The Journal of Neuroscience, July 2, 2003, 23(13):5599-5606
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Alteration of Gene Expression by Chromosome Loss in the Postnatal Mouse Brain
Dhruv Kaushal,1,3
James J. A. Contos,3
Kai Treuner,5
Amy H. Yang,2,3
Marcy A. Kingsbury,3
Stevens K. Rehen,3
Michael J. McConnell,2,3,5
Masaru Okabe,4
Carrolee Barlow,5 and
Jerold Chun1,2,3
1Neuroscience and
2Biomedical Sciences Programs, and
3Department of Pharmacology, University of California,
San Diego, San Diego, California 92093, 4Genome
Information Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 Japan,
5Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for
Biological Studies, La Jolla, California 92037
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Abstract
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Frequent chromosomal aneuploidy has recently been discovered in normal
neurons of the developing and mature murine CNS. Toward a more detailed
understanding of aneuploidy and its effects on normal CNS cells, we examined
the genomes of cells in the postnatal subventricular zone (SVZ), an area that
harbors a large number of neural stem and progenitor cells (NPCs), which give
rise to neurons and glia. Here we show that NPCs, neurons, and glia from the
SVZ are frequently aneuploid. Karyotyping revealed that
33% of mitotic
SVZ cells lost or gained chromosomes in vivo, whereas interphase
fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated aneuploidy in
postnatal-born cells in the olfactory bulb (OB) in vivo, along with
neurons, glia, and NPCs in vitro. One possible consequence of
aneuploidy is altered gene expression through loss of heterozygosity (LOH).
This was examined in a model of LOH: loss of transgene expression in mice
hemizygous for a ubiquitously expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein
(eGFP) transgene on chromosome 15. Concurrent examination of eGFP expression,
transgene abundance, and chromosome 15 copy number demonstrated that a
preponderance of living SVZ and OB cells not expressing eGFP lost one copy of
chromosome 15; the eGFP transgene was lost in these cells as well. Although
gene expression profiling revealed changes in expression levels of several
genes relative to GFP-expressing controls, cells with LOH at chromosome 15
were morphologically normal and proliferated or underwent apoptosis at rates
similar to those of euploid cells in vitro. These findings support
the view that NPCs and postnatal-born neurons and glia can be aneuploid in
vivo and functional gene expression can be permanently altered in living
neural cells by chromosomal aneuploidy.
Key words: stem cells; aneuploidy; loss of heterozygosity; mosaicism; olfactory bulb; gene expression profiling
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Introduction
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Rapid division of stem and progenitor cells during CNS development gives
rise to the neurons and glia that populate the adult brain. Faithful
transmission of genetic information during these divisions is thought to be
essential for normal brain development, but until recently the fidelity of
transmission of genetic information during CNS development had not been
measured.
We recently examined the genomes of developing and mature neurons of the
mouse cerebral cortex and made the surprising discovery that 33% of
proliferating cortical stem and progenitor cells became aneuploid (i.e., lost
or gained one or more whole chromosomes), in part through chromosome
mis-segregation during mitosis (Rehen et
al., 2001
). Many, but not all, aneuploid cells appeared to survive
as neurons in the adult cerebral cortex.
Is the genesis of aneuploid cells restricted to the cerebral cortex? Does
aneuploidy alter gene expression, survival, or proliferation of neural cells?
To address these questions, we studied aneuploidy and its effects on gene
expression and function in normal neural cells from the subventricular zone
(SVZ) of the postnatal mouse brain. The SVZ is one of two neurogenic areas in
the mammalian CNS that remains active throughout life
(Gage, 2002
) via proliferation
of a pool of neural progenitor cells (NPCs)
(Alvarez-Buylla and Garcia-Verdugo,
2002
). The cells of the SVZ have been well characterized, with an
eye toward their potential therapeutic uses
(Aboody et al., 2000
). We used
the SVZ as a model because of its accessibility and relative homogeneity
(Doetsch et al., 1997
), which
allowed us to (1) characterize the extent of aneuploidy and identify aneuploid
cells, and (2) directly examine the effects of aneuploidy on gene expression,
proliferation, and survival.
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Materials and Methods
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Metaphase chromosome spreads. Chromosome spreads were obtained
from mitotic SVZ or embryonic liver cells using standard protocols
(Barch et al., 1997
;
Rehen et al., 2001
). Briefly,
postnatal day (P) 5 to P10 SVZs were dissected and held intact for 35
hr in Opti-Mem supplemented with 10 ng/ml FGF-2 and 100 ng/ml colcemid
(Invitrogen, San Diego, CA) to arrest cells in metaphase. Individual cells
were then dissociated and incubated in 75 mM KCl for 1215
min before fixation in 3:1 methanol:acetic acid. Embryonic day (E) 13 livers
were dissected from contaminating mesoderm and gut before arrest and fixation
as described above.
In situ hybridization. Hybridizations of metaphase chromosome
spreads were performed using mouse Spectral Karyotyping (SKY) paints (Applied
Spectral Imaging, Carlsbad, CA) according to manufacturer instructions.
Hybridizations of interphase nuclei or cultured cells with mouse whole
chromosome paints (Applied Spectral Imaging) were performed as described
previously (Rehen et al.,
2001
). Error rates for SKY and interphase fluorescence in
situ hybridization (FISH) karyotypes were estimated to be <2% in
previous studies in which rates of chromosome loss measured by interphase FISH
or SKY were compared with rates estimated from direct measurement of DNA
content (Rehen et al.,
2001
).
Cell culture. Culture of SVZ cells for FISH was performed by the
methods of Lim and Alvarez-Buylla
(1999
) or Reynolds et al.
(1992
) with the following
modifications: cells were cultured in Opti-Mem (Invitrogen) supplemented with
2.5% fetal calf serum and/or 10 ng/ml FGF-2 and 20 ng/ml epidermal growth
factor (EGF). For FISH analysis, cells were dispersed onto poly-lysine-coated
dishes (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) or slides after brief incubation and mild
trituration in PBS with 2 mM EGTA. For flow-sorting and gene
expression profiling or antibody staining, SVZ glia and glial-restricted NPCs
were expanded in Opti-Mem containing 2.5% serum, EGF, and FGF-2
(Levison and Goldman, 1997
)
for 10 d before fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). For antibody
staining after flow sorting, cells were harvested by centrifugation for 10 min
at 500 x g, resuspended in 50100 µl of Opti-Mem, and
plated onto 12 mm coverslips (Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA) coated with
cell-tak (Collaborative Research, Bedford, MA) or poly-lysine (Sigma) as
described previously (Fukushima et al.,
1998
).
Flow sorting. Cells from green fluorescent protein (GFP)
transgenic mice were sorted by standard protocols
(Kawakami et al., 1999
) in PBS
supplemented with 2% bovine serum albumin (Sigma). GFP+ and GFP cells
were isolated first by establishing suitable gates for live cells on the basis
of forward and side light scatter, GFP peak width, and exclusion of propidium
iodide (Sigma), and then sorted into GFP+ and GFP bins on the basis of
GFP intensity. After sorting, cells were either cultured for 1224 hr
and stained with antibodies or harvested for isolation of genomic DNA or total
RNA.
PCR. Genomic DNA was isolated by standard protocols with the
exception that in the FACS-sorted cells (because of low genomic DNA
quantities), 10 µg of yeast tRNA was used as a carrier to precipitate the
DNA. The amount of genomic DNA (gDNA) in the samples was estimated on the
basis of cell counts from FACS. PCR reactions of 20 µl consisted of 1 PCR
buffer (Invitrogen), 2 mM MgSO4, 0.25 mM each
dNTP, 0.5 mM each primer, and 0.5 U HiFi Taq (Invitrogen).
Tubes were cycled 35 times (95°C for 30 sec; 56°C for 30 sec; 72°C
for 3 min). Primer pairs used for s1p3 were edg3a
(5'-CGCATGTACTTTTTCATTGGCAA-3') and edg3c
(5'-GGGTTCATGGCGGAGTTGAG-3'), and for GFP, eGFPF2
(5'-GGCAAGCTGACCCTGAAGTT-3') and eGFPR3
(5'-GCGCTTCTCGTTGGGGTCTTT-3'). Expected PCR product sizes were 528
bp (eGFPF2eGFPR3) and 627 bp (edg3aedg3c). Products were
separated and visualized by electrophoresis on 1.2% agarose gels containing
0.5 µg/ml ethidium bromide. Gels were also Southern blotted and probed with
fragments of the corresponding gene. Products were quantitated using a
densitometer.
The other primer pair used to amplify the GFP gene gave a PCR product of
645 bp using eGFPF1 (5'-CGA CGT AAA CGG CCA CAA GTT-3') and eGFPR1
(5'-TCG TCC ATG CCG AGA GTG AT-3'). We also amplified
s1p2 from chromosome 9 (expected product size, 415 bp; using edg4a
5'-TTA ACT CCC GTG CAG TGG TTT GC-3' and edg4b 5'-ACG ATG
GTG ACC GTC TTG AGC A-3').
Gene expression profiling. Three separate paired GFP+ and
GFP SVZ cell samples were sorted into RNA-Later (Ambion, Austin, TX),
and RNA was isolated using a StrataPrep total RNA isolation kit (Stratagene,
La Jolla, CA). RNA was quantitated with RiboGreen reagent (Molecular Probes,
Eugene, OR). For each GFP+ or GFP sample, RNA was linearly amplified by
alternating rounds of cDNA synthesis and in vitro transcription using
MessageAmp Kits (Ambion). RNA was labeled using BioArray high-yield RNA
transcript labeling kits (Enzo, Farmingdale, NY). Synthesized RNA from each
sample was hybridized to a Mouse Genome U74Av2 array (Affymetrix, Santa Clara,
CA). Each sample was processed independently and hybridized to a different
array. Array results were analyzed using the Microarray Suite software
(version 4.0; Affymetrix). All arrays were normalized to the same average
intensity on the basis of the hybridization signal of the probe sets
corresponding to the 60th-90th percentile. Array data were analyzed using the
Teradata relational database and algorithms (TeraGenomics; available at
http://www.teragenomics.com).
Criteria used to identify probe sets with signal differences between GFP+ and
GFP cells included a consistent call of increased and/or marginally
increased or decreased and/or marginally decreased change >1.8-fold, an
absolute difference change >50 in at least six of the nine comparisons and
a present call in at least one of the comparison files. To approximate the
false positive rate for this analysis, we applied the same criteria
independently to comparisons between individual GFP+ or GFP
samples.
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Results
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Chromosome displacement and aneuploidy among mitotic SVZ cells in
vivo
Chromosome displacement, postulated to contribute to CNS aneuploidy in the
developing cerebral cortex (Rehen et al.,
2001
), was identified among proliferating cells of the postnatal
SVZ. Twenty micrometer sections of P5 SVZ were immunostained for
phosphorylated histone H3 (phospho-H3) to label the condensed chromosomes of
cells in M-phase (Hendzel et al.,
1997
; Rehen et al.,
2001
) (Fig.
1B). In 7% of cells examined, chromosomes were displaced
from the main metaphase plate (Fig.
1C), suggesting that some SVZ cells mis-segregate their
chromosomes.

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Figure 1. Chromosome displacement and aneuploidy in the SVZ. A, Schematic
parasaggital view of P5 brain depicting the SVZ, RMS, and
OB.B,Lowpower (20x) view of a parasaggital section of P5 SVZ
stained with anti-phospho-H3 antibody (red) and DAPI (blue). Note the
concentration of phospho-H3 positive mitotic cells in the SVZ. Scale bar,
50 µm. V, Lateral ventricle; D, dorsal; A, anterior. C, High
power (100x) view of a single phospho-H3-positive cell (red) with
displaced chromosomes (arrow). Note the displaced chromosomes stain with both
DAPI and phospho-H3. Scale bar, 5 µm. D, Schematic SVZ
karyotyping protocol. After dissection, SVZ explants are incubated with
colcemid for 3 hr before dissociation and fixation. E, F,
DAPI-stained aneuploid metaphase chromosome spreads. The cell in E
has 38 chromosomes; the cell in F has 29. A euploid cell in the mouse
has 40 chromosomes. G, Chromosome number histogram for 65 karyotyped
metaphase cells (66% of cells karyotyped were euploid). Of aneuploid cells,
the majority lost one or more chromosomes.
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The predicted result of chromosome mis-segregation is aneuploidy. Rates of
aneuploidy in the SVZ were determined by examination of metaphase chromosome
spreads isolated from P5P10 mice
(Fig. 1D) as described
previously (Barch et al., 1997
;
Rehen et al., 2001
).
Karyotyping of such spreads by staining with
4'6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole hydrochloride (DAPI) or SKY
(Liyanage et al., 1996
)
provides an accurate estimate of chromosome number in neural cells
(Rehen et al., 2001
). DAPI
staining (Fig. 1E,F)
and SKY of 65 chromosome spreads from P5P10 SVZ revealed frequent
numerical, but not structural, chromosomal abnormalities in these cells. In
contrast, karyotype abnormalities were rarely seen in stimulated peripheral
lymphocytes, a standard cytogenetic control preparation (data not shown)
(Rehen et al., 2001
). The
normal number of chromosomes in a diploid mouse cell is 40. One-third (33%) of
cells from the postnatal SVZ did not have 40 chromosomes
(Fig. 1G). A strong
bias toward chromosome loss existed among aneuploid cells:
25% had fewer
than 40 chromosomes. Importantly, a majority of aneuploid cells was missing
multiple chromosomes.
To additionally characterize the incidence of mosaic aneuploidy among
normal somatic cells, we karyotyped mitotic cells from the livers of E13 mice.
Among 48 mitotic liver cells karyotyped by SKY or DAPI staining, five (10.42%)
were aneuploid (data not shown). This rate of aneuploidy was significantly
lower than that seen among P5P10 SVZ cells (p < 0.01;
2) but was not significantly different from the rate seen among
peripheral lymphocytes (3.4%), suggesting that the rates of mosaic aneuploidy
are higher in the CNS than in other tissues.
Aneuploidy among interphase SVZ and postnatal-born olfactory bulb
cells in vivo
To confirm that many SVZ cells were aneuploid, we harvested nuclei from
male P5P10 SVZ and counted their sex chromosomes by interphase FISH
with chromosome paints for mouse X and Y chromosomes (XY FISH)
(Rehen et al., 2001
). On the
basis of karyotyping of mitotic SVZ cells and previous measurements of sex
chromosome gain and loss among proliferating embryonic neuronal progenitors,
68% of SVZ nuclei were expected to have lost a sex chromosome. XY FISH
measurement revealed 5% of cells examined had lost an X or Y chromosome
(Table 1, postnatal SVZ), a
rate near that measured for proliferating neuronal progenitor cells of the
embryonic cerebral cortex (Rehen et al.,
2001
) and substantially above the false positive rate for this
assay (< 2%). XY FISH and karyotyping of metaphase chromosome spreads
require different methods for sample preparation and capture cells in
different stages of cell-cycle progression, yet the two techniques yielded
complementary results. This demonstrated that some SVZ cells were
aneuploid.
The substantial rate of aneuploidy among proliferating SVZ cells prompted
us to ask whether aneuploidy persists in SVZ-born cells that migrate to the
olfactory bulb. Aneuploidy was examined among OB neurons that are born in the
postnatal SVZ and migrate to the granular and periglomerular layers of the OB
through the rostral migratory stream (Lois
and Alvarez-Buylla, 1994
; Craig
et al., 1999
). These cells were identified by injecting 7-d-old
male mice with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)
(Fig. 2A). Eight days
after injection, cell nuclei from the OB were harvested, processed for XY
FISH, and immunostained for BrdU (Fig.
2A). In the OB, 5.97% of BrdU-positive cells lost or
gained a sex chromosome (Fig.
2B; Table
1, postnatal-born OB), a rate slightly higher than that observed
in all OB cells (4.33%) (Table
1, adult olfactory bulb). These results suggest that some of the
aneuploid cells born in the SVZ are competent to migrate and survive as
neurons in the OB.

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Figure 2. Migration of aneuploid cells to the olfactory bulb. A, Schematic
experimental protocol. Male P7 mice were given a single intraperitoneal
injection of BrdU and survived for 8 d before isolation of nuclei from the OB
for FISH and BrdU detection. B, Examples of BrdU-positive euploid and
aneuploid nuclei. FISH probes paint X (red) and Y (green) chromosomes. The
BrdU+ cell in the bottom left (arrow) lost the Y chromosome, whereas the BrdU+
cell in the top right has both an X and a Y.
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Aneuploidy among the major SVZ cell types in vitro
What SVZ cell types are aneuploid? The SVZ is an especially useful
preparation for determining the identities of aneuploid cells on the basis of
previous studies that have categorized neurons, glia, and NPCs by
immunohistochemistry and ultrastructure
(Doetsch et al., 1997
). Each
cell type can also be cultured and purified in vitro
(Reynolds et al., 1992
;
Lim and Alvarez-Buylla, 1999
).
To this end, P5P10 SVZ cells were grown in media with serum for
510 d and microtobule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) immunoreactive
neurons (Fig. 3C) or
glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactive
(Fig. 3E) glial cells
were isolated by the method of Lim and Alvarez-Buylla
(1999
). Alternatively, SVZ
cells were grown without serum and with 20 ng/ml of EGF and 10 ng/ml of FGF-2
for 510 d to generate cultures highly enriched for stem and progenitor
cells (Reynolds et al., 1992
;
Craig et al., 1996
). XY FISH
revealed that 69% of cells of each type had gained or lost a sex
chromosome (Fig.
3BF; Table
1, SVZ neurons, glia, NPCs in vitro). Similar results
were obtained when cells were hybridized with whole chromosome 14 paints (data
not shown). These results demonstrated that aneuploidy was common to multiple
CNS cell types. Given that the majority of dividing cells in the SVZ are
progenitor cells (Doetsch et al.,
2002
), which in turn arise from glia-like stem cells
(Doetsch et al., 1999
), these
results strongly suggest that chromosomal changes in NPCs are propagated to
neurons in vivo.

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Figure 3. Aneuploidy among NPCs and their progeny in vitro. A, Schematic
experimental protocol. SVZ cells were harvested from P5P10 mice,
cultured with 2% fetal calf serum or 20 ng/ml of EGF and 10 ng/ml of FGF-2 for
510 d before harvesting specific cell types using established methods.
B, D, F, Nomarski and X (red) and Y (green) FISH images of cultured
SVZ cells. C, E, Antibody-stained (blue) and X (red) and Y (green)
FISH images of cultured SVZ cells. B, An SVZ-generated neuron without
a Y chromosome (arrow). Note that the cell above it has both X and Y.
C, An SVZ-generated, MAP-2-expressing neuron (blue) with two X
chromosomes and one Y chromosome (arrow). The adjacent neuron is euploid.
D, An SVZ-generated glial cell with no X chromosome (arrow). The cell
in the bottom right is euploid. E, An SVZ-generated, GFAP
immunoreactive glial cell (blue) that lost a Y chromosome (arrow). Note the
glial cell in the adjacent panel E* is euploid. F, An
aneuploid NPC (arrow) with one X chromosome and two Y chromosomes. The cell on
the left has two X and two Y chromosomes, suggesting it is tetraploid.
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Losses of heterozygosity in aneuploid SVZ cells in vitro and
in vivo
One possible functional consequence of aneuploidy is altered gene
expression in cells of the SVZ and OB. Given the preponderance of chromosome
loss among aneuploid cells, many SVZ and OB cells likely harbor multiple
losses of heterozygosity (Lengauer et al.,
1998
; Serra et al.,
2001
; Thiagalingam et al.,
2002
). Although normal diploid cells have two copies of each
autosome, many aneuploid cells in the SVZ and OB have only one copy of at
least one autosome. In these cells, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) would abolish
expression of alleles on lost chromosomes, allowing only expression of alleles
present on remaining ones.
This possibility was examined in a model system that captured the essential
features of LOH: loss of expression of a globally expressed hemizygous
transgene. We analyzed mice hemizygous for an enhanced green fluorescent
protein (eGFP) transgene driven by the chick
-actin promoter
(Okabe et al., 1997
) and
present at a single locus on chromosome 15
(Fig. 4A and data not
shown). These mice were chosen because cells possessing the transgene express
it constitutively at a high level (Okabe
et al., 1997
), and because the transgene is expressed by >90%
of CNS cells (Fig.
5A). SVZ cells from these mice were cultured and analyzed
for GFP fluorescence and chromosome 15 copy number. Approximately 25% of
cultured SVZ cells appeared to not express the transgene
(Fig. 4B,C). Among
these cells, 23% had also lost one copy of chromosome 15
(Fig. 4, box 1). In contrast,
96% of GFP+ cells had two copies of chromosome 15
(Fig. 4, box 2), suggesting
that loss of one copy of chromosome 15, most likely the copy carrying the eGFP
transgene, had caused loss of eGFP expression through a mechanism similar to
LOH.

