title: Graft and host interactions following transplantation of neural stem cells to organotypic striatal cultures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate neural stem cell (NSC) interactions with striatal tissue following engraftment and the effects of growth factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Organotypic striatal slice cultures established from neonatal rats were used as an ex vivo model system. Survival, integration and differentiation of grafted NSCs from the previously generated C17.2 clone and host tissue response were investigated weekly for 28 days in vitro. To direct grafted cells towards a neuronal lineage, the role of growth factor supplementation and serum-free culturing conditions was studied using neural stem cells overexpressing neurotrophin-3 and Neurobasal/B27 culture medium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following engraftment, NSCs gradually integrated morphologically and formed a part of the host 3D cytoarchitecture. Compared with nongrafted cultures, NSC engraftment increased the overall survival of the organotypic cultures by 39%, and reduced the host cell necrosis by more than 80% (from 2.1 ± 0.5% to 0.3 ± 0.1%), the host cell apoptosis by more than 60% (from 1.4 ± 0.4% to 0.5 ± 0.1%) and the reactions to mechanical trauma by 30% (estimated by nestin and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry) 7 days after engraftment. Elevated neurotrophin-3 production in NSCs and serum-free culturing conditions directed grafted NSCs towards a neuronal lineage as indicated by increased Tuj1 and Map2ab expression. However, this did not alter the survival of organotypic cultures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NSC engraftment was associated with rescue of imperiled host cells and reduction of host cell gliosis. These NSC effects were not related to the addition of growth factors, suggesting that other factors are involved in the supportive effects of the host following NSC engraftment.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Research Unit, Department of Women's & Children's Health, Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, S-171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linda Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jäderstad
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jäderstad
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Herlenius
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D006085:Graft Survival; D009336:Necrosis; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000166:cytology*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D020933:Neurotrophin 3