Su-Chun Zhang, a pioneer in developing neurons from stem cells at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has created a specialized nerve cell that makes serotonin, a signaling chemical with a broad role in the brain. Serotonin affects emotions, sleep, anxiety, depression, appetite, pulse and breathing. It also plays a role in serious psychiatric conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.
The study, reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology, began with two types of stem cells: one derived from embryos, the other from adult cells. Because serotonin neurons form before birth, the researchers had to recreate the chemical environment found in the developing brain in the uterus, Zhang says.
The cells showed the expected response to electrical stimulation and also produced serotonin.
Although other scientists have matured stem cells into something resembling serotonin neurons, the case is much more conclusive this time. Previously, labs were producing a few percent of serotonin neurons from pluripotent stem cells, and that made it very difficult to study their cells.
To confirm that the new cells act like serotonin neurons, “we showed that the neurons responded to some FDA-approved drugs that regulate depression and anxiety through the serotonin pathway,” Zhang says.
Because the neurons can be generated from induced pluripotent stem cells, which can be produced from a patient’s skin cells, these could be useful for finding treatments for psychiatric disorders like depression, where we often see quite variable responses to drugs.
Paper:http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v34/n1/full/nbt.3435.html
PR:http://news.wisc.edu/first-serotonin-neurons-made-from-human-stem-cells/
Image:
Human serotonin-producing neurons, generated from induced pluripotent stem cells. Blue indicates cell nuclei, red and green show typical markers for these neurons, which produce a neurotransmitter that affects large parts of the brain.
Credit: Jianfeng Lu and Su-Chun Zhang
Corina Marinescu
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