title: Generation of dopaminergic neurons from embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Neuronal transplantation is considered to be a promising therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to fetal tissues and neural stem cells, embryonic stem cells are good candidates for the creation of neurons. We have recently identified a stromal cell-derived inducing activity that promotes neural differentiation of mouse embryoric stem cells. This activity accumulated on the surface of PA6 stromal cells and induced efficient neuronal differentiation of co-cultured embryonic stem cells under serum-free conditions without the use of either retinoic acid or embryoid bodies. A high proportion of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons producing dopamine are obtained. Induction of neurons with stromal cell-derived inducing activity may be a useful new method for basic neuroscience research and therapeutic applications, including cell transplantation therapy for Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Organogenesis and Neurogenesis Group, Center for Developmental Biology, RIKEN, Kobe 650-00047, Japan. sasai@frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004298:Dopamine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D014212:Tretinoin; D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine