Joshua J. Breunig

Notch regulates cell fate and dendrite morphology of newborn neurons in the postnatal dentate gyrus

The lifelong addition of neurons to the hippocampus is a remarkable form of structural plasticity, yet the molecular controls over proliferation, neuronal fate determination, survival, and maturation are poorly understood. Expression of Notch1 was found to change dynamically depending on the differentiation state of neural precursor cells. Through the use of inducible gain- and loss-of-function of Notch1 mice we show that this membrane receptor is essential to these distinct processes. We found in vivo that activated Notch1 overexpression induces proliferation, whereas γ-secretase inhibition or genetic ablation of Notch1 promotes cell cycle exit, indicating that the level of activated Notch1 regulates the magnitude of neurogenesis from postnatal progenitor cells. Abrogation of Notch signaling in vivo or in vitro leads to a transition from neural stem or precursor cells to transit-amplifying cells or neurons. Further, genetic Notch1 manipulation modulates survival and dendritic morphology of newborn granule cells. These results provide evidence for the expansive prevalence of Notch signaling in hippocampal morphogenesis and plasticity, suggesting that Notch1 could be a target of diverse traumatic and environmental modulators of adult neurogenesis.

Numb and Numbl are required for maintenance of cadherin-based adhesion and polarity of neural progenitors

The polarity and adhesion of radial glial cells (RGCs), which function as progenitors and migrational guides for neurons, are critical for morphogenesis of the cerebral cortex. These characteristics largely depend on cadherin-based adherens junctions, which anchor apical end-feet of adjacent RGCs to each other at the ventricular surface. Here, we show that mouse numb and numb-like are required for maintaining radial glial adherens junctions. Numb accumulates in the apical end-feet, where it localizes to adherens junction–associated vesicles and interacts with cadherins. Numb and Numbl inactivation in RGCs decreases proper basolateral insertion of cadherins and disrupts adherens junctions and polarity, leading to progenitor dispersion and disorganized cortical lamination. Conversely, overexpression of Numb prolongs RGC polarization, in a cadherin-dependent manner, beyond the normal neurogenic period. Thus, by regulating RGC adhesion and polarity, Numb and Numbl are required for the tissue architecture of neurogenic niches and the cerebral cortex.

Not(ch) just development: Notch signalling in the adult brain

The Notch pathway is often regarded as a developmental pathway, but components of Notch signalling are expressed and active in the adult brain. With the advent of more sophisticated genetic manipulations, evidence has emerged that suggests both conserved and novel roles for Notch signalling in the adult brain. Not surprisingly, Notch is a key regulator of adult neural stem cells, but it is increasingly clear that Notch signalling also has roles in the regulation of migration, morphology, synaptic plasticity and survival of immature and mature neurons. Understanding the many functions of Notch signalling in the adult brain, and its dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease and malignancy, is crucial to the development of new therapeutics that are centred around this pathway.

Primary cilia regulate hippocampal neurogenesis by mediating sonic hedgehog signaling

Primary cilia are present on mammalian neurons and glia, but their function is largely unknown. We generated conditional homozygous mutant mice for a gene we termed Stumpy. Mutants lack cilia and have conspicuous abnormalities in postnatally developing brain regions, including a hypoplasic hippocampus characterized by a primary deficiency in neural stem cells known as astrocyte-like neural precursors (ALNPs). Previous studies suggested that primary cilia mediate sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Here, we find that loss of ALNP cilia leads to abrogated Shh activity, increased cell cycle exit, and morphological abnormalities in ALNPs. Processing of Gli3, a mediator of Shh signaling, is also altered in the absence of cilia. Further, key mediators of the Shh pathway localize to ALNP cilia. Thus, selective targeting of Shh machinery to primary cilia confers to ALNPs the ability to differentially respond to Shh mitogenic signals compared to neighboring cells. Our data suggest these organelles are cellular “antennae” critically required to modulate ALNP behavior.

The pRb/E2F cell-cycle pathway mediates cell death in Parkinson's disease.

The mechanisms leading to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DNs) in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinsons disease (PD) are not completely understood. Here, we show, in the postmortem human tissue, that these neurons aberrantly express mitosis-associated proteins, including the E2F-1 transcription factor, and appear to duplicate their nuclear DNA. We further demonstrate that the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine injected into mice and application of its active metabolite 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium to mesencephalic cultures activate the retinoblastoma–E2F pathway in postmitotic DNs. We also find that cell death rather than mitotic division followed the toxin-induced replication of DNA, as determined by BrdU incorporation in DNs. In addition, blocking E2F-1 transcription protected cultured DNs against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium toxicity. Finally, E2F-1-deficient mice were significantly more resistant to 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced dopaminergic cell death than their wild-type littermates. Altogether, BrdU incorporation in mature neurons and lack of evidence for newborn neurons argue against neuronal turnover in normal conditions or during pathological states in the substantia nigra. Instead, our results demonstrate that mitosis-like signals are activated in mature DNs in patients with PD and mediate neuronal death in experimental models of the disease. Inhibition of mitosis-like signals may therefore provide strategies for neuroprotection in PD.

Decision by division: making cortical maps

In the past three decades, mounting evidence has revealed that specification of the basic cortical neuronal classes starts at the time of their final mitotic divisions in the embryonic proliferative zones. This early cell determination continues during the migration of the newborn neurons across the widening cerebral wall, and it is in the cortical plate that they attain their final positions and establish species-specific cytoarchitectonic areas. Here, the development and evolutionary expansion of the neocortex is viewed in the context of the radial unit and protomap hypotheses. A broad spectrum of findings gave insight into the pathogenesis of cortical malformations and the biological bases for the evolution of the modern human neocortex. We examine the history and evidence behind the concept of early specification of neurons and provide the latest compendium of genes and signaling molecules involved in neuronal fate determination and specification.

A transgenic Alzheimer rat with plaques, tau pathology, behavioral impairment, oligomeric aβ, and frank neuronal loss.

Alzheimers disease (AD) is hallmarked by amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and widespread cortical neuronal loss (Selkoe, 2001). The “amyloid cascade hypothesis” posits that cerebral amyloid sets neurotoxic events into motion that precipitate Alzheimer dementia (Hardy and Allsop, 1991). Yet, faithful recapitulation of all AD features in widely used transgenic (Tg) mice engineered to overproduce Aβ peptides has been elusive. We have developed a Tg rat model (line TgF344-AD) expressing mutant human amyloid precursor protein (APPsw) and presenilin 1 (PS1ΔE9) genes, each independent causes of early-onset familial AD. TgF344-AD rats manifest age-dependent cerebral amyloidosis that precedes tauopathy, gliosis, apoptotic loss of neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, and cognitive disturbance. These results demonstrate progressive neurodegeneration of the Alzheimer type in these animals. The TgF344-AD rat fills a critical need for a next-generation animal model to enable basic and translational AD research.

Everything that Glitters Isn't Gold: A Critical Review of Postnatal Neural Precursor Analyses

Adult neurogenesis research has made enormous strides in the last decade but has been complicated by several failures to replicate promising findings. Prevalent use of highly sensitive methods with inherent sources of error has led to extraordinary conclusions without adequate crossvalidation. Perhaps the biggest culprit is the reliance on molecules involved in DNA synthesis and genetic markers to indicate neuronal neogenesis. In this Protocol Review, we present an overview of common methodological issues in the field and suggest alternative approaches, including viral vectors, siRNA, and inducible transgenic/knockout mice. A multipronged approach will enhance the overall rigor of research on stem cell biology and related fields by allowing increased replication of findings between groups and across systems.

In Vivo CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing Corrects Retinal Dystrophy in the S334ter-3 Rat Model of Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa

Reliable genome editing via Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 may provide a means to correct inherited diseases in patients. As proof of principle, we show that CRISPR/Cas9 can be used in vivo to selectively ablate the rhodopsin gene carrying the dominant S334ter mutation (RhoS334) in rats that model severe autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. A single subretinal injection of guide RNA/Cas9 plasmid in combination with electroporation generated allele-specific disruption of RhoS334, which prevented retinal degeneration and improved visual function.

The stumpy gene is required for mammalian ciliogenesis

Cilia are present on nearly all cell types in mammals and perform remarkably diverse functions. However, the mechanisms underlying ciliogenesis are unclear. Here, we cloned a previously uncharacterized highly conserved gene, stumpy, located on mouse chromosome 7. Stumpy was ubiquitously expressed, and conditional loss in mouse resulted in complete penetrance of perinatal hydrocephalus (HC) and severe polycystic kidney disease (PKD). We found that cilia in stumpy mutant brain and kidney cells were absent or markedly deformed, resulting in defective flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Stumpy colocalized with ciliary basal bodies, physically interacted with γ-tubulin, and was present along ciliary axonemes, suggesting that stumpy plays a role in ciliary axoneme extension. Therefore, stumpy is essential for ciliogenesis and may be involved in the pathogenesis of human congenital malformations such as HC and PKD.