title: Enrichment of skin-derived neural precursor cells from dermal cell populations by altering culture conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As stem cells play a critical role in tissue repair, their manipulation for being applied in regenerative medicine is of great importance. Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) may be good candidates for use in cell-based therapy as the only neural stem cells which can be isolated from an accessible tissue, skin. Herein, we presented a simple protocol to enrich neural SKPs by monolayer adherent cultivation to prove the efficacy of this method.
  
  
  METHODS
  To enrich neural SKPs from dermal cell populations, we have found that a monolayer adherent cultivation helps to increase the numbers of neural precursor cells. Indeed, we have cultured dermal cells as monolayer under serum-supplemented (control) and serum-supplemented culture, followed by serum free cultivation (test) and compared. Finally, protein markers of SKPs were assessed and compared in both experimental groups and differentiation potential was evaluated in enriched culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cells of enriched culture concurrently expressed fibronectin, vimentin and nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural and skeletal muscle precursors as compared to control culture. In addition, they possessed a multipotential capacity to differentiate into neurogenic, glial, adipogenic, osteogenic and skeletal myogenic cell lineages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that serum-free adherent culture reinforced by growth factors have been shown to be effective on proliferation of skin-derived neural precursor cells (skin-NPCs) and drive their selective and rapid expansion.
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran;; Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bayati
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
authors.forename: Rohoullah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gazor
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nejatbakhsh
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fereshteh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negad Dehbashi
keywords: Skin; cell culture technique; dermis; neural precursor