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Modulation of neural embryonic stem cell differentiation by intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. Roles of purinergic receptors and voltage gated Ca2+ channels

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Author(s):
Talita Glaser
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Doctoral Thesis
Press: São Paulo.
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Conjunto das Químicas (IQ e FCF) (CQ/DBDCQ)
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Alexander Henning Ulrich; Antonio Carlos Cassola; Bettina Malnic; Eduardo Moraes Rego Reis; Chao Yun Irene Yan
Advisor: Alexander Henning Ulrich
Abstract

Purinergic receptors and voltage gated Ca2+ channels have been attributed with developmental functions including gastrulation and neural differentiation. Upon activation, nucleotide-activated P2 purinergic receptor and voltage-gated Ca2+ channel subtypes trigger intracellular calcium transients controlling cellular processes. Here, we studied the participation of voltage-gated calcium channels and P2 receptor activity in spontaneous calcium transients and consequent regulation expression of transcription factors related to retinoic acid-induced neurogenesis of mouse neural stem and embryonic stem cells (ESC). In embryonic pluripotent stem cells, proliferation is accelerated by P2X7 receptor activation, while receptor expression / activity needs to be down-regulated for the progress of neuroblast differentiation. Moreover, along neural differentiation time lapse imaging with means of a cytosolic calcium-sensitive fluorescent probe provided different patterns of spontaneous calcium transients (waves and spikes) showing that both, frequency and amplitude increased along differentiation. Cells treated with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) inhibitor Xestospongin C showed spikes but not waves, indicating that waves exclusively depended on calcium release from endoplasmic reticulum by IP3R activation. Cells treated with the P2X7 receptor subtype agonist Bz-ATP and the P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptor 2-S-UTP increased frequency and amplitudes of calcium transients, mainly spikes, in embryonic telencephalon neural stem cells (NSC) and NSC pre-differentiated from ESC. Data obtained by luminescence time lapse imaging of stable transfected cells with Mash1 or Ngn2 promoter-protein fusion to luciferase reporter construct revealed increased Mash1 expression due to activation of P2Y2/P2Y4 receptor subtypes, while increased expression of Ngn2 was observed following P2X7 receptor activation. In addition, cells imaged in presence of the extracellular calcium chelator EGTA or following endoplasmic reticulum calcium store depletion by thapsigargin showed a decrease in Mash1 and Ngn2 expression, indicating that both are regulated by calcium signaling. Investigation of the roles of voltage gated Ca2+ channels in neural differentiation showed that Ca2+ influx in NSC pre-differentiated from ESC is due to membrane depolarization and L-type voltage gated Ca2+ channel activation, thereby controlling cell fate decision, by stabilizing the expression of MASH1 and inducing differentiation, by phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB. Altogether these data suggest that P2X7, P2Y2, P2Y4 receptors and L-type voltage gated Ca2+ channels can modulate spontaneous calcium oscillations during neural differentiation and consequently change the Mash1 and Ngn2 expression patterns, thus favoring the cell fate decision to the neuronal phenotype. (AU)