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Emerging neurodevelopmental mechanisms in patient induced pluripotent stem cells-derived spheroids modelling SCN1A Dravet Syndrome

Mattei, C.; Mao, M.; Byars, S.; Mohamed Syazwan, E.; Oliva, M.; Karle, T.; Richards, K.; Scheffer, I.; Petrou, S.; Maljevic, S.

2024-05-10 neuroscience
10.1101/2024.05.09.593441 bioRxiv
Show abstract

SCN1A encodes Na1.1, a voltage-gated sodium channel preferentially expressed in GABAergic interneurons, and it is the major cause of Dravet Syndrome (DS), a rare condition of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). Among over 1000 DS mutations reported to date, almost all cause SCN1A loss-of function (LoF). A reduction in NaV1.1 function in inhibitory neurons would subsequently cause an over-excitation of glutamatergic neurons resulting in seizures, which are exacerbated by the use of sodium channel blocking common anti-seizure medications (ASM). In this study we generated and assessed 3D spheroids enriched with GABAergic neurons from SCN1A DS patient to establish a 3D human-derived DS model. To investigate developmental disruptions in DS pathophysiology we profiled the transcriptome of patient-derived spheroids and subsequently, tested the capability of this 3D in vitro model to reveal the cellular mechanisms of DS and predict drug response. In summary, our patient iPSC-derived neuronal model of SCN1A DS revealed a profound dysregulation of developmental processes which correlated with functional disruption in GABAergic neurons and predicted response to fenfluramine, an ASM increasingly used for the treatment of DS.

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