title: Heparin regulates survival and differentiation of mesencephalic progenitors mediated via FGF2 in vitro.
abstract: Heparin plays an important role in the survival and differentiation of mesencephalic progenitors mediated by FGF-2 in vitro. If the heparin concentration is gradually increased, cell survival mediated by FGF-2 can be greatly enhanced, to a maximum concentration of 20 ng/ml FGF-2 from 5 microg/ml heparin. However, differentiation of FGF-2 responsive mesencephalic progenitors is inhibited by heparin. When cortical, mesencephalic and hippocampal astrocytes were primed with FGF-2 and heparin, the latter two astrocytes promoted the differentiation of TH-positive neurons from mesencephalic progenitors. RT-PCR analysis showed that FGFR1, FGFR2 and FGFR3 were expressed in the cortical astrocytes, but only FGFR1 and FGFR3 were expressed in the mesencephalic and hippocampal astrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science and Biotechnology, State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China 100084.
authors.forename: Yanxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Xiangping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zuoping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D014404:Tubulin; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D006493:Heparin; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; C022616:thiazolyl blue