Cellular reprogramming: a new approach to modelling Parkinson's disease.
Elizabeth M Hartfield1, Hugo J R Fernandes, Jane Vowles
1Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, U.K. elizabeth.hartfield@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Biochemical Society Transactions
|September 20, 2012
Summary
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) enable Parkinson's disease (PD) research by creating patient-specific dopaminergic neurons. These models allow study of early molecular changes in neurodegeneration, offering new insights into PD pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are generated from somatic cells using reprogramming factors.
- Patient-derived iPSCs allow for the creation of disease-specific cell models.
- Parkinson's disease (PD) research has advanced with iPSC technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in cellular reprogramming for Parkinson's disease research.
- To discuss studies utilizing PD-derived iPSCs and differentiated dopaminergic neurons.
- To highlight the potential of iPSCs in studying early neurodegenerative changes.
Main Methods:
- Reprogramming somatic cells from PD patients into iPSCs.
- Differentiating iPSCs into dopaminergic neurons.
- Comparing the physiology of patient-derived neurons with control neurons.
Main Results:
- iPSC lines generated from patients with various PD-associated mutations (SNCA, PARK2, PINK1, PARK7, LRRK2) and idiopathic PD.
- Functional dopaminergic neurons differentiated from PD-derived iPSCs.
- Suggested aberrations in cellular pathways involved in neurodegeneration observed in patient-derived neurons.
Conclusions:
- PD-derived iPSCs provide a unique in vitro model for studying neurodegenerative diseases.
- These models offer opportunities to investigate early molecular events in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.
- Further research is needed to identify unambiguous phenotypes in patient-derived dopaminergic neurons.
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