Estradiol facilitates functional integration of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons into striatal neuronal circuits via activation of integrin 51

To realize cell transplantation therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), the grafted neurons should be integrated into the host neuronal circuit in order to restore the lost neuronal function. Here, using wheat germ agglutinin-based trans-synaptic tracing, we show that integrin 5 is selectively expressed in striatal neurons that are innervated by midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons from the mouse experiments. Additionally, we found that integrin 51 was activated by the administration of estradiol-2-benzoate (E2B) in striatal neurons of adult female rats. Importantly, we observed that the systemic administration of E2B into hemi-parkinsonian rat models facilitates the functional integration of grafted DA neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells into the host striatal neuronal circuit via the activation of integrin 51. Finally, methamphetamine-induced abnormal rotation was recovered earlier in E2B-administrated rats than in rats that received other regimens. Our results suggest that the simultaneous administration of E2B with stem cell-derived DA progenitors can enhance the efficacy of cell transplantation therapy for PD.

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Nishimura K, Doi D, Samata B, Murayama S, Tahara T, Onoe H, Takahashi J