Targeted migration and differentiation of engrafted neural precursor cells in amyloid beta-treated hippocampus in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To observe the migration and differentiation of the neural precursor cells (NPCs) that derived from murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) when they were transplanted into amyloid beta (A beta)-treated rat hippocampus.


METHODS
MESPU35, a murine ESC cell line that express the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), was induced differentiation into nestin-positive NPCs by modified serum-free methods. The A beta plaques and the differentiation of the grafted cells were observed by immunofluorescent staining.


RESULTS
Comparing 16 weeks with 4 weeks post-transplantation, the migration distance increased about 5 times; the rate of migratory NPCs differentiating into glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells kept rising from (30.41+/-1.45) % to (49.25+/-1.23) %, and the rate of NPCs differentiating into neurofilament 200 (NF200) positive cells increased from (16.68+/-0.95) % to (27.94+/-1.21) %. Meanwhile, the GFAP-positive cells targeting to the ipsilateral side of A beta plaques increased from 60.2% to 81.3%, while the NF200-positive cells increased from 61.3% to 84.1%. The migration distance had significant positive linear correlations to the neuronal differentiation rate (r = 0.991) and to the astrocytic differentiation rate (r = 0.953).


CONCLUSIONS
Engrafted NPCs migrate targetedly to the A beta injection site and differentiate into neurons and astrocytes.
Tang
Jun
J
Department of Physiology, Department of Neurobiology, The Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Xu
Hai-Wei
HW
Fan
Xiao-Tang
XT
Li
Zhi-Fang
ZF
Li
Da-Bing
DB
Yang
Li
L
Zhou
Guang-Ji
GJ
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins