title: Telomerase and neuronal marker status of differentiated NT2 and SK-N-SH human neuronal cells and primary human neurons.
abstract: Upon treatment with retinoic acid, NTera-2 (NT2) human teratocarcinoma and SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells can be induced to terminally differentiate into postmitotic neuronal cells. The neuronal cell yield obtained from the NT-2 cells is partially dependent on the time of differentiation (24-55 days). SK-N-SH cells differentiate into a mixed population of neuronal and epithelium-like cells. Here we report modified protocols that increase the number of differentiated NT-2 and SK-N-SH cells and that establish an enriched neuronal SK-N-SH-derived cell population essentially devoid of nonneuronal cells. Differentiated cells express the cytoskeleton-associated protein tau and other typical neuronal markers, such as Map2, Ngn1, NeuroD, Mash1, and GluR which are also expressed in primary human fetal neurons. Telomerase activity is down-regulated in differentiated cells, which is consistent with the telomerase status of primary fetal human neurons. Thus, differentiated NT2 and SK-N-SH cells may represent an excellent source for studies investigating the role of telomerase or other survival-promoting activities in protecting human neuronal cells from cell death-mediating stresses associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Bloomfield Center for Research in Aging, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Sir Mortimer B. Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cerone
authors.forename: Andréa C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Leblanc
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Autexier
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D019098:Telomerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D018243:Teratocarcinoma
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019098:Telomerase