title: Differentiation of embryonic stem cell to astrocytes visualized by green fluorescent protein.
abstract: Green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was transfected and expressed in murine embryonic stem (ES) cells under the control of the astrocyte-specific glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) promoter. Stably transfected cells were characterized by immunohistochemistry and by fluorescence microscopy. Cells containing GFP were differentiated to Type I and Type II astrocytes after induction by all-trans retinoic acid. Differentiated cells were expressed GFP and visualized by fluorescence microscopy. Differentiated cells expressed GFP were correlated with the expression of GFAP and morphological change. It demonstrates that the cell line expressed GFP can be used to trace the morphological changes of astrocytes during differentiation, and further for the isolation of astrocytes from the mixed cells differentiated from ES cell.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, The College of Life Science, Peking University, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fuchou
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Kegang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Xiaoke
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000235:genetics; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D014162:Transfection; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D014212:Tretinoin