title: Folic acid deficiency inhibits neural rosette formation and neuronal differentiation from rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Evidence from epidemiological studies has proved that periconceptional use of folic acid (FA) can significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). However, it is hard to explore when and how FA plays roles in neurogenesis and brain development in vivo, especially in human or other nonhuman primate systems. Primate embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines are ideal models for studying cell differentiation and organogenesis in vitro. In the present study, the roles of FA in neural differentiation were assessed in a rhesus monkey ESC system in vitro. The results showed no significant difference in the expression of neural precursor markers, such as nestin, Sox-1, or Pax-6, among neural progenitors obtained from different FA concentrations or with the FA antagonist methotrexate (MTX). However, FA depletion decreased cell proliferation and affected embryoid body (EB) and neural rosette formation, as well as neuronal but not neuroglia differentiation. Our data imply that the ESC system is a suitable model for further exploring the mechanism of how FA works in prevention of NTDs in primates.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Yongchang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhengbo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yunhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiangyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xianghui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Shufen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shihua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuyu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Weizhi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D051379:Mice; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid