Downregulation of PMP22 ameliorates myelin defects in iPSC-derived human organoid cultures of CMT1A

Abstract

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is the most common inherited disorder of the PNS. CMT1A accounts for 40-50% of all cases and is caused by a duplication of the PMP22 gene on chromosome 17, leading to dysmyelination in the PNS. Patient-derived models to study such myelination defects are lacking as the in vitro generation of human myelinating Schwann cells has proved to be particularly challenging. Here, we present an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoid culture, containing various cell types of the PNS, including myelinating human Schwann cells, which mimics the human PNS. Single-cell analysis confirmed the PNS-like cellular composition and provides insight into the developmental trajectory. We used this organoid model to study disease signatures of CMT1A, revealing early ultrastructural myelin alterations, including increased myelin periodic line distance and hypermyelination of small axons. Furthermore, we observed the presence of onion-bulb-like formations in a later developmental stage. These hallmarks were not present in the CMT1A-corrected isogenic line or in a CMT2A iPSC line, supporting the notion that these alterations are specific to CMT1A. Downregulation of PMP22 expression using short-hairpin RNAs or a combinatorial drug consisting of baclofen, naltrexone hydrochloride and D-sorbitol was able to ameliorate the myelin defects in CMT1A-organoids. In summary, this self-organizing organoid model can capture biologically meaningful features of the disease and capture the physiological complexity, forms an excellent model for studying demyelinating diseases and supports the therapeutic approach of reducing PMP22 expression.

Keywords: Charcot–Marie–Tooth neuropathy; combinatorial drug (baclofen; iPSC-derived PNS organoid cultures; myelinating Schwann cells; naltrexone hydrochloride and D-sorbitol); short-hairpin RNAs targeting PMP22.