title: Creatine promotes the GABAergic phenotype in human fetal spinal cord cultures.
abstract: In the present study, we investigated the expression pattern of cytosolic brain specific-BB-CK and ubiquitous mitochondrial-creatine kinases (uMt-CK) in developing human spinal cord. Consequently, we studied the effects of creatine treatment on cultured fetal human spinal cord tissue. We found that both CK isoforms were expressed in fetal spinal cord at all time points investigated (5 to 11.5 weeks post conception) and correspondingly specific CK activity was detected. Chronic creatine exposure resulted in significantly higher densities of GABA-immunoreactive neurons in the cultures, while total neuronal cell density was not altered, suggesting a differentiation inducing mechanism of creatine supplementation. Taken together, our observations favour the view that the creatine phosphocreatine system plays an important role in the developing CNS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Angélique D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Ducray
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Qualls
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schlattner
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.forename: Ekkehard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dreher
authors.forename: Rolf W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Seiler
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wallimann
authors.forename: Hans Rudolf
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Widmer
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052283:Creatine Kinase, MM Form / Q000378:metabolism; D005333:Fetus; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D052283:Creatine Kinase, MM Form; D003401:Creatine