Derkus, B. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Functional Human Retinohypothalamic Tract Assembloid Model for Circadian Rhythm Research

The retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) is the primary pathway for circadian photoentrainment. Rodent models exhibit a significant translational gap for human physiology due to their nocturnal nature. To overcome this, we developed a functional human RHT assembloid by fusing human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) derived retinal and hypothalamus organoids. Characterization revealed mature retinal brush borders and the preservation of melanopsin-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) integrated via excitatory glutamatergic synapses. Multielectrode array (MEA) analysis confirmed synchronized network activity across the interface. The development of the human RHT assembloid represents a significant leap forward in chronobiology. The "gold standard" for circadian models--self-sustained gene expression oscillations--was demonstrated using a PER2::Luciferase reporter, showing robust 20- 30 hour rhythms. This validates the hypothalamic component as a functional "clock in a dish". This platform provides a readout to screen drugs or test light-pulse effects on circadian phase, directly modeling jet lag or phase-shifting. Overall, this model offers a high-fidelity system for investigating human-specific chronobiological mechanisms in vitro. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=75 SRC="FIGDIR/small/700761v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (27K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1327027org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@61183corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7e280eorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@77e7ce_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2024

Pathogenic microbiota disrupts the intact structure of cerebral organoids by altering energy metabolism

This study investigated the impact of different bacterial populations on the biomolecular structures of cerebral organoids (COs) at various levels. COs were co-cultured with non-pathogenic (NM) and pathogenic (PM) bacterial populations. PM reduced the number of TUJ1+ neurons and disrupted the intact structure of COs. In addition, PM was found to induce changes in the transcript profile of COs, including a decrease in the activity of the glycolysis pathway and an increase in the pentose phosphate pathway, leading to deterioration in cellular energy metabolism, which is linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Proteomic analysis revealed a unique cluster of proteins in COs. PM exposure upregulated proteins related to neurological diseases, consistent with RNA-seq data. Communication between bacteria and neural cells was demonstrated using 18O-stable isotope labeling (SIL)-based metabolic flux analysis. COs showed higher 18O-enrichment of TCA cycle intermediates when co-cultured with NM and PM, indicating increased oxidative phosphorylation activity upon exposure to bacteria. This study provides a useful platform to monitor metabolic signals and communication between microbiotas and human brain cells. The findings suggest that pathogenic bacteria release metabolites that alter biomolecular structures in brain organoids, potentially contributing to neurodegenerative diseases.

neuroscience↗