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Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0
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Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2024) | Viewed by 7823

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yasemin M. Akay

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5060, USA
Interests: coronary artery disease; stent; noninvasive monitoring; nonlinear dynamics analysis; approximate entropy; 3D co-culture; glioblastoma; astrocytes; tumor microenvironment; PEGDA; addiction; cancer research; data science in medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dopaminergic neurons located in the mammalian ventral midbrain have attracted the attention of many biomedical researchers due to their effect in severe human neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. There are four major signalling pathways which play critical roles during the development of the midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons. In spite of the intense research conducted in recent years, we have achieved little understanding related to the crosstalk and the interaction between those four major signalling pathways and how they promote the development of mDA neurons in the mammalian embryo. This has been a very exciting research field and a number of questions remain answering:

(1) Which cellular and molecular mechanisms constitute the basis for the programming of the development of VTA DA neurons versus SNc DA neurons in vivo?

2) What could be the explanation for the vulnerability of some types of mDA neurons in some neurodegenerative disorders?

(3) What will be the efficacy and safety outcomes of the clinical trials using human stem cell-derived mDA neurons?

Contributions to this Special Issue will provide new insights into the mechanisms of action of the development of DA neurons and for the modelling and drug screening of the disorders mentioned above in the basic and clinical research.

Due to the success of the 1st and 2nd editions, we would like to add more results and new insights from recent research projects. You can find the 1st and 2nd editions at the following link:

https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/journal/ijms/special_issues/dopaminergic_neurons

https://0-www-mdpi-com.brum.beds.ac.uk/journal/ijms/special_issues/7WRQJ0EJ04

Dr. Yasemin M. Akay
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • neuron
  • dopamine
  • mDA
  • signalling pathways
  • human stem cell

Related Special Issues

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2583 KiB  
Article
Dopamine, Norepinephrine and Serotonin Participate Differently in Methylphenidate Action in Concomitant Behavioral and Ventral Tegmental Area, Locus Coeruleus and Dorsal Raphe Neuronal Study in Young Rats
by Cruz Reyes-Vasquez, Zachary Jones, Bin Tang and Nachum Dafny
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(23), 16628; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242316628 - 22 Nov 2023
Viewed by 999
Abstract
Methylphenidate (MPD), known as Ritalin, is a psychostimulant used to treat children, adults, and the elderly. MPD exerts its effects through increasing concentrations of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) in the synaptic cleft. Concomitant behavioral and neuronal recording from the ventral [...] Read more.
Methylphenidate (MPD), known as Ritalin, is a psychostimulant used to treat children, adults, and the elderly. MPD exerts its effects through increasing concentrations of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) in the synaptic cleft. Concomitant behavioral and neuronal recording from the ventral tegmental area (VTA), locus coeruleus (LC), and from the dorsal raphe (DR) nucleus, which are the sources of DA, NE, and 5-HT to the mesocorticolimbic circuit, were investigated following acute and repetitive (chronic) saline, 0.6, 2.5, or 10.0 mg/kg MPD. Animals received daily saline or MPD administration on experimental days 1 to 6 (ED1–6), followed by a 3-day washout period and MPD rechallenge on ED10. Each chronic MPD dose elicits behavioral sensitization in some animals while inducing behavioral tolerance in others. The uniqueness of this study is in the evaluation of neuronal activity based on the behavioral response to chronic MPD. Neuronal excitation was observed mainly in brain areas of animals exhibiting behavioral sensitization, while neuronal attenuation following chronic MPD was observed in animals expressing behavioral tolerance. Different ratios of excitatory/inhibitory neuronal responses were obtained from the VTA, LC, or DR following chronic MPD. Thus, each brain area responds differently to each MPD dose used, suggesting that DA, NE, and 5-HT in the VTA, LC, and DR exert different effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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19 pages, 7243 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Human Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition and Human Dopamine D4 Receptor Antagonist Effect of Natural Flavonoids for Neuroprotection
by Pradeep Paudel, Jae Sue Choi, Ritu Prajapati, Su Hui Seong, Se Eun Park, Woo-Chang Kang, Jong-Hoon Ryu and Hyun Ah Jung
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15859; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242115859 - 01 Nov 2023
Viewed by 942
Abstract
Natural flavone and isoflavone analogs such as 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (1), 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyisoflavone (2), and calycosin (3) possess significant neuroprotective activity in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This study highlights the in vitro human monoamine oxidase (hMAO) inhibitory potential and functional [...] Read more.
Natural flavone and isoflavone analogs such as 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (1), 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyisoflavone (2), and calycosin (3) possess significant neuroprotective activity in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. This study highlights the in vitro human monoamine oxidase (hMAO) inhibitory potential and functional effect of those natural flavonoids at dopamine and serotonin receptors for their possible role in neuroprotection. In vitro hMAO inhibition and enzyme kinetics studies were performed using a chemiluminescent assay. The functional effect of three natural flavonoids on dopamine and serotonin receptors was tested via cell-based functional assays followed by a molecular docking simulation to predict interactions between a compound and the binding site of the target protein. A forced swimming test was performed in the male C57BL/6 mouse model. Results of in vitro chemiluminescent assays and enzyme kinetics depicted 1 as a competitive inhibitor of hMAO-A with promising potency (IC50 value: 7.57 ± 0.14 μM) and 3 as a competitive inhibitor of hMAO-B with an IC50 value of 7.19 ± 0.32 μM. Likewise, GPCR functional assays in transfected cells showed 1 as a good hD4R antagonist. In docking analysis, these active flavonoids interacted with a determinant-interacting residue via hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions, with low docking scores comparable to reference ligands. The post-oral administration of 1 to male C57BL/6 mice did not reduce the immobility time in the forced swimming test. The results of this study suggest that 1 and 3 may serve as effective regulators of the aminergic system via hMAO inhibition and the hD4R antagonist effect, respectively, for neuroprotection. The route of administration should be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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27 pages, 7380 KiB  
Article
High Yield of Functional Dopamine-like Neurons Obtained in NeuroForsk 2.0 Medium to Study Acute and Chronic Rotenone Effects on Oxidative Stress, Autophagy, and Apoptosis
by Diana Alejandra Quintero-Espinosa, Carlos Velez-Pardo and Marlene Jimenez-Del-Rio
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15744; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms242115744 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1044
Abstract
Several efforts to develop new protocols to differentiate in in vitro human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) into dopamine (DA) neurons have been reported. We have formulated NeuroForsk 2.0 medium containing fibroblast growth factor type beta (FGFb), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), melatonin, purmorphamine, and [...] Read more.
Several efforts to develop new protocols to differentiate in in vitro human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) into dopamine (DA) neurons have been reported. We have formulated NeuroForsk 2.0 medium containing fibroblast growth factor type beta (FGFb), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), melatonin, purmorphamine, and forskolin. We report for the first time that menstrual stromal cells (MenSCs) cultured in NeuroForsk 2.0 medium for 7 days transdifferentiated into DA-like neurons (DALNs) expressing specific DA lineage markers tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells (TH+) and DA transporter-positive (DAT+) cells and were responsive to DA-induced transient Ca2+ influx. To test the usefulness of this medium, DALNs were exposed to rotenone (ROT), a naturally occurring organic neurotoxin used extensively to chemically induce an in vitro model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is a movement disorder characterized by the specific loss of DA neurons. We wanted to determine whether ROT induces apoptotic cell death and autophagy pathway under acute or chronic conditions in DALNs. Here, we report that acute ROT exposure induced several molecular changes in DALNS. ROT induced a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), high expression of parkin (PRKN), and high colocalization of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) with the mitochondrial translocase of the outer membrane of mitochondria 20 (TOMM20) protein. Acute ROT also induced the appearance of DJ-1Cys106-SO3, as evidenced by the generation of H2O2 and oxidative stress (OS) damage. Remarkably, ROT triggered the phosphorylation of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) at residue Ser935 and phosphorylation of α-Syn at residue Ser129, a pathological indicator. ROT induced the accumulation of lipidated microtubule-associated protein 1B-light chain 3 (LC3B), a highly specific marker of autophagosomes. Finally, ROT induced cleaved caspase 3 (CC3), a marker of activated caspase 3 (CASP3) in apoptotic DALNs compared to untreated DANLs. However, the chronic condition was better at inducing the accumulation of lysosomes than the acute condition. Importantly, the inhibitor of the LRRK2 kinase PF-06447475 (PF-475) almost completely blunted ROT-induced apoptosis and reduced ROT-induced accumulation of lysosomes in both acute and chronic conditions in DALNs. Our data suggest that LRRK2 kinase regulated both apoptotic cell death and autophagy in DALNs under OS. Given that defects in mitochondrial complex I activity are commonly observed in PD, ROT works well as a chemical model of PD in both acute and chronic conditions. Therefore, prevention and treatment therapy should be guided to relieve DALNs from mitochondrial damage and OS, two of the most important triggers in the apoptotic cell death of DALNs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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13 pages, 2353 KiB  
Article
Expression Pattern of Trace Amine-Associated Receptors during Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Dopaminergic Neurons
by Nataliia V. Katolikova, Anastasia N. Vaganova, Daria D. Shafranskaya, Evgeniya V. Efimova, Anna B. Malashicheva and Raul R. Gainetdinov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15313; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015313 - 18 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1227
Abstract
Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs), which were discovered only in 2001, are known to be involved in the regulation of a spectrum of neuronal processes and may play a role in the pathogenesis of a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and others. [...] Read more.
Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs), which were discovered only in 2001, are known to be involved in the regulation of a spectrum of neuronal processes and may play a role in the pathogenesis of a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and others. We have previously shown that TAARs also have interconnections with the regulation of neurogenesis and, in particular, with the neurogenesis of dopamine neurons, but the exact mechanisms of this are still unknown. In our work we analyzed the expression of TAARs (TAAR1, TAAR2, TAAR5, TAAR6, TAAR8 and TAAR9) in cells from the human substantia nigra and ventral tegmental areas and in human pluripotent stem cells at consecutive stages of their differentiation to dopaminergic neurons, using RNA sequencing data from open databases, and TaqMan PCR data from the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells in vitro. Detectable levels of TAARs expression were found in cells at the pluripotent stages, and the dynamic of their expression had a trend of increasing with the differentiation and maturation of dopamine neurons. The expression of several TAAR types (particularly TAAR5) was also found in human dopaminergic neuron-enriched zones in the midbrain. This is the first evidence of TAARs expression during neuronal differentiation, which can help to approach an understanding of the role of TAARs in neurogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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14 pages, 3648 KiB  
Article
Organ-Chips Enhance the Maturation of Human iPSC-Derived Dopamine Neurons
by Maria G. Otero, Shaughn Bell, Alexander H. Laperle, George Lawless, Zachary Myers, Marian A. Castro, Jaquelyn M. Villalba and Clive N. Svendsen
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14227; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms241814227 - 18 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1211
Abstract
While cells in the human body function in an environment where the blood supply constantly delivers nutrients and removes waste, cells in conventional tissue culture well platforms are grown with a static pool of media above them and often lack maturity, limiting their [...] Read more.
While cells in the human body function in an environment where the blood supply constantly delivers nutrients and removes waste, cells in conventional tissue culture well platforms are grown with a static pool of media above them and often lack maturity, limiting their utility to study cell biology in health and disease. In contrast, organ-chip microfluidic systems allow the growth of cells under constant flow, more akin to the in vivo situation. Here, we differentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells into dopamine neurons and assessed cellular properties in conventional multi-well cultures and organ-chips. We show that organ-chip cultures, compared to multi-well cultures, provide an overall greater proportion and homogeneity of dopaminergic neurons as well as increased levels of maturation markers. These organ-chips are an ideal platform to study mature dopamine neurons to better understand their biology in health and ultimately in neurological disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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Review