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Figure 4. Chromosome 15 loss is reported by loss of transgene expression in
vitro. A, FISH detects an eGFP transgene integrated at a single locus on
chromosome 15. (Two hybridization signals are visible in this chromatid pair.)
eGFP expression is driven by the chicken -actin promoter and
cytomegalovirus enhancer; a high level of expression is expected in all cells
in which the transgene is present. Subsequent analyses were performed in eGFP
hemizygotes. B, C, Variation in eGFP fluorescence in SVZ cells in
vitro. B is a Nomarski image and C shows eGFP fluorescence
(green) and chromosome 15 FISH (red). Cells in boxes 1 (GFP) and 2
(GFP+) are enlarged in adjacent panels. Boxes 1 and 2, GFP cells
frequently have only one copy of chromosome 15 (red). Cells in box 1 are
GFP and have only one copy of chromosome 15. The cell in box 2 is GFP+
and has two copies of 15.
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Chromosome loss was also identified as a source of LOH in vivo.
Acutely isolated SVZ or OB cells were separated on the basis of GFP expression
by FACS, resulting in purified GFP+ and GFP cells (Figs.
5A,
6A,B). For this
analysis, GFP cells were those with a GFP fluorescence peak area that
was two SDs less than the mean for all cells (i.e., the 2% of cells with the
least fluorescence). FISH for chromosome 15 identified 4550% of
GFP cells in the SVZ and OB that had lost a copy of chromosome 15
(Fig. 5B). In
contrast, only 212% of GFP+ cells lost a copy of 15, which reflected a
loss of the nontransgenic copy of chromosome 15, because these cells were
derived from mice with a hemizygous eGFP genotype.

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Figure 6. Proliferation and survival of cells with LOH at chromosome 15 in vitro.
A, B, Representative 40x micrographs of GFP fluorescence among live
FACS-sorted GFP+ (A) and GFP (B) cells 24 hr after
sorting. Images in each row (AB, CD,
EF) were captured using identical exposure and camera gain
settings and depict areas with similar cell densities. Note that cells in the
GFP culture are clearly less fluorescent than GFP+ cells. C,
D, Representative 20x micrographs of phospho-vimentin antibody
staining of GFP+ (C) and GFP (D) cells 24 hr after
sorting. E, F, Representative 20x micrographs of cleaved
caspase-3 staining of GFP+ (E) and GFP[mnus] (F) cells 24 hr
after sorting. G, No change in rates of vimentin phosphorylation
among GFP cells relative to GFP+. The percentage of cells
immunoreactive for phosphovimentin is presented as mean ± SE.
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To confirm loss of the copy of chromosome 15 carrying the eGFP transgene
among GFP cells, genomic DNA was taken from GFP+ and GFP cells
isolated by FACS from whole P2P4 mouse brains and analyzed by
semiquantitative genomic PCR for the eGFP transgene and the
s1p3/lpb3/edg3 gene, a control gene present on chromosome 13 (Ishii
et al., 2001
,
2002
). We found that the eGFP
transgene was
90% less abundant relative to s1p3 in GFP
cells compared with GFP+ cells (Fig.
5C). These results were obtained with multiple primer
sets and sample replicates (data not shown). Together with the increased rate
of chromosome loss among GFP cells, this finding demonstrates that loss
of eGFP expression in some CNS cells is caused by loss of the copy of
chromosome 15 carrying the eGFP transgene in vivo.
Alteration of gene expression among cells with LOH at chromosome
15
Does chromosome loss alter expression of endogenous genes? To address this
question, we harvested RNA from sorted GFP+ and GFP SVZ cells and used
oligonucleotide arrays to generate gene expression profiles of sorted cells
and identify differentially expressed genes. To isolate the direct effects of
LOH at chromosome 15, cultures of glia and glial-restricted NPCs
(Levison and Goldman, 1997
)
expanded for 10 d in vitro were used. Use of these cultures rather
than mixed cultures of neurons and glia allowed us to isolate effects of
chromosome loss in a single cell type without the complication of potential
differences in chromosome 15 loss rates, gene expression programs, or
flow-cytometric parameters between neurons and glia. Among GFP+ and GFP
glial cells, gene expression profiling revealed differential expression of 22
genes (Table 2), including both
downregulated and upregulated genes on several different chromosomes (data not
shown). These data demonstrate that endogenous gene expression programs are
altered by loss of chromosome 15, and such changes are not limited to the lost
chromosome.
Proliferation and survival of cells with LOH at chromosome 15
To determine whether LOH at chromosome 15 affects the proliferation or
survival of glial cells, we stained sorted SVZ glial cells for a marker of
proliferation, phosphorylated-vimentin (A4A; phospho-Ser55-vimentin)
(Tsujimura et al., 1994
;
Kamei et al., 1998
), or cell
death (cleaved caspase-3) (Pompeiano et
al., 2000
). SVZ glia and glial-restricted NPCs
(Levison and Goldman, 1997
)
were expanded for 10 d before FACS sorting and plating on cell-tak-coated
coverslips. Similar rates of vimentin phosphorylation
(Fig. 6G) and
caspase-3 cleavage (Fig.
6H) were observed among both GFP+ and GFP cells,
suggesting that LOH at chromosome 15 alone does not exert a strong effect on
proliferation or survival of glia or glia-restricted NPCs. However, these data
suggest that cells in the glial lineage with LOH at chromosome 15 are
competent to divide and survive at essentially normal rates in
vitro.
 |
Discussion
|
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Mosaic aneuploidy in the postnatal SVZ and OB
This study focused on aneuploidy and its consequences for neural cells. In
the postnatal SVZ (a germinal region) and OB (a site of incorporation of
postnatally born cells), many neurons, glia, and NPCs were found to be
aneuploid. We propose that aneuploidy first arises in NPCs during mitosis, an
idea that is consistent with previous work in the embryonic cortex
(Rehen et al., 2001
).
A likely fate for many aneuploid SVZ cells is death, given the high rates
of apoptosis observed among postnatally born neurons in the rostral migratory
stream (RMS) and OB (Morshead and van der
Kooy, 1992
). However, many BrdU-labeled aneuploid cells were found
in the OB, and the rate of caspase-3 cleavage was not significantly elevated
among cells with LOH on chromosome 15. These findings strongly suggest that
some aneuploid cells produced in the SVZ migrate and survive within the OB as
postmitotic neurons, also consistent with previous studies on the adult
cerebral cortex (Rehen et al.,
2001
). Together, data from the SVZ and OB may be interpreted to
mean that genetic diversity is generated among proliferating cells in the SVZ
and persists among OB neurons.
High rates of chromosome loss among interphase cells
In this study, the rates of loss of both autosomes and sex chromosomes in
interphase SVZ and OB cells fell in the range of 28%
(Table 2). It is important to
consider these rates in the context of metaphase karyotypes. For example, if
the loss rates observed for sex chromosomes and chromosome 15 in SVZ and OB
cells are representative of all chromosomes, we would predict that 100% of
cells would be missing one chromosome, which is clearly not the case. This
difficulty is resolved by the fact that, among metaphase SVZ cells
(Fig. 1G),
8%
lost only one chromosome, whereas
17% lost multiple chromosomes.
Comparison of the rates of chromosome loss from metaphase and interphase
cells provides a mechanism for cross-checking the accuracy of these
measurements. On the basis of data from metaphase spreads, the average number
of chromosomes among SVZ cells is 38.75 chromosomes per cell, suggesting an
average chromosome loss rate of 5.13%. For all observations of sex chromosome
loss among interphase cells, the average chromosome loss rate was 4.96%,
leading to an average chromosome number estimate of 39.08, in agreement with
the estimates from metaphase cells. This suggests that both interphase and
metaphase estimates of chromosome loss rates in the SVZ are accurate (within
0.2% of one another) and in accord with previous data that establish the
accuracy of these measurements in the cerebral cortex
(Rehen et al., 2001
).
Loss of heterozygosity and alteration of gene expression by
chromosome loss
The functional consequences of neural cell aneuploidy have not been
examined previously. Here, we have shown that chromosome loss among normal
neural cells can cause LOH and, in turn, alter gene expression profiles, in
line with previous results from tumor models and yeast
(Hughes et al., 2000
;
Phillips et al., 2001
).
However, we note the possibility that upregulation or downregulation of some
genes may be caused indirectly by other differences between GFP+ and
GFP cells such as altered GFP expression levels.
