Cited by 104Down syndrome and intellectual disability researchTelomeres, Telomerase, and SenescenceGenomics and Chromatin Dynamics

Down-syndrome-induced senescence disrupts the nuclear architecture of neural progenitors

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Meharena, Hiruy S., Marco, Asaf, Dileep, Vishnu, Lockshin, Elana R., Akatsu, Grace Y., Mullahoo, James, Watson, L. Ashley, Ko, Tak +6 more·2022·Cell Stem Cell

Abstract

Down syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder driven by the triplication of chromosome 21 (T21) and characterized by a wide range of neurodevelopmental and physical disabilities. Transcriptomic analysis of tissue samples from individuals with DS has revealed that T21 induces a genome-wide transcriptional disruption. However, the consequences of T21 on the nuclear architecture and its interplay with the transcriptome remain unknown. In this study, we find that unlike human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) exhibit genome-wide "chromosomal introversion," disruption of lamina-associated domains, and global chromatin accessibility changes in response to T21, consistent with the transcriptional and nuclear architecture changes characteristic of senescent cells. Treatment of T21-harboring NPCs with senolytic drugs alleviates the transcriptional, molecular, and cellular dysfunctions associated with DS. Our findings provide a mechanistic link between T21 and global transcriptional disruption and indicate that senescence-associated phenotypes may play a key role in the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of DS.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.stem.2021.12.002

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  • Fundamental aging processes can act before conception, as with aged oocytes linked to Down syndrome.

    “fundamental aging processes can operate even before conception, for example, in the context of aged oocytes linked to Down syndrome12,13.”

    From Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic (2022) · cites this paper as [13]

    The Results section, “T21 induces NPC senescence” (page unavailable), reports senescence in Down-syndrome neural progenitor cells, supporting a link between Down syndrome and a process associated with aging. It does not examine aged oocytes or establish that the process operates before conception; searches for oocytes, maternal age, and preconception did not find support for that part of the claim. (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • D+Q alleviates transcriptional changes and cellular dysfunction in an in vitro human neural cell model of Down syndrome.

    “D + Q alleviated transcriptional changes and cellular dysfunction in an in vitro human neural cell Down syndrome model.”

    From Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic (2022) · cites this paper as [13]

  • Cellular senescence is implicated in Down syndrome, and senolytics may have beneficial effects for it.

    “A recent study implicated cellular senescence and the beneficial effects of senolytics for Down syndrome (trisomy 21)13.”

    From Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic (2022) · cites this paper as [13]

  • A third copy of chromosome 21 in neural progenitor cells causes transcriptional and nuclear organizational changes similar to those in senescent cells.

    “A third copy of chromosome 21 in neural progenitor cells leads to transcriptional and nuclear organizational changes similar to those in senescent cells.”

    From Cellular senescence and senolytics: the path to the clinic (2022) · cites this paper as [13]

  • These findings underscore a global epigenetic rewiring beyond localized chromosomal effects, aligning with prior observations of genomewide Ts21 chromatin reorganization.

    “These findings underscore a global epigenetic rewiring beyond localized chromosomal effects, aligning with prior observations of genomewide Ts21 chromatin reorganization (24-26).”

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Authors
Meharena, H. S., Marco, A., Dileep, V., Lockshin, E. R., Akatsu, G. Y., Mullahoo, J., Watson, L. A., Ko, T., Guerin, L. N., Abdurrob, F., Rengarajan, S., Papanastasiou, M., Jaffe, J. D., & Tsai, L.-H.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • Broad Institute (US)
Corresponding author
  • Meharena, Hiruy S.
  • Tsai, Li-Huei
Venue
Cell Stem Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-01
Volume
29
Issue
1
Pages
116-130.e7
ISSN
  • 1875-9777 (ISSN-L)
  • 1934-5909
OpenAlex
W4205519160
Cited by
92
References
137
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 11
FWCI
19.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell stem cell (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (3U54HG008097-05S1)
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
Keywords
Down syndrome, cellular senescence, neural progenitor cells, nuclear organization, lamina-associated domains, chromatin accessibility, senolytics, iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells
MeSH terms
Down Syndrome, Humans, Gene Expression Profiling, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Neural Stem Cells, Transcriptome

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