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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.05.23.727423

Pathways regulating the excitability of sympathetic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Fedele, L.·Maurer, M.·Tinker, A.·Andersson, D. A.
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Abstract

Postganglionic sympathetic neurons not only regulate target organs but also their own intrinsic activity and can be further modulated by parasympathetic neurons. This crosstalk and automodulatory signalling have been implicated in cardiovascular disorders, with the majority of earlier work employing rodent models. Here, we have used human sympathetic neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), as a scalable human in vitro system with the aim to investigate these pathways. Efficient differentiation of hiPSCs into sympathetic neurons was confirmed using molecular characterisation for the expression of PHOX2B, DBH, TH, PRPH. We employed Ca2+ imaging and whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology, to examine the neuronal functional properties and found that hiPSC-derived sympathetic neurons recapitulate key physiological features of the rodent native counterparts. Most cells responded to nicotine and expressed functional 2 adrenergic and muscarinic receptors, involved in sympathetic autoregulation and parasympathetic crosstalk. We further demonstrated that 2 adrenergic and muscarinic receptors inhibit membrane excitability (increased rheobase, hyperpolarisation, reduced input resistance) and that both types of receptors converge on inwardly rectifying K+ channels (GIRK) as effectors. The GIRK blocker Tertiapin-Q significantly reduced the 2 adrenergic and muscarinic responses, while the activator ML297 mimicked their action. Analysis of mouse stellate scRNA-seq confirmed that the receptors and GIRK subtypes studied here are prominently expressed in native sympathetic neurons. Overall, our data show that GIRK channels play an important role in the regulation of sympathetic neurons excitability and that hiPSC-derived neurons provide an attractive in vitro tool for drug discovery to study sympathetic autoregulation and parasympathetic-sympathetic crosstalk. KEY POINTSO_LIhiPSC-sympathetic neurons recapitulate key cellular pathways of native counterparts C_LIO_LIThey express relevant receptors and ion channels involved in the inhibitory autoregulatory feedback and parasympathetic-sympathetic crosstalk C_LIO_LIUsing a combination of RT-qPCR and functional recordings we identified inwardly rectifying K+ channels as downstream effectors of both 2 adrenergic and M2 muscarinic receptors. We cross-validated our findings with a mouse transcriptomic dataset from thoracic sympathetic ganglia. C_LIO_LIOverall, our data suggest that hiPSC-sympathetic neurons can be employed as a human in vitro platform to study cellular pathways and for drug discovery purposes. C_LI O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=119 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/727423v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (23K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14e37ddorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@35c534org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@260837org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@e57af6_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOGraphic abstract.C_FLOATNO Summary of proposed modulation of sympathetic neuron activity via 2ARs and muscarinic receptors via GIRK channels Functional recordings showed that muscarinic receptors and 2 adrenergic receptors reduce neuronal excitability, this effect was mimicked by activation of inwardly rectifying K+ channels (GIRK). Blockade of GIRK abolished the effects of both types of receptors, demonstrating that they converge on GIRK as a common effector. The muscarinic response was blocked by pertussis toxin, indicating an involvement of Gi/o downstream of the receptor, consistent with the high expression of CHRM2 by RT-qPCR. C_FIG

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Fedele, L., Maurer, M., Tinker, A., Andersson, D. A.. 2026-05-27. Pathways regulating the excitability of sympathetic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.05.23.727423

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