title: Astrocyte-conditioned saline supports embryonic rat hippocampal neuron differentiation in short-term cultures.
abstract: Embryonic rat hippocampal neurons were cultured for 1-2 days in serum-free, HEPES-buffered Tyrode's solution. The effects of cortical astrocytes and astrocyte-conditioned saline on neuron survival, membrane surface area and the expression of functional amino acid neurotransmitter receptors were studied. Neurons grown in Tyrode's solution alone survived well for 1 day but deteriorated thereafter both in terms of percent neurons surviving and the amplitudes and densities of GABA-, glycine-, kainate-and NMDA-induced currents. Neurons grown in Tyrode's previously conditioned by astrocytes for 24 h had significantly larger apparent plasma membrane surface area, as indexed by whole-cell membrane capacitance, and larger amplitudes and densities of the amino acid-induced currents after both 1 and 2 days. The survival rate and neurite outgrowth were also greater in the astrocyte-conditioned saline group after 2 days in culture. Similarly, neurons cultured on glass cover-slips facing a confluent monolayer of astrocyte were larger in apparent plasma membrane area and amino acid-induced currents than neurons cultured in Tyrode's alone. Neurons cultured in saline conditioned by astrocytes provide a strategy to study the physiological basis of astrocyte-directed neuronal differentiation in the absence of ambiguities arising from the inclusion of sera and other additives often used in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. liuqy@codon.nih.gov
authors.forename: Q Y
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Schaffner
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Barker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D013569:Synapses
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D012965:Sodium Chloride