Generation of caudal-type serotonin neurons and hindbrain-fate organoids from hPSCs

Serotonin (5-HT) neurons, the major components of the raphe nuclei, arise from ventral hindbrain progenitors. Based on anatomical location and axonal projection, 5-HT neurons are coarsely divided into rostral and caudal groups. Here, we propose a novel strategy to generate hindbrain 5-HT neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), which involves the formation of ventral-type neural progenitor cells and stimulation of the hindbrain 5-HT neural development. A caudalizing agent, retinoid acid, was used to direct the cells into the hindbrain cell fate. Approximately 30%–40% of hPSCs successfully developed into 5-HT-expressing neurons using our protocol, with the majority acquiring a caudal rhombomere identity (r5–8). We further modified our monolayer differentiation system to generate 5-HT neuron-enriched hindbrain-like organoids. We also suggest downstream applications of our 5-HT monolayer and organoid cultures to study neuronal response to gut microbiota. Our methodology could become a powerful tool for future studies related to 5-HT neurotransmission.