title: A new method of selecting Schwann cells from adult mouse sciatic nerve.
abstract: We describe a method of using laminin for the selection and purification of Schwann cells in vitro. We also studied the viability of the selected cells suspended in alginate beads both in vitro and in vivo. We observed that the homogeneity of the Schwann cell culture increased with each round of laminin selection and reached 85-90% after five passages. The viability of cells after incubation within an alginate bead in vivo was between 73 and 76% compared with greater than 90% viability for cells that were maintained in monolayer culture. This new method of serial selection using laminin-coated surfaces has optimized the purification of a Schwann cell culture expanded from cells harvested from the adult sciatic nerve of a mouse. This method has the advantage of being technically easier than other methods described and results in a Schwann cell culture that is 80-90% homogenous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, School of Medicine, Box 800159, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. mep6n@virginia.edu
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pannunzio
authors.forename: I-ming
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Jou
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Tyler C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wind
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007797:Laminin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin