title: Effects of FGF-2 and EGF removal on the differentiation of mouse neural precursor cells.
abstract: Cell therapy for neurological disorders has advanced, and neural precursor cells (NPC) may become the ideal candidates for neural transplantation in a wide range of diseases. However, additional work has to be done to determine either the ideal culture environment for NPC expansion in vitro, without altering their plasticity, or the FGF-2 and EGF mechanisms of cell signaling in neurospheres growth, survival and differentiation. In this work we evaluated mouse neurospheres cultured with and without FGF-2 and EGF containing medium and showed that those growth factors are responsible for NPC proliferation. It is also demonstrated that endogenous production of growth factors shifts from FGF-2 to IGF-1/PDGFb upon EGF and FGF-2 withdrawal. Mouse NPC cultured in suspension showed different patterns of neuronal localization (core versus shell) for both EGF and FGF-2 withdrawal and control groups. Taken together, these results show that EGF and FGF-2 removal play an important role in NPC differentiation and may contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms of NPC differentiation. Our findings suggest that depriving NPC of growth factors prior to grafting might enhance their chance to effectively integrate into the host.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Telma T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Schwindt
authors.forename: Fabiana L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Motta
authors.forename: Barnabé
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gabriela F
authors.forename: Massant
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cristina G
authors.forename: Alessander O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Maria Elisa
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Calcagnotto
authors.forename: João B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Pesquero
authors.forename: Luiz E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor