Transcriptomic and Functional Landscape of Adult Human Spinal Cord NSPCs Compared to iPSC-Derived Neural Progenitor Cells

This study compares neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) from adult human spinal cords with those derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The goal is to understand how well iPSC-derived NSPCs mimic real spinal cord NSPCs, which is important for developing cell therapies for spinal cord injuries. Researchers looked at the transcriptomic profiles (gene activity) and functional properties of three types of NSPCs: those directly from the spinal cord, those made from iPSCs and directed to become spinal cord cells (iPSC-SC), and those made from iPSCs and directed to become forebrain cells (iPSC-Br). The study found that iPSC-Br NSPCs were more similar to real spinal cord NSPCs in terms of gene activity and their ability to turn into neurons. This suggests that iPSC-Br NSPCs could be a better option for cell therapies aimed at repairing spinal cord injuries.

• 1
  iPSC-Br NSPCs exhibit a closer resemblance to bona fide spinal cord NSPCs, characterized by enriched expression of neurogenesis, axon guidance, synaptic signaling, and voltage-gated calcium channel activity pathways.
• 2
  iPSC-SC NSPCs displayed significant heterogeneity, suboptimal regional specification, and elevated expression of neural crest and immune response-associated genes.
• 3
  Donor-specific factors significantly modulated transcriptomic profiles, with notable variability in the alignment of iPSC-derived NSPCs to bona fide spinal cord NSPCs.