TY  - JOUR
A1  - Lechermeier, Carina G.
A1  - Zimmer, Frederic
A1  - Lüffe, Teresa M.
A1  - Lesch, Klaus-Peter
A1  - Romanos, Marcel
A1  - Lillesaar, Christina
A1  - Drepper, Carsten
T1  - Transcript analysis of zebrafish GLUT3 genes, slc2a3a and slc2a3b, define overlapping as well as distinct expression domains in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) central nervous system
JF  - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
N2  - The transport of glucose across the cell plasma membrane is vital to most mammalian cells. The glucose transporter (GLUT; also called SLC2A) family of transmembrane solute carriers is responsible for this function in vivo. GLUT proteins encompass 14 different isoforms in humans with different cell type-specific expression patterns and activities. Central to glucose utilization and delivery in the brain is the neuronally expressed GLUT3. Recent research has shown an involvement of GLUT3 genetic variation or altered expression in several different brain disorders, including Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Furthermore, GLUT3 was identified as a potential risk gene for multiple psychiatric disorders. To study the role of GLUT3 in brain function and disease a more detailed knowledge of its expression in model organisms is needed. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has in recent years gained popularity as a model organism for brain research and is now well-established for modeling psychiatric disorders. Here, we have analyzed the sequence of GLUT3 orthologs and identified two paralogous genes in the zebrafish, slc2a3a and slc2a3b. Interestingly, the Glut3b protein sequence contains a unique stretch of amino acids, which may be important for functional regulation. The slc2a3a transcript is detectable in the central nervous system including distinct cellular populations in telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon and rhombencephalon at embryonic and larval stages. Conversely, the slc2a3b transcript shows a rather diffuse expression pattern at different embryonic stages and brain regions. Expression of slc2a3a is maintained in the adult brain and is found in the telencephalon, diencephalon, mesencephalon, cerebellum and medulla oblongata. The slc2a3b transcripts are present in overlapping as well as distinct regions compared to slc2a3a. Double in situ hybridizations were used to demonstrate that slc2a3a is expressed by some GABAergic neurons at embryonic stages. This detailed description of zebrafish slc2a3a and slc2a3b expression at developmental and adult stages paves the way for further investigations of normal GLUT3 function and its role in brain disorders.
KW  - glucose transporter
KW  - nervous system
KW  - brain disorders
KW  - psychiatric disorders
KW  - brain development
KW  - GABA
KW  - GAD1
Y1  - 2019
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201797
VL  - 12
IS  - 199
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Jansch, Charline
A1  - Ziegler, Georg C.
A1  - Forero, Andrea
A1  - Gredy, Sina
A1  - Wäldchen, Sina
A1  - Vitale, Maria Rosaria
A1  - Svirin, Evgeniy
A1  - Zöller, Johanna E. M.
A1  - Waider, Jonas
A1  - Günther, Katharina
A1  - Edenhofer, Frank
A1  - Sauer, Markus
A1  - Wischmeyer, Erhard
A1  - Lesch, Klaus-Peter
T1  - Serotonin-specific neurons differentiated from human iPSCs form distinct subtypes with synaptic protein assembly
JF  - Journal of Neural Transmission
N2  - Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have revolutionized the generation of experimental disease models, but the development of protocols for the differentiation of functionally active neuronal subtypes with defined specification is still in its infancy. While dysfunction of the brain serotonin (5-HT) system has been implicated in the etiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders, investigation of functional human 5-HT specific neurons in vitro has been restricted by technical limitations. We describe an efficient generation of functionally active neurons from hiPSCs displaying 5-HT specification by modification of a previously reported protocol. Furthermore, 5-HT specific neurons were characterized using high-end fluorescence imaging including super-resolution microscopy in combination with electrophysiological techniques. Differentiated hiPSCs synthesize 5-HT, express specific markers, such as tryptophan hydroxylase 2 and 5-HT transporter, and exhibit an electrophysiological signature characteristic of serotonergic neurons, with spontaneous rhythmic activities, broad action potentials and large afterhyperpolarization potentials. 5-HT specific neurons form synapses reflected by the expression of pre- and postsynaptic proteins, such as Bassoon and Homer. The distribution pattern of Bassoon, a marker of the active zone along the soma and extensions of neurons, indicates functionality via volume transmission. Among the high percentage of 5-HT specific neurons (~ 42%), a subpopulation of CDH13 + cells presumably designates dorsal raphe neurons. hiPSC-derived 5-HT specific neuronal cell cultures reflect the heterogeneous nature of dorsal and median raphe nuclei and may facilitate examining the association of serotonergic neuron subpopulations with neuropsychiatric disorders.
KW  - neuropsychiatric disorders
KW  - human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)
KW  - serotonin-specific neurons
KW  - median and dorsal raphe
KW  - synapse formation
KW  - Cadherin-13 (CDH13)
Y1  - 2021
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-268519
SN  - 1435-1463
VL  - 128
IS  - 2
ER  -