Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Transcriptional abnormalities in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes of individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis

  • Melanie J. Plastini
  • , Haritha L. Desu
  • , Maureen C. Ascona
  • , Anna L. Lang
  • , Mario A. Saporta
  • , Roberta Brambilla*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
  • University of Miami

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

94 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disorder in young adults and is classically defined as a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although MS affects millions of people worldwide, its underlying cause remains unknown making discovery of effective treatments challenging. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic factors contribute to MS initiation and progression is still unclear. This is especially true for primary progressive MS (PPMS), the rarest form of the disease, in which progressive and irreversible loss of neurological function is often observed in the absence of an overt immune-inflammatory response. To test the hypothesis that intrinsic dysfunction in oligodendrocytes (OLs), the primary targets of damage in MS, may contribute to PPMS etiopathology, we differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines derived from PPMS and healthy individuals into mature OLs to compare their transcriptional profile. PPMS derived OLs displayed hundreds of differentially expressed genes compared to control OLs, many associated with cell adhesion, apoptosis and inflammation, including the inflammasome component Nlrp2, which was highly upregulated. NLRP2 immunoreactivity in OLs was confirmed in post-mortem PPMS brain tissues, with higher expression than in control tissues. Altogether, our findings suggest that mature OLs in PPMS affected individuals carry intrinsic abnormalities that could contribute, at least in part, to the pathophysiology of this form of the disease.

Original languageEnglish
Article number972144
JournalFrontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Volume16
Number of pages15
ISSN1662-5102
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28. Sept 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Plastini, Desu, Ascona, Lang, Saporta and Brambilla.

Funding

This research was funded by NIH NINDS grant 1RO1NS094522-01 (RB), State of Florida Grant COPAC 2020 to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis (RB), CTSA grant UL1TR002736 (RB), and the Buoniconti Found (RB).

Keywords

  • human induced pluripotent stem cells
  • inflammasome
  • NLRP2
  • oligodendrocytes
  • primary progressive multiple sclerosis
  • RNA-sequencing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Transcriptional abnormalities in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes of individuals with primary progressive multiple sclerosis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this