Stem Cell Reports (Jan 2018)

Human Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Rescues Functional Deficits in R6/2 and Q140 Huntington's Disease Mice

  • Jack C. Reidling,
  • Aroa Relaño-Ginés,
  • Sandra M. Holley,
  • Joseph Ochaba,
  • Cindy Moore,
  • Brian Fury,
  • Alice Lau,
  • Andrew H. Tran,
  • Sylvia Yeung,
  • Delaram Salamati,
  • Chunni Zhu,
  • Asa Hatami,
  • Carlos Cepeda,
  • Joshua A. Barry,
  • Talia Kamdjou,
  • Alvin King,
  • Dane Coleal-Bergum,
  • Nicholas R. Franich,
  • Frank M. LaFerla,
  • Joan S. Steffan,
  • Mathew Blurton-Jones,
  • Charles K. Meshul,
  • Gerhard Bauer,
  • Michael S. Levine,
  • Marie-Francoise Chesselet,
  • Leslie M. Thompson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.11.005
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 58 – 72

Abstract

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Summary: Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder with no disease-modifying treatment. Expansion of the glutamine-encoding repeat in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene causes broad effects that are a challenge for single treatment strategies. Strategies based on human stem cells offer a promising option. We evaluated efficacy of transplanting a good manufacturing practice (GMP)-grade human embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem cell (hNSC) line into striatum of HD modeled mice. In HD fragment model R6/2 mice, transplants improve motor deficits, rescue synaptic alterations, and are contacted by nerve terminals from mouse cells. Furthermore, implanted hNSCs are electrophysiologically active. hNSCs also improved motor and late-stage cognitive impairment in a second HD model, Q140 knockin mice. Disease-modifying activity is suggested by the reduction of aberrant accumulation of mutant HTT protein and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in both models. These findings hold promise for future development of stem cell-based therapies.

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