In vitro model of serotonin neurons based on human pluripotent stem cells
2021
Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, South Korea
Serotonin neurons are the major neuronal type present in the raphe nuclei and they can be divided into rostral and caudal groups. During neurodevelopment, serotonergic neurons develop from ventral hindbrain progenitors. Here, human pluripotent stem cells are differentiated into ventral-type neural progenitors and further maturated with specific factors related to hindbrain serotonin neurodevelopment to build a novel in vitro model of serotonin neurons. The results showed an efficiency of around 30%-40% of cells reproducing the serotonergic-neurone-phenotype, most of them with caudal rhombomere identity. Further modifications of the protocol allowed the generation of serotonin neuron-enriched hindbrain-like organoids. Overall, the researchers develop an in vitro model with neural cells that acquire serotonergic phenotype and have functional activity both in monolayer and organoid systems, which could be potentially used to investigate cellular mechanisms and/or perform drug development experiments.
Generation of caudal-type serotonin neurons and hindbrain-fate organoids from hPSCs
Yun Kyung Lee, Jae-won Shim, Jeong Kyo Yoon
Added on: 11-29-2021
[1] https://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(21)00312-X
