title: Neurons derived from PC12 cells have the potential to develop synapses with primary neurons from rat cortex.
abstract: Neuron transplantation is considered to be a promising therapeutic method to replace functions lost due to central nervous system (CNS) damage. However, little is known about the extent to which implanted neuron-like cells can develop into mature neurons and acquire essential properties, and especially formation of synapses with host neurons. In this investigation we seeded PC12 cells labeled with GFP into primary cultured neurons isolated from rat cerebral cortex to build a co-culture system, and then induced the PC12 cells to differentiate into neuron-like cells with NGF. Seven days later, we observed the relationship between the PC12-derived neurons and primary neurons using FM1-43 imaging and immunoelectron microscopy, and found that GFP-labeled neurons could form typical synapses with host primary neurons. These observations showed that immigrant neurons differentiated from PC12 cells could develop into mature neurons and could form intercellular contacts with host neurons. Both the immigrant and host neurons could construct neuronal networks in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, The Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing 100850, P R China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Bainan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Que
authors.forename: Qiuxia
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Shuanghong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Shaojun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D011726:Pyridinium Compounds; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: C073804:FM1 43; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D011726:Pyridinium Compounds; D000644:Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins