In this study, we report the successful generation and characterization of iPSC lines from 4 affected and 4 unaffected BPD individuals from an Old Order Amish pedigree and their differentiation into NPs and neurons. We purposely chose subjects with an unequivocal diagnosis of BPD and their healthy unaffected first-degree relatives, the presence or absence of affective disorders being ascertained longitudinally over the years and ratings being carried out blindly and conceded by a psychiatric review board. Consistent with literature, differentiation of the iPSCs into NPs and neurons was accompanied by changes in the expression of signature markers of pluripotency, neuroectoderm and neurons. This is the largest cohort reported to date for iPSC generation from a population isolate with a high prevalence of BPD. By selecting samples from a culturally and genetically isolated Amish population, we anticipated to increase the probability of identifying molecular changes associated with BPD.
