Stem cells from
schizophrenics produce fewer neurons
Stem cells obtained
from patients with schizophrenia carry a genetic mutation that alters the ratio
of the different type of nerve cells they produce, according to a new study by
researchers in Japan.
non-neuronal cells are
generated during the earliest stages of brain development.Schizophrenia is a
debilitating mental illness that affects about 1 in 100 people. It is known to
be highly heritable, but is genetically complex: so far, researchers have
identified over 100 rare genetic
variations and dozens of
mutations associated with increased risk of developing the disease. One of the best
characterised mutations associated with the disease is a microdeletion on chromosome 22,
within a region containing dozens of genes known to be involved in the
development, maturation, and function of brain circuits. This deletion is found
in 1 in every 2,000 – 4,000 live births; all patients carrying it exhibit
various psychiatric symptoms and conditions,
with just under a third of them developing schizophrenia in adolescence or
early adulthood.
Brain’s immune cells
hyperactive in schizophrenia
Some Brain Science Institutes and their colleagues obtained skin cells from
two female schizophrenic patients diagnosed with the chromosome 22 deletion and
two healthy individuals, then reprogrammed them to generate
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), unspecialised cells which, like
embryonic stem cells, retain the ability to differentiate into all the
different cell types in the body. They then compared the properties of iPSCs
obtained from the schizophrenic patients with those from the healthy controls.
First, the researchers
‘plated’ the cells onto Petri dishes and treated them with chemicals so that
they began to differentiate into neural stem cells. Under these conditions,
iPSCs aggregate spontaneously to form ‘neurospheres’. These free-floating
spherical clusters contain neural stem cells, which can differentiate further
into any type of nerve cell, and also some neural progenitors, or immature
nerve cells that have started to differentiate into neurons or glia, the non-neuronal cell types in the nervous system.
They immediately noticed that the neurospheres derived from iPSCs
obtained from the schizophrenic patients were significantly smaller than those
formed from iPSCs from the two healthy controls.
Stem cells obtained
from patients with schizophrenia carry a genetic mutation that alters the ratio
of the different type of nerve cells they produce, according to a new study by
researchers in Japan.
non-neuronal cells are
generated during the earliest stages of brain development.Schizophrenia is a
debilitating mental illness that affects about 1 in 100 people. It is known to
be highly heritable, but is genetically complex: so far, researchers have
identified over 100 rare genetic
variations and dozens of
mutations associated with increased risk of developing the disease. One of the best
characterised mutations associated with the disease is a microdeletion on chromosome 22,
within a region containing dozens of genes known to be involved in the
development, maturation, and function of brain circuits. This deletion is found
in 1 in every 2,000 – 4,000 live births; all patients carrying it exhibit
various psychiatric symptoms and conditions,
with just under a third of them developing schizophrenia in adolescence or
early adulthood.
Brain’s immune cells
hyperactive in schizophrenia
Some Brain Science Institutes and their colleagues obtained skin cells from
two female schizophrenic patients diagnosed with the chromosome 22 deletion and
two healthy individuals, then reprogrammed them to generate
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), unspecialised cells which, like
embryonic stem cells, retain the ability to differentiate into all the
different cell types in the body. They then compared the properties of iPSCs
obtained from the schizophrenic patients with those from the healthy controls.
First, the researchers
‘plated’ the cells onto Petri dishes and treated them with chemicals so that
they began to differentiate into neural stem cells. Under these conditions,
iPSCs aggregate spontaneously to form ‘neurospheres’. These free-floating
spherical clusters contain neural stem cells, which can differentiate further
into any type of nerve cell, and also some neural progenitors, or immature
nerve cells that have started to differentiate into neurons or glia, the non-neuronal cell types in the nervous system.
They immediately noticed that the neurospheres derived from iPSCs
obtained from the schizophrenic patients were significantly smaller than those
formed from iPSCs from the two healthy controls.
On closer inspection,
they found other abnormalities. They treated the neurospheres with fluorescent
antibodies that bind specifically to proteins synthesized only by neurons or
glial cells called astrocytes, and looked at them under the microscope.
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