Modeling Western Pacific Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism–dementia Complex with Microglia Containing Cerebral Organoids Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Hong Yiling , Dong Xu , Chang Lawrence , Chang Mariann , Xie Chen , Aguilar Jose S. , Li Qingshun Q. 
Published: August 2021

Western Pacific Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism–dementia Complex (ALS-PDC) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to the traditional consumption of cycad seeds by the Chamorro people of Guam. Little is known about the etiological role of cycad toxin in ALS-PDC. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells were derived from age- and sex-matched affected and unaffected patient lymphoid cells then differentiated into cerebral organoids. After three months, the ALS-PDC affected organoids were smaller, their neurons had less extensive neurite outgrowth, and the organoids had more reactive astrocytes and M1 microglia, fewer resting and M2 microglia, and more open extracellular space. Most of these phenomena could be recapitulated by exposing unaffected organoids to β-methylamino L-alanine (BMAA), a toxic amino acid produced by cyanobacteria living with cycad plants. Furthermore, ALS-PDC affected organoids exhibited an exacerbated neuroinflammatory response to BMAA exposure via activation of caspase1/NLRP3 inflammasome. A genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the organoids showed that the most down-regulated pathways were taurine, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism; protein digestion; and absorption. The most down-regulated biological processes were type I interferon signaling, regulation of neuron differentiation and extracellular matrix organization. Our results suggested that the etiology of ALS-PDC is due to metabolic disorders that shifted microglia to a more pro-inflammatory M1 state instead of a non-inflammatory, repairing M2 state, which exacerbated inflammation and reduced extracellular matrix strength. Supplementation of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) to ALS-PDC affected organoids increased the expression of interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) and restored M2 microglia populations and extracellular matrix organization. Organoids containing networks of neurons, astrocytes, microglia derived from iPSC with our protocol provides an excellent cellular model for neurodegenerative disease modeling.

Significance Statement

Western Pacific Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism–dementia Complex (ALS-PDC) cerebral organoids containing networks of neurons, astrocytes, and microglia were generated from patient specific lymphoid derived induced pluripotent stem cells.

ALS-PDC affected organoids were smaller, with neurons had less extensive neurite outgrowth, more reactive astrocytes and M1 microglia, fewer resting and M2 microglia, and more open extracellular matrix spaces when compared to ALS-PDC unaffected organoids.

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis indicated that ALS/PDC affected organoids had significantly lower expression of genes related to vitamin B6, amino acid and protein glycation metabolisms, down-regulated type I interferon signaling, the regulation of neuron differentiation and extracellular matrix production.

Our results implicated that the etiology of ALS-PDC is due to metabolic disorders that led the shift of microglia to more pro-inflammatory M1 state and less non-inflammatory resting, repairing M2 state of microglia subpopulation, which primed the exacerbated inflammation and reduced extracellular matrix strength. TGF-β promoted interferon-induced transmembrane protein (IFITMs) expression and restored the repairing M2 state of microglia population and extracellular matrix organization.