title: Neural commitment of cord blood stem cells (HUCB-NSC/NP): therapeutic perspectives.
abstract: Human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) is considered a promising source of neural progenitors capable of being used for cellular therapies in neurological disorders. Here we review briefly our work on the elucidation of mechanisms and development of practical standards as regards the selection, maintenance and use of cord blood derivatives for such purposes. Our results join those of other recent studies in suggesting strongly that, the generation of neural-like cells from tissue belonging to a different germ layer (such as a cord blood is) is most probably explained by reference to a discrete subpopulation of embryonic-like stem cells of pluripotent characteristics. Such cells identified in cord blood through their expression of specific genetic and protein markers can be expanded in vitro and directed toward neurally-committed progenitors differentiating further into more mature neuron-like or macroglia-like cell phenotypes. From this HUCB-derived neural progenitor fraction a novel neural-like stem cell line (HUCB-NSC) has been developed, and characterized in respect of in vitro and in vivo (post-transplantation) properties.
authors.affiliation: NeuroRepair Department, Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawinskiego 5, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland. kd-j@cmdik.pan.pl.
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Domanska-Janik
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Habich
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarnowska
authors.forename: Mirosław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janowski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger