title: Derivation of sensory neurons and neural crest stem cells from human neural progenitor hNP1.
abstract: Although sensory neurons constitute a critical component for the proper function of the nervous system, the in vitro differentiation of functional sensory neurons from human stem cells has not yet been reported. This study presents the differentiation of sensory neurons (SNs) from a human neural progenitor cell line, hNP1, and their functional maturation in a defined, in vitro culture system without murine cell feeder layers. The SNs were characterized by immunocytochemistry and their functional maturation was evaluated by electrophysiology. Neural crest (NC) precursors, as one of the cellular derivatives in the differentiation culture, were isolated, propagated, and tested for their ability to generate sensory neurons. The hSC-derived SNs, as well as the NC precursors provide valuable tools for developing in vitro functional systems that model sensory neuron-related neural circuits and for designing therapeutic models for related diseases.
authors.affiliation: NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32826, USA.
authors.forename: Xiufang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Severo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spradling
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stancescu
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hickman
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D002469:Cell Separation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D003470:Culture Media; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000166:cytology; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media