title: Expression of hyaluronan and the hyaluronan-binding proteoglycans neurocan, aggrecan, and versican by neural stem cells and neural cells derived from embryonic stem cells.
abstract: We have examined the expression and localization patterns of hyaluronan and hyaluronan-binding chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in neural stem cells and differentiated neural cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells. Expression of proteoglycans and hyaluronan was weak in the SSEA1-positive embryonic stem cells but increased noticeably after retinoic acid induction to nestin-positive neural stem cells. After subsequent plating, the hyaluronan-binding chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans aggrecan, neurocan, and versican are expressed by cells in both the astrocytic and neuronal lineages. During the time period that hyaluronan was present, it co-localized with each of the hyaluronan-binding proteoglycans studied and was found to be clearly associated with beta-III tubulin-expressing neurons and oligodendrocytes expressing the O4 sulfatide marker. Although proteoglycan expression levels increased to varying degrees following neural differentiation, they did not change noticably during the following 2 weeks in culture, but there was a significant decrease in hyaluronan expression. Our studies therefore demonstrate the expression by neural stem cells and neural cells derived from them of hyaluronan and its associated proteoglycans, thereby providing a necessary foundation for integrating their specific properties into developing strategies for therapeutic applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, New York University Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abaskharoun
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellemare
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Richard U
authors.initials: RU
authors.lastname: Margolis
mesh_terms: D053674:Aggrecans; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D058580:Neurocan; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D053675:Versicans
chemical_list: D053674:Aggrecans; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C507576:Ncan protein, mouse; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D058580:Neurocan; D011509:Proteoglycans; D053675:Versicans; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D014212:Tretinoin; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid