Immature human NT2 cells grafted into mouse brain differentiate into neuronal and glial cell types

FEBS Letters

Götz, Jürgen²  Nitsch, Roger M.²  Ferrari, Alessandra²  Ehler, Elisabeth¹ 

[1] Institute of Cell Biology, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland;Division of Psychiatry Research, University of Zürich, August Forel Str. 1, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland

关键词: Transplantation;    Differentiation;    NT2 cell;    Neuron;    Oligodendrocyte;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0014-5793(00)02251-1

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

NT2 cells are a transfectable human embryonal carcinoma cell line, that can be differentiated into postmitotic neuron-like cells (NT2N cells), and transplanted into rodent brains. Differentiation requires a 5-week-long treatment with retinoic acid prior to transplantation. Here, we show that this step can be omitted, and that undifferentiated NT2 cells migrate over long distances and differentiate into both neuron- and oligodendrocyte-like cell types upon grafting into brains of immunocompetent newborn mice. Grafted cells can be traced by fluorogold, with no evidence for tumor formation. Our approach provides an experimental model system which allows the immunohistological and biochemical study of neuronal and glial differentiation of human cells in vivo, and which may be suitable as an in vivo model for pharmacological studies.

【 授权许可】

Unknown