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20 pages, 1105 KiB  
Review
The Formation and Function of the VTA Dopamine System
by Guoqiang Hou, Mei Hao, Jiawen Duan and Ming-Hu Han
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3875; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms25073875 - 30 Mar 2024
Viewed by 996
Abstract
The midbrain dopamine system is a sophisticated hub that integrates diverse inputs to control multiple physiological functions, including locomotion, motivation, cognition, reward, as well as maternal and reproductive behaviors. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that binds to G-protein-coupled receptors. Dopamine also works together with [...] Read more.
The midbrain dopamine system is a sophisticated hub that integrates diverse inputs to control multiple physiological functions, including locomotion, motivation, cognition, reward, as well as maternal and reproductive behaviors. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that binds to G-protein-coupled receptors. Dopamine also works together with other neurotransmitters and various neuropeptides to maintain the balance of synaptic functions. The dysfunction of the dopamine system leads to several conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, major depression, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been identified as an important relay nucleus that modulates homeostatic plasticity in the midbrain dopamine system. Due to the complexity of synaptic transmissions and input–output connections in the VTA, the structure and function of this crucial brain region are still not fully understood. In this review article, we mainly focus on the cell types, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, ion channels, receptors, and neural circuits of the VTA dopamine system, with the hope of obtaining new insight into the formation and function of this vital brain region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Dopaminergic Neurons 3.0)
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