Regulated degradation of cellular components by lysosomes is essential to maintain biological homeostasis. In mammals, three forms of autophagy, macroautophagy, microautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), have been identified. Here, we showed a novel type of autophagy, in which RNA is taken up directly into lysosomes for degradation. This pathway, which we term "RNautophagy," is ATP-dependent, and unlike CMA, is independent of HSPA8/Hsc70. LAMP2C, a lysosomal membrane protein, serves as a receptor for this pathway. The cytosolic tail of LAMP2C specifically binds to almost all total RNA derived from mouse brain. The cytosolic sequence of LAMP2C and its affinity for RNA are evolutionarily conserved from nematodes to humans. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms underlying RNA homeostasis in higher eukaryotes.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can modulate microenvironments by transferring biomolecules, including RNAs and proteins derived from releasing cells, to target cells. To understand the molecular mechanisms maintaining the neural stem cell (NSC) niche through EVs, a new transgenic (Tg) rat strain that can release human CD63-GFP-expressing EVs from the NSCs was established. Human CD63-GFP expression was controlled under the rat Sox2 promoter (Sox2/human CD63-GFP), and it was expressed in undifferentiated fetal brains. GFP signals were specifically observed in in vitro cultured NSCs obtained from embryonic brains of the Tg rats. We also demonstrated that embryonic NSC (eNSC)-derived EVs were labelled by human CD63-GFP. Furthermore, when we examined the transfer of EVs, eNSC-derived EVs were found to be incorporated into astrocytes and eNSCs, thus implying an EV-mediated communication between different cell types around NSCs. This new Sox2/human CD63-GFP Tg rat strain should provide resources to analyse the cell-to-cell communication via EVs in NSC microenvironments.

Tumor suppressor Apc (adenomatous polyposis coli) is implicated in the Wnt signaling pathway that is involved in the early embryonic development and tumorigenesis in vertebrates. While the heterozygous null mutant mice develop intestinal polyps, the homozygous embryos die before gastrulation. To investigate the role of Apc in later embryonic development, we constructed a novel hypomorphic Apc allele whose expression was attenuated by approximately 80%. In the hypomorphic Apc homozygous ES cells, reduction in Apc expression caused beta-catenin accumulation and Wnt signaling activation. The homozygous mutant mouse embryos survived 3 days longer than the null mutant embryos. Interestingly, they showed anterior truncation, partial axis duplication, and defective ventral morphogenesis. To determine the tissues where Apc functions for anterior and ventral morphogenesis, we constructed chimeric embryos whose epiblast was derived predominantly from the Apc hypomorphic homozygous cells but the visceral endoderm was from the wild type. Although these chimeric embryos still showed some anterior defects, their ventral morphogenesis was rescued. In addition, marker studies indicated that the axial mesendoderm was also defective in the homozygous embryos. Our results provide genetic evidence that expression of Apc at the normal level is essential for both anterior and ventral development, in the epiblast derivatives and visceral endoderm.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in the transfer of biomolecules between cells. To elucidate the intercellular transfer fate of EVs in vivo, we generated a new transgenic (Tg) rat model using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged human CD63. CD63 protein is highly enriched on EV membranes via trafficking into late endosomes and is often used as an EV marker. The new Tg rat line in which human CD63-GFP is under control of the CAG promoter exhibited high expression of GFP in various body tissues. Exogenous human CD63-GFP was detected on EVs isolated from three body fluids of the Tg rats: blood serum, breast milk and amniotic fluid. In vitro culture allowed transfer of serum-derived CD63-GFP EVs into recipient rat embryonic fibroblasts, where the EVs localized in endocytic organelles. These results suggested that this Tg rat model should provide significant information for understanding the intercellular transfer and/or mother-child transfer of EVs in vivo.

MicroRNAs (miRs) play important roles in neuronal differentiation, maturation, and synaptic function in the central nervous system. They have also been suggested to be implicated in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Although miR-132 is one of the well-studied brain-specific miRs, which regulates synaptic structure and function in the postnatal brain, its function in the prenatal brain is still unclear. Here, we investigated miR-132 function during differentiation of rat embryonic neural stem cells (eNSCs). We found that miR-132 expression significantly increased during the fetal rat brain development and neural differentiation of eNSCs in vitro. Furthermore, miR-132 expression was increased during differentiation through MAPK/ERK1/2 pathway. Inhibition of ERK1/2 activation resulted in increased levels of synaptic proteins including PSD-95, GluR1 and synapsin I. Silencing of miR-132 also increased PSD-95 and GluR1. Considering that miR-132 increases synaptic proteins in differentiated cortical neurons, our result shows a novel function of miR-132 as a negative regulator for synaptic maturation in the neuronal differentiation of eNSCs.

C57BL/6 (B6)-derived embryonic stem (ES) cells are not widely used to generate knockout mice despite the advantage of a well-defined genetic background because of poor developmental potential. We newly established serum- and feeder-free B6 ES cells with full developmental potential by using leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO), a glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) inhibitor. BIO treatment significantly increased the expression levels of 364 genes including pluripotency markers such as Nanog and Klf family. Unexpectedly, by aggregating or microinjecting those ES cells to each eight-cell-stage diploid embryo, we stably generated germline-competent ES-derived mice. Furthermore, founder mice completely derived from female XO, heterozygous, or homozygous mutant B6 ES cells were directly available for intercross breeding and phenotypic analysis. We hereby propose that serum- and feeder-free B6 ES cells stimulated with LIF plus GSK3 inhibitor are valuable for generating mouse models on B6 background.