title: Response to histamine allows the functional identification of neuronal progenitors, neurons, astrocytes, and immature cells in subventricular zone cell cultures.
abstract: Subventricular zone (SVZ) cell cultures contain mixed populations of immature cells, neurons, astrocytes, and progenitors in different stages of development. In the present work, we examined whether cell types of the SVZ could be functionally discriminated on the basis of intracellular free calcium level ([Ca(2+)](i)) variations following KCl and histamine stimulation. For this purpose, [Ca(2+)](i) were measured in SVZ cell cultures from neonatal P1-3 C57Bl/6 donor mice, in single cells, after stimulation with 100 microM histamine or 50 mM KCl. MAP-2-positive neurons and doublecortin-positive neuroblasts were distinguished on the basis of their selective ratio of response to KCl and/or histamine stimulation. Moreover, we could distinguish immature cells on the basis of the selective response to histamine via the histamine 1 receptor activation. Exposure of SVZ cultures to the pro-neurogenic stem cell factor (SCF) induced an increase in the number of cells responding to KCl and a decrease in the number of cells responding to histamine, consistent with neuronal differentiation. The selective response to KCl/histamine in single cell calcium imaging analysis offers a rapid and efficient way for the functional discrimination of neuronal differentiation in SVZ cell cultures, opening new perspectives for the search of potential pro-neurogenic factors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agasse
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernardino
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grade
authors.forename: João O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Malva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D006632:Histamine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011968:Receptors, Histamine / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011968:Receptors, Histamine; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D006632:Histamine; D002118:Calcium