Increased Ca2+ signaling in NRXN1α +/- neurons derived from ASD induced pluripotent stem cells

Sahar Avazzadeh, Katya McDonagh, Jamie Reilly, Yanqin Wang, Stephanie D. Boomkamp, Veronica McInerney, Janusz Krawczyk, Jacqueline Fitzgerald, Niamh Feerick, Matthew O'Sullivan, Amirhossein Jalali, Eva B. Forman, Sally A. Lynch, Sean Ennis, Nele Cosemans, Hilde Peeters, Peter Dockery, Timothy O'Brien, Leo R. Quinlan, Louise GallagherSanbing Shen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a high co-morbidity of epilepsy and associated with hundreds of rare risk factors. NRXN1 deletion is among the commonest rare genetic factors shared by ASD, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and developmental delay. However, how NRXN1 deletions lead to different clinical symptoms is unknown. Patient-derived cells are essential to investigate the functional consequences of NRXN1 lesions to human neurons in different diseases. Methods: Skin biopsies were donated by five healthy donors and three ASD patients carrying NRXN1α +/- deletions. Seven control and six NRXN1α +/- iPSC lines were derived and differentiated into day 100 cortical excitatory neurons using dual SMAD inhibition. Calcium (Ca2+) imaging was performed using Fluo4-AM, and the properties of Ca2+ transients were compared between two groups of neurons. Transcriptome analysis was carried out to undercover molecular pathways associated with NRXN1α +/- neurons. Results: NRXN1α +/- neurons were found to display altered calcium dynamics, with significantly increased frequency, duration, and amplitude of Ca2+ transients. Whole genome RNA sequencing also revealed altered ion transport and transporter activity, with upregulated voltage-gated calcium channels as one of the most significant pathways in NRXN1α +/- neurons identified by STRING and GSEA analyses. Conclusions: This is the first report to show that human NRXN1α +/- neurons derived from ASD patients' iPSCs present novel phenotypes of upregulated VGCCs and increased Ca2+ transients, which may facilitate the development of drug screening assays for the treatment of ASD.

Original languageEnglish
Article number52
JournalMolecular Autism
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Dec 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Autism
  • Calcium signaling
  • Induced pluripotent stem cells
  • NRXN1α
  • Neurons
  • Transcriptome

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Increased Ca2+ signaling in NRXN1α +/- neurons derived from ASD induced pluripotent stem cells'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this