ARID1B controls transcriptional programs of axon projection in an organoid model of the human corpus callosum

Summary

Mutations in ARID1B, a member of the mSWI/SNF complex, cause severe neurodevelopmental phenotypes with elusive mechanisms in humans. The most common structural abnormality in the brain of ARID1B patients is agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC), characterized by the absence of an interhemispheric white matter tract that connects distant cortical regions. Here, we find that neurons expressing SATB2, a determinant of callosal projection neuron (CPN) identity, show impaired maturation in ARID1B+/- neural organoids. Molecularly, a reduction in chromatin accessibility of genomic regions targeted by TCF-like, NFI-like, and ARID-like transcription factors drives the differential expression of genes required for corpus callosum (CC) development. Through an in vitro model of the CC tract, we demonstrate that this transcriptional dysregulation impairs the formation of long-range axonal projections, causing structural underconnectivity. Our study uncovers new functions of the mSWI/SNF during human corticogenesis, identifying cell-autonomous axonogenesis defects in SATB2+ neurons as a cause of ACC in ARID1B patients. Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Authors Martins-Costa C, Wiegers A, Pham VA, Sidhaye J, Doleschall B, Novatchkova M, Lendl T, Piber M, Peer A, Möseneder P, Stuempflen M, Chow SYA, Seidl R, Prayer D, Höftberger R, Kasprian G, Ikeuchi Y, Corsini NS, Knoblich JA
Journal Cell stem cell
Publication Date 2024 Jun 6;31(6):866-885.e14
PubMed 38718796
DOI 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.014

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