Fetal rat sympathetic neurons maintained in a serum-free medium retain induced cholinergic characteristics.
When maintained in some serum-containing media, fetal rat sympathetic neurons acquire substantial choline acetyltransferase activity and form cholinergic synapses in vitro. However, when they are maintained in a serum-free, defined culture medium, choline acetyltransferase activity is not detected and cholinergic synapses are not observed. In this study, we have examined the effects of various times of exposure to a medium inducing cholinergic function on the properties of neurons subsequently maintained in defined medium. We report that 2-day, but not 2-h, exposure to this inducing medium causes a long-lasting (greater than 6 weeks) increase (7-10-fold) in the activity of choline acetyltransferase and that, under these conditions, sympathetic neurons in vitro form cholinergic, electrical and mixed function cholinergic and electrical synapses. We conclude that a relatively brief exposure to media inducing cholinergic function can cause long-lasting changes in the functional properties of sympathetic neurons in vitro.
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D005728:Ganglia, Sympathetic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
D004299:Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine