title: Neuron-enriched second trimester human cultures: growth factor response and in vivo graft survival.
abstract: Grafts of first trimester fetal tissue show limited survival and integration in the adult CNS. Alternative grafting strategies have been sought for treatment of neurodegenerative disease. We have developed cultures of human second trimester fetal tissues to study neuronal differentiation. Grafted into the SCID mouse striatum, aggregates of these cultures formed neuron-rich xenografts for at least 8 months. We examined the influence of various neurotrophic factors, including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), on the growth and differentiation of neuronal and glial cell populations. BDNF promoted the survival and differentiation of second trimester neurons whereas bFGF exhibited a strong proliferative effect on precursors and the astroglial population. Our data suggest that second trimester human fetal cultures contain neuroprogenitor cells that can be directed to the neuronal lineage. This process may be amplified by treatment with BDNF, which we hypothesize could improve the long-term in vivo survival of neuron-enriched grafts.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bonaroti
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Mehta
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wiley
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Achim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D005865:Gestational Age; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D013687:Telencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000637:transplantation*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins