Early neurogenic properties of iPSC-derived neurosphere formation in Japanese macaque monkeys

Non-human primates are important models for investigations of neural development and evolution, and the use of Japanese macaque monkeys has especially contributed to the advancement of neuroscience studies. However, these studies are restricted by the number of animals able to be evaluated and the invasiveness of the methodologies. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can provide an alternative strategy for investigating neural development in vitro. We have established direct neurosphere (dNS) formation cultures of primate iPSCs as an in vitro model of early neurodevelopment in primate species. Here, we used dNS formation and neuronal differentiation cultures established from Japanese macaque iPSCs (jm-iPSCs) to investigate the usefulness of these cells as an in vitro model of early neural development. Time-course analyses of developmental potency and gene expression kinetics were performed during dNS formation culture of jm-iPSCs. During a 1-week culture, jm-iPSC-derived dNSs became neurogenic by day 3 and underwent stepwise expression changes of key developmental regulators along early neural development in a similar manner to chimpanzee dNS formation previously reported. Meanwhile, a subset of genes, including CYP26A1 and NPTX1, showed differential expression propensity in Japanese macaque, chimpanzee, and human iPSC-derived dNSs. Spontaneous upregulation of NOTCH signaling-associated genes HES5 and DLL1 was also observed in neuronal differentiation cultures of Japanese macaque but not chimpanzee dNSs, possibly reflecting the earlier neurogenic competence in Japanese macaques. The use of jm-iPSCs provides an alternative approach to neurological studies of primate development. Furthermore, jm-iPSCs can be used to investigate species differences in early neural development that are key to primate evolution.