S-018
CDK5 deficiency in human induced pluripotent stem cells-neurons reveals secretome dysregulation and reduced adhesion
Sofia Mucci1, Camila Paola Allio1, Mercedes Vautier1, Manuela Apecetche1, Diego García-Chialva1, Gustavo Emilio Sevlever1, Maria Élida Scassa1, Leonardo Romorini1
  1. Laboratorio de Investigaciones Aplicadas a Neurociencias (LIAN), Instituto de Neurociencias (INEU-FLENI-CONICET), Escobar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Presenting Author:
Sofia Mucci
sofiamucci27@gmail.com
CDK5 is a key regulator of neuronal homeostasis, and its dysregulation has been associated with altered secretory pathways. Here, we investigated how CDK5 knockout (KO) affects the neuronal secretome using FN2.1 human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived neurons. Both wild-type (WT) and CDK5-KO FN2.1 lines were successfully differentiated, expressing the neuronal markers TUJ-1, MAP2, and MAP5. Conditioned media collected after 18 h of starvation were analyzed by MS/MS proteomics, and 48 differentially expressed proteins were identified using the Limma package in R. Gene Ontology analysis revealed enrichment in processes related to focal adhesion and actin cytoskeleton regulation. Consistently, cell-attachment assays demonstrated a significant reduction in adhesion of CDK5-KO FN2.1-derived neurons. Notably, the CDK5-KO secretome showed significantly increased levels of MAPT (TAU) and TDP-43, which were further confirmed in total cell lysates by Western blot. Together, these findings suggest that CDK5 deficiency reshapes the neuronal secretory profile, weakens cell adhesion, and increases the levels of TAU and TDP-43, ultimately disturbing neuronal homeostasis.