Pinar Mesci, Christopher N LaRock, Jacob J Jeziorski, Hideyuki Nakashima, Natalia Chermont, Adriano Ferrasa, Roberto H Herai, Tomoka Ozaki, Aurian Saleh, Cedric E Snethlage, Sandra Sanchez, Gabriela Goldberg, Cleber A Trujillo, Kinichi Nakashima, Victor Nizet, Alysson R Muotri
{"title":"Human microglial cells as a therapeutic target in a neurodevelopmental disease model.","authors":"Pinar Mesci, Christopher N LaRock, Jacob J Jeziorski, Hideyuki Nakashima, Natalia Chermont, Adriano Ferrasa, Roberto H Herai, Tomoka Ozaki, Aurian Saleh, Cedric E Snethlage, Sandra Sanchez, Gabriela Goldberg, Cleber A Trujillo, Kinichi Nakashima, Victor Nizet, Alysson R Muotri","doi":"10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.06.013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although microglia are macrophages of the central nervous system, their involvement is not limited to immune functions. The roles of microglia during development in humans remain poorly understood due to limited access to fetal tissue. To understand how microglia can impact human neurodevelopment, the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene was knocked out in human microglia-like cells (MGLs). Disruption of the MECP2 in MGLs led to transcriptional and functional perturbations, including impaired phagocytosis. The co-culture of healthy MGLs with MECP2-knockout (KO) neurons rescued synaptogenesis defects, suggesting a microglial role in synapse formation. A targeted drug screening identified ADH-503, a CD11b agonist, restored phagocytosis and synapse formation in spheroid-MGL co-cultures, significantly improved disease progression, and increased survival in MeCP2-null mice. These results unveil a MECP2-specific regulation of human microglial phagocytosis and identify a novel therapeutic treatment for MECP2-related conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":21885,"journal":{"name":"Stem Cell Reports","volume":" ","pages":"1074-1091"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11368698/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Stem Cell Reports","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.06.013","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/25 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CELL & TISSUE ENGINEERING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Although microglia are macrophages of the central nervous system, their involvement is not limited to immune functions. The roles of microglia during development in humans remain poorly understood due to limited access to fetal tissue. To understand how microglia can impact human neurodevelopment, the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene was knocked out in human microglia-like cells (MGLs). Disruption of the MECP2 in MGLs led to transcriptional and functional perturbations, including impaired phagocytosis. The co-culture of healthy MGLs with MECP2-knockout (KO) neurons rescued synaptogenesis defects, suggesting a microglial role in synapse formation. A targeted drug screening identified ADH-503, a CD11b agonist, restored phagocytosis and synapse formation in spheroid-MGL co-cultures, significantly improved disease progression, and increased survival in MeCP2-null mice. These results unveil a MECP2-specific regulation of human microglial phagocytosis and identify a novel therapeutic treatment for MECP2-related conditions.
期刊介绍:
Stem Cell Reports publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed research presenting conceptual or practical advances across the breadth of stem cell research and its applications to medicine. Our particular focus on shorter, single-point articles, timely publication, strong editorial decision-making and scientific input by leaders in the field and a "scoop protection" mechanism are reasons to submit your best papers.