title: Development of functional neurons from postnatal stem cells in vitro.
abstract: In order for stem cells to fulfill their clinical promise, we must understand their developmental transitions and it must be possible to control the differentiation of stem cells into specific cell fates. To understand the mechanism of the sequential restriction and multipotency of stem cells, we have established culture conditions that allow the differentiation of multipotential neural stem cells from postnatal stem cells. We used immunocytochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, and calcium imaging to demonstrate that progeny of adult rat neural stem cells develop into functional neurons that release excitatory neurotransmitters. We also found that the nontoxic heavy chain fragment of tetanus toxin, a toxin that targets neurons with high specificity, retained the specificity toward neural stem cell-derived neurons. These studies show that neural stem cells derived from adult tissues retain the potential to differentiate into functional neurons with morphological and functional properties of mature central nervous system neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, 1098 Vet Med Bldg, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
authors.forename: Eric W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Dusan M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Jeftinija
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeftinija
authors.forename: Srdija
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeftinija
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009900:Optic Nerve; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism; D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D003470:Culture Media; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X; D013744:Tetanus Toxin; C040635:tetanus toxin fragment C; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium