title: Region-specific generation of cholinergic neurons from fetal human neural stem cells grafted in adult rat.
abstract: Pluripotent or multipotent stem cells isolated from human embryos or adult central nervous system (CNS) may provide new neurons to ameliorate neural disorders. A major obstacle, however, is that the majority of such cells do not differentiate into neurons when grafted into non-neurogenic areas of the adult CNS. Here we report a new in vitro priming procedure that generates a nearly pure population of neurons from fetal human neural stem cells (hNSCs) transplanted into adult rat CNS. Furthermore, the grafted cells differentiated by acquiring a cholinergic phenotype in a region-specific manner. This technology may advance stem cell-based therapy to replace lost neurons in neural injury or neurodegenerative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA. piwu@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yevgeniya I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Tarasenko
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Li-Yen M
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Coggeshall
authors.forename: Yongjia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007797:Laminin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D006493:Heparin; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000109:Acetylcholine