Biology subjects

Aiba, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Aiba, A..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Decoding Spine Nanostructure in Mental Disorders Reveals a Schizophrenia-Linked Role for Ecrg4

Dendritic spine dysfunction may contribute to the etiology and symptom expression of neuropsychiatric disorders. The intimate relationship between spine morphology and function suggests that decoding disease-related abnormalities from spine morphology can aid in developing synapse-targeted interventions. Here, we describe a population analysis of dendritic spine nanostructure applied to the objective grouping of multiple mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders. This method has identified two major groups of spine phenotypes linked to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An increase in spine subpopulation with small volumes characterized the spines of schizophrenia-associated mouse models, whereas a spine subset with large volumes increased in ASD models. Schizophrenia-associated mouse models showed higher similarity in spine morphology, driven by reduced size and growth of nascent spines. The expression of Ecrg4, a gene encoding small secretory peptides, was increased in schizophrenia-associated mouse models, and functional studies confirmed its critical involvement in impaired spine dynamics and shape. These results suggest that population-level spine analysis provides rich insights into heterogeneous spine pathology, facilitating the identification of new molecular targets related to core synaptic dysfunction.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Modeling the marmoset brain using embryonic stem cell-derived cerebral assembloids

Studying the non-human primate (NHP) brain is required for the translation of rodent research to humans, but remains a challenge for molecular, cellular, and circuit-level analyses in the NHP brain due to the lack of in vitro NHP brain system. Here, we report an in vitro NHP cerebral model using marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) embryonic stem cell-derived cerebral assembloids (CAs) that recapitulate inhibitory neuron migration and cortical network activity. Cortical organoids (COs) and ganglionic eminence organoids (GEOs) were induced from cjESCs and fused to generate CAs. GEO cells expressing the inhibitory neuron marker LHX6 migrated toward the cortical side of CAs. COs developed their neural activity from a synchronized pattern to an unsynchronized pattern as COs matured. CAs showed mature neural activity with an unsynchronized pattern. The marmoset assembloid system will provide an in vitro platform for the NHP neurobiology and facilitate translation into humans in neuroscience research, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Semaphorin3F reduces vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell PI3K activation and decreases neointimal plaque formation

We previously conducted genetic analyses, and identified semaphorin signaling as associating with coronary artery disease. Of the semaphorins, human vascular expression profiling suggested SEMA3F as potentially linked to atherogenesis. In hyperlipidemic mice, SEMA3F reduced aortic lesion area, and increased fibrous cap endothelial content, leading to plaque stability. In a disturbed-flow-mediated endothelial dysfunction-driven lesion model, the absence of Sema3f increased plaques, further implicating SEMA3F in endothelial function. Monocyte adhesion to Sema3f-/- vascular endothelial cells (VECs) was elevated, driven by increased PI3K activity, leading to increased NF-{kappa}B-mediated elevation in VCAM1 and ICAM1 expression, suggesting that SEMA3F reduces VEC PI3K activity. Increased permeability led to increased monocyte transmigration through Sema3f-/- VECs, and mTOR phosphorylation was decreased, suppressing VE-cadherin expression and cell-cell adherens junction stability. Actomyosin fiber formation was decreased in Sema3f-/- VECs, which was reversed by PI3K inhibition, further implicating SEMA3F in adherens junction stability. In Sema3f-/- vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), active PI3K was also increased. PI3K facilitates VSMC proliferation, migration, and pro-atherogenic phenotype switching, which were reduced by SEMA3F. In agreement, in a model of VSMC proliferation and migration-induced neointima formation, SEMA3F reduced plaques. Semaphorin3F is causally atheroprotective. SEMA3Fs suppression of VEC and VSMC PI3K activation may contribute to its atheroprotection.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Rac-dependent signaling from keratinocytes promotes differentiation of intradermal white adipocytes

Rac signaling affects numerous downstream targets; however, few studies have established in vivo levels. We generated mice with a single knockout (KO) of Rac1 (Keratin5 (K5)-Cre;Rac1flox/flox, Rac1-KO) and double KO of Rac1 and Rac3 (K5-Cre;Rac1flox/flox;Rac3-/-, Rac1/Rac3-DKO) in keratinocytes. Strikingly, Rac1-KO mice exhibited thinner dermal white adipose tissue, which was considerably further reduced in Rac1/Rac3-DKO mice. DNA microarray using primary keratinocytes from Rac1/Rac3-DKO mice exhibited decreased mRNA levels of Bmp2, Bmp5, Fgf20, Fgf21, Fgfbp1, and Pdgf. Combinational treatment with BMP2 and FGF21 or BMP2 and FGF20 in culture medium, but not individual purified recombinant proteins, could differentiate 3T3-L1 fibroblasts into adipocytes, as could culture media obtained from primary keratinocytes. Conversely, addition of anti-BMP2 or anti-FGF21 antibodies into the culture medium inhibited fibroblast differentiation. Furthermore, combinational treatment with BMP2 and FGF21 promoted adipocyte differentiation only of rat primary white, but not brown, adipocyte precursors. Notably, brown adipogenesis by FGF21 was inhibited by BMP2. Thus, we proposed novel paracrine pathways from keratinocytes to intradermal pre-adipocytes, which function as Rac-dependent modulators of white adipogenesis, but also brown adipogenesis.

cell biology↗