ischemic brain. METHODS Pre-differentiated GABAergic neurons,undifferentiated SVZ-hNSCs or media alone were stereotaxically transplanted into the rat brain (n=7/group) 7 days after endothelin-1 induced stroke. Neurological outcome was assessed by neurological deficit scores and the cylinder test. Transplanted cell survival,cellular phenotype and maturation were assessed using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. RESULTS Behavioral assessments revealed accelerated improvements in motor function 7 days post-transplant in rats treated with pre-differentiated GABAergic cells in comparison to media alone and undifferentiated hNSC treated groups. Histopathology 28 days-post transplant indicated that pre-differentiated cells maintained their GABAergic neuronal phenotype,showed evidence of synaptogenesis and up-regulated expression of both GABA and calcium signaling proteins associated with neurotransmission. Rats treated with pre-differentiated cells also showed increased neurogenic activity within the SVZ at 28 days,suggesting an additional trophic role of these GABAergic cells. In contrast,undifferentiated SVZ-hNSCs predominantly differentiated into GFAP-positive astrocytes and appeared to be incorporated into the glial scar. CONCLUSION Our study is the first to show enhanced exogenous repopulation of a neuronal phenotype after stroke using techniques aimed at GABAergic cell induction prior to delivery that resulted in accelerated and improved functional recovery. View Publication