title: Identification and characterization of neuronal precursors and their progeny from human fetal tissue.
abstract: We have examined primary human neuronal precursors (HNPs) from 18-22-week-old fetuses. We showed that E-NCAM/MAP2/beta-III tubulin-immunoreactive neuronal precursors divide in vitro and could be induced to differentiate into mature neurons in 2 weeks. HNPs did not express nestin and differentiated slowly compared to rodent neuronal restricted precursors (NRPs, 5 days). Immunocytochemical and physiological analyses showed that HNPs could generate a heterogeneous population of neurons that expressed neurofilament-associated protein and various neurotransmitters, neurotransmitter synthesizing enzymes, voltage-gated ion channels, and ligand-gated neurotransmitter receptors and could fire action potentials. Undifferentiated and differentiated HNPs did not coexpress glial markers. Only a subset of cells that expressed GFP under the control of the Talpha1 tubulin promoter was E-NCAM/beta-III tubulin-immunoreactive, indicating nonexclusive overlap between these two HNP cell populations. Overall, HNPs resemble NRPs isolated from rodent tissue and appear to be a neuronal precursor population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Piper
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mujtaba
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Keyoung
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lucero
mesh_terms: D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D064231:Nestin; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D014404:Tubulin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine