title: Targeted quantitative amniotic cell profiling: a potential diagnostic tool in the prenatal management of neural tube defects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine whether amniotic cell profiles correlate quantitatively with neural tube defect (NTD) type and/or size.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley fetuses exposed to retinoic acid (n=61) underwent amniotic fluid sample procurement before term. Samples were analyzed by flow cytometry for the presence of cells concomitantly expressing Nestin and Sox-2 (neural stem cells, aNSCs), and cells concomitantly expressing CD29 and CD44 (mesenchymal stem cells, aMSCs). Statistical analysis included ANOVA and post-hoc Bonferroni adjusted comparisons (P<0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of aNSCs in fetuses with spina bifida (6.78%± 1.87%) when compared to those with exencephaly (0.64%± 0.23%) or with both spina bifida and exencephaly (0.22%± 0.09%). Conversely, there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of aMSCs in fetuses with exencephaly, either isolated (1.09%± 0.42%) or in combination defects (2.37%± 0.63%) when compared with normal fetuses (8.83%± 1.38%). In fetuses with isolated exencephaly, there was a statistically significant inverse correlation between the proportion of aNSCs and defect size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportions of neural and mesenchymal stem cells in the amniotic fluid correlate with the type and size of experimental NTDs. Targeted quantitative amniotic cell profiling may become a useful diagnostic tool in the prenatal evaluation of these anomalies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Fegan 3-300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Elliot C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Pennington
authors.forename: Fabienne L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: Azra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zurakowski
authors.forename: Dario O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Fauza
mesh_terms: D000649:Amniocentesis; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000196:embryology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014212:Tretinoin
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014212:Tretinoin
keywords: Amniotic cell profiling; Amniotic stem cells; Myelomeningocele; Neural tube defects; Spina bifida