Stem-cell modeling of cerebellar dysfunction of Angelman syndrome

Abstract

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the loss of function of the maternal allele of the neuron-specific imprinted gene UBE3A. Although AS presents with developmental delay, ataxia, epilepsy, and speech impairment, the distinct roles of various brain regions in its pathology remain unclear, hindering the design of effective therapeutic strategies. Of all brain regions, the nature and impact of dysfunction of the cerebellum in AS remain elusive. To start addressing this, we leveraged our optimized stem cell-based model of regionally patterned human cerebellar organoids (hCerOs) capable of producing major cerebellar neuronal subtypes, including Purkinje and granule cells, further matured in a two-dimensional (2D) culture system. We modeled AS using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines carrying the common class II deletion and unaffected controls previously validated in our system. hCerOs from both backgrounds recapitulate lineage commitment and neuron-specific UBE3A imprinting. AS hCerOs consistently show reduced size, impaired neuroepithelial expansion, and diminished expression of glutamatergic and GABAergic progenitor markers. Transcriptomic profiling and functional assays assessing neuronal activity during the maturation stage uncovered delayed maturation, abnormal firing and increased neuronal excitability in AS cultures. These results position our hCerO model as a robust platform for future mechanistic studies and therapeutic screening aimed at targeting cerebellar dysfunction in AS.