Enhanced survival of motoneurons in the chick lateral motor column: effects of embryonic skeletal muscle extracts and myoblast-conditioned medium.
Muscle-derived factors have shown neurotrophic effects in culture, but their possible effects on the maintenance of embryonic motoneurons have not been demonstrated in vivo. Soluble extracts derived from embryonic chick muscle, or medium conditioned by chick myoblasts, were instilled onto the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) between the 5th and 11th days of incubation. Counts of the lumbar lateral motor column (LMC) at embryonic day 12 revealed modest but significant increases (12-15%) in motoneuron number for these experimental groups as compared with control treatments. The results suggest that sustaining effects of muscle-derived factors on motoneurons may be demonstrated on the developing LMC by the simple expedient delivery via the CAM, and that these factors can modify the normal program of cell death occurring during this critical period of development.
Department of Anatomy, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill.
G
G
Petruzzelli
W F
WF
Hughes
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003470:Culture Media / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009132:Muscles / Q000032:analysis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology
D003470:Culture Media