Differentially expressed genes provide clues to the possible functional
consequences of chromosome loss. For example, three differentially expressed
genes are known to be involved in Ca2+ signal
transduction: annexin A1, calpain small subunit 1, and ata2
(Perlmutter et al., 1988
;
Gerke and Moss, 1997
). Of
these, ata2 expression is increased threefold (3.02x), possibly
to compensate for decreased expression of annexin A1
(3.2x) and calpain small subunit 1
(1.89x).
Despite these alterations of gene expression, proliferation and survival of
cells with LOH at chromosome 15 was essentially normal. This suggests that
aneuploid stem and progenitor cells may produce aneuploid neurons and glia at
rates near those of euploid cells. However, there may be differences in the
long-term viability of differentiated aneuploid SVZ cells relative to euploid
ones. Along similar lines, the functional consequences of chromosome loss may
be more pronounced in differentiated or stressed cells.
The loss of a chromosome is typically lethal to organisms
(Miller and Therman, 2001
).
However, our data suggest that although chromosome loss does lead to
haploinsufficiency and altered gene expression programs in SVZ cells, such
changes are not necessarily lethal. Why not? Progress toward understanding the
teleological causes and effects of chromosome loss in neural cells will likely
be aided by studies of computer models of gene networks. Such models are
useful tools for understanding the robustness or fragility of networks of
cells and genes over evolutionary time
(von Dassow et al., 2000
) and
can be adapted to study the effects of mosaic aneuploidy in gene networks of
neurobiological interest.
Evidence for subchromosomal genomic alterations in SVZ cells
Among GFP cells, the rate of depletion of the eGFP transgene
(
90%) exceeded the rate of loss of chromosome 15 carrying the transgene
(
50%). This disparity may reflect a high rate of deletions (
40%
among cells that lose GFP expression) that encompass the eGFP transgene but
not the entire copy of chromosome 15. We speculate that similar alterations to
other chromosomes may be present in many CNS cells and other genomic
alterations may also occur on the backdrop of mosaic aneuploidy in the CNS, as
suggested by the functions of DNA modifying and/or surveillance factors during
neuronal development (Gao et al.,
1998
; Chun and Schatz,
1999a
,
b
;
Allen et al., 2001
).
Future directions
This work demonstrates that chromosome loss produces permanent genomic
changes in normal neural cells of the SVZ and OB, and such changes can alter
gene expression in morphologically normal cells. However, our studies have not
addressed the effects of increased chromosomal copy number (hyperploidy)
(Rehen et al., 2001
), nor the
effects of more complex karyotype abnormalities such as the co-existence of
chromosome gain and loss in a single cell. Similarly, subtle or indirect
consequences of LOH via "trans" effects (transcription and
signaling factors) or other extragenic modifiers
(Hamilton et al., 1997
) were
not addressed, although we note the possibility of such effects through LOH.
LOH among neural cells could unmask recessive traits (via dominant allele
loss), which could not be rescued by gene amplification or chromosome gain.
Scientific understanding of the effects of mosaic aneuploidy on normal brain
function and pathology will benefit from a focus on these issues in future
studies.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
Received Aug. 28, 2002;
revised Apr. 4, 2003;
accepted Apr. 7, 2003.
This work was supported by an unrestricted gift from Merck (J.C.),
predoctoral funding from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
Association foundation (D.K.) and National Institute of General Medical
Sciences (M.J.M. and A.H.Y.), and postdoctoral funding from the Pew Foundation
(S.K.R.) and National Institute of Mental Health (M.A.K.). We thank Dr. Fred
Gage for critical reading of this manuscript and helpful discussions. We are
grateful to Marisa Fontanoz, Grace Kennedy, and Carol Akita for technical
assistance, and Dennis Young and the University of California, San Diego flow
cytometry shared resource for flow sorting.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Jerold Chun, Department of
Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines
Road, ICND-118, La Jolla, CA 92037. E-mail:
jchun{at}scripps.edu.
D. Kaushal's, A. Yang's, M. Kingsbury's, S. Rehen's, and M. McConnell's
present address: Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037.
J. Contos' present address: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
Seattle, WA 98109.
C. Barlow's present address: Merck Research Labs, San Diego, CA 92121.
Copyright © 2003 Society for Neuroscience
0270-6474/03/235599-08$15.00/0
 |
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