title: Neurogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells: relevance of different signaling molecules, transcription factors, and key marker genes.
abstract: Since numerous diseases affect the central nervous system and it has limited self-repair capability, a great interest in using stem cells as an alternative cell source is generated. Previous reports have shown the differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells in neuron-like cells and it has also been proved that the expression pattern of patterning, proneural, and neural factors, such as Pax6, Mash1, Ngn2, NeuroD1, Tbr2 and Tbr1, regulates and defines adult neurogenesis. Regarding this, we hypothesize that a functional parallelism between adult neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells exists. In this study we differentiate human adipose-derived stem cells into neuron-like cells and analyze the expression pattern of different patterning, proneural, neural and neurotransmitter genes, before and after neuronal differentiation. The neuron-like cells expressed neuronal markers, patterning and proneural factors characteristics of intermediate stages of neuronal differentiation. Thus we demonstrated that it is possible to differentiate adipose-derived stem cells in vitro into immature neuron-like cells and that this process is regulated in a similar way to adult neurogenesis. This may contribute to elucidate molecular mechanisms involved in neuronal differentiation of adult human non-neural cells, in aid of the development of potential therapeutic tools for diseases of the nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias Básicas y Medicina Experimental, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Potosí 4240, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (1199), Argentina.
authors.forename: Alejandra Johana
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Cardozo
authors.forename: Daniel Eduardo
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Pablo Francisco
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Argibay
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017931:DNA Primers; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014157:Transcription Factors