Hepatocyte growth factor promotes proliferation and neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells from mouse embryos

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), originally cloned as a hepatocyte mitogen, has recently been reported to exhibit neurotrophic activity in addition to being expressed in different parts of the nervous system. At present, the effects of HGF on neural stem cells (NSCs) are not known. In this study, we first report the promoting effect of HGF on the proliferation of neurospheres and neuronal differentiation of NSCs. Medium containing only HGF was capable of inducing neurosphere formation. Addition of HGF to medium containing fibroblast growth factor 2 or epidermal growth factor increased both the size and number of newly formed neurospheres. More neurons were also obtained when HGF was added in differentiation medium. In contrast, neurosphere numbers were reduced after repeated subculture by mechanical dissociation, suggesting that HGF-formed neurospheres comprised predominantly progenitor cells committed to neuronal or glial lines. Together, these results suggest that HGF promotes proliferation of neurospheres and neuronal differentiation of NSCs derived from mouse embyos.     

成年小鼠嗅球神经干细胞的培养和鉴定

目的 建立完善的成年小鼠嗅球神经千细胞分离培养和鉴定方法,探索新的成年神经干细胞种子来源. 方法 用无血清方法 分离培养成年小鼠嗅球来源的神经干细胞;用克隆培养、5-溴2-脱氧尿嘧啶核昔(BrdU)整合的方法 检验培养细胞的干细胞特性;用免疫荧光细胞化学的方法 检测BrdU、神经干细胞标记物巢蛋白(nestin)和SOX2、分化的细胞标记物Tuj1、胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)、04的表达. 结果 从成年小鼠嗅球能够分离、培养出具有自我更新、增殖能力的神经球.构成神经球的细胞呈nestin和SOX2阳性,它们分化后产生TuJ1阳性的神经元、GFAP阳性的星形胶质细胞、04阳性的少突胶质细胞. 结论 成年小鼠嗅球存在神经干细胞,其能够在体外进行培养、增殖、分化.是神经干细胞的新的种子来源.     

Culture method for the induction of neurospheres from mouse embryonic stem cells by coculture with PA6 stromal cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells proliferate and maintain their pluripotency for over 1 year in vitro and may therefore provide a sufficient source for cell therapies. However, most of the previously reported methods for obtaining a source for cell therapies have not been simple. We describe here a novel method for induction of neurospheres from mouse ES cells by coculturing on PA6 cells instead of the formation of embryoid bodies. The ES cells cocultured with the PA6 stromal cell line for at least 3 days were capable of differentiating into spheres. The cells in the spheres were all green fluorescent protein (GFP) positive, showing that they were derived from GFP-expressing D3-ES cells. The spheres contained nestin-positive cells. The number of spheres increased when they were cocultured with PA6 for a longer period. Sphere formation was observed even after 10 mechanical dissociations and subculturings, showing its self-renewal ability. The cells differentiated into microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2)-positive neuronal cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive glial cells. gamma-Aminobutyric acid-positive cells and tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells were also observed in the spheres. The percentages of the MAP2- or GFAP-positive cells in the sphere changed according to the period of coculture on PA6 cells. At an early stage of coculture, more neurons were generated and, at a later period, more glial cells were generated. These results suggested that neurosphere could be generated from ES cells by coculturing with PA6, and that these cells resembled neural stem cells derived from mouse fetal brain tissue.     

Neural differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by conditioned medium from neural stem cell

Embryonic stem cells can proliferate indefinitely and are capable of differentiating into derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers in vitro, including the neural lineage. The main objective of this study is to test the effects of neural stem cell conditioned medium on the neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells. When cultured in neural stem cell conditioned medium, mouse embryonic stem cells can form floating cell spheres composed of many nestin-positive cells. After trypsinization and growth on gelatin, these embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells can be expanded for more than 3 months without loss of neural progenitor characteristics. Both neuronal and glial cells can be readily generated from these cells under differentiation conditions. Thus, neural stem cell conditioned medium is a highly potent reagent for inducing the development of mouse embryonic stem cells into the neural lineage, especially neural progenitor cells.     

Behavior of hippocampal stem/progenitor cells following grafting into the injured aged hippocampus

Multipotent neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) from the embryonic hippocampus are potentially useful as donor cells to repopulate the degenerated regions of the aged hippocampus after stroke, epilepsy, or Alzheimer's disease. However, the efficacy of the NSC grafting strategy for repairing the injured aged hippocampus is unknown. To address this issue, we expanded FGF-2-responsive NSCs from the hippocampus of embryonic day 14 green fluorescent protein-expressing transgenic mice as neurospheres in vitro and grafted them into the hippocampus of 24-month-old F344 rats 4 days after CA3 region injury. Engraftment, migration, and neuronal/glial differentiation of cells derived from NSCs were analyzed 1 month after grafting. Differentiation of neurospheres in culture dishes or after placement on organotypic hippocampal slice cultures demonstrated that these cells had the ability to generate considerable numbers of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Following grafting into the injured aged hippocampus, cells derived from neurospheres survived and dispersed, but exhibited no directed migration into degenerated or intact hippocampal cell layers. Phenotypic analyses of graft-derived cells revealed neuronal differentiation in 3%-5% of cells, astrocytic differentiation in 28% of cells, and oligodendrocytic differentiation in 6%-10% cells. The results demonstrate for the first time that NSCs derived from the fetal hippocampus survive and give rise to all three CNS phenotypes following transplantation into the injured aged hippocampus. However, grafted NSCs do not exhibit directed migration into lesioned areas or widespread neuronal differentiation, suggesting that direct grafting of primitive NSCs is not adequate for repair of the injured aged brain without priming the microenvironment.     

新生小鼠端脑组织神经干细胞诱导分化为胆碱能神经元的研究

目的探讨新生小鼠端脑组织神经干细胞是否能够分化成胆碱能神经元。方法取新生小鼠端脑组织．用无血清方法分离培养神经干细胞；用克隆培养的方法检验培养细胞的干细胞特性；用免疫荧光细胞化学的方法检测神经干细胞标志巢蛋白（nestin）及干细胞诱导分化后神经元标志微管相关蛋白2（MAP2）、星形胶质细胞标志胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）、胆碱能标志胆碱乙酰转移酶（CHAT）；比较不同的诱导分化条件（5％胎牛血清、5％胎牛血清＋碱性成纤维细胞生长因子）对胆碱能神经元分化的影响。结果从新生小鼠端脑组织分离培养出具有自我更新、扩增能力的神经球；各培养基中神经球均为nestin阳性。诱导分化后均能够产生MAP2阳性神经元、GFAP阳性星形胶质细胞以及ChAT阳性的胆碱能神经元。分化培养中加入碱性成纤维细胞生长因子能够提高胆碱能神经元分化的比例。结论新生小鼠端脑组织神经干细胞能够分化成胆碱能神经元。     

大鼠胚胎脑皮层神经干细胞的分离和培养

目的探讨分离、培养、纯化大鼠胚胎神经干细胞(neuralstem cell,NSCs)的最佳条件,以获得充足的神经干细胞来源,用于中枢神经系统疾病的治疗.方法分离孕13～15 d胎鼠大脑皮层,在无血清含神经生长因子N2培养液中培养,利用有限稀释法单克隆培养和改良法连续传代纯化并扩增NSCs,免疫组织化学法对NSCs及分化细胞进行鉴定.结果可以通过体外培养获得大量神经源性干细胞,在体外经多次传代后仍具有很强的增殖能力和多向分化潜能.结论NSCs的存活和分裂依赖于神经生长因子和N2添加剂的浓度,胚胎脑组织和神经球分离方法影响NSCs的形成速度和数量.掌握NSCs的体外纯化培养和鉴定手段可为进一步研究NSCs生物学特性及神经系统损伤的治疗提供新方法.     

Human neurospheres derived from the fetal central nervous system are regionally and temporally specified but are not committed

Proliferating single cells were isolated from various CNS regions (telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain, cerebellum, pons and medulla, and spinal cord) of human fetal cadavers at 13 weeks of gestation and grown as neurospheres in long-term cultures. We investigated whether neural stem cells (NSCs) or progenitors within spheres have specific regional or temporal characteristics with regard to growth, differentiation, and region-specific gene expression, and whether these molecular specifications are reversible. Regardless of regional origin, all of the neurospheres were found to contain cells of different subtypes, which suggests that multipotent NSCs, progenitors or radial glial cells co-exist with restricted neuronal or glial progenitors within the neurospheres. Neurospheres from the forebrain grew faster and gave rise to significantly more neurons than did those from either the midbrain or hindbrain, and regional differences in neuronal differentiation appeared to be sustained during long-term passage of neurospheres in culture. There was also a trend towards a reduction in neuronal emergence from the respective neurospheres over time in culture, although the percentages of neurons generated from cerebellum-derived neurospheres increased dramatically. These results suggest that differences in neuronal differentiation for the various neurospheres are spatially and temporally determined. In addition, the properties of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-, glutamate-, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-expressing cells derived from neurospheres of the respective CNS regions appear to be regionally and temporally different. Isolated human neurospheres from different CNS compartments expressed distinctive molecular markers of regional identity and maintained these patterns of region-specific gene expression during long-term passage in vitro. To determine the potential of human neurospheres for regional fate plasticity, single spheres from the respective regions were co-cultured with embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5 d) mouse brain slices. Specific cues from the developing mouse brain tissues induced the human neurospheres to express different marker genes of regional identity and to suppress the expression of their original marker genes. Thus, even the early regional identities of human neurospheres may not be irreversible and may be altered by local inductive cues. These findings have important implications for understanding the characteristics of growth, differentiation, and molecular specification of human neurospheres derived from the developing CNS, as well as the therapeutic potential for neural repair.     

体外神经干细胞培养特性观察

目的 探讨神经干细胞(NSCs)体外分离培养和增殖的特性.方法 从新生24h内的SD大鼠脑组织分离NSCs,采用无血清悬浮培养法进行NSCs体外扩增培养.倒置相差显微镜观察细胞形态,通过绘制细胞生长曲线观察NSCs的自我更新和增殖能力,采用免疫细胞化学法检测NSCs标志物神经上皮干细胞蛋白(Nestin)的表达及分化后细胞神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE)、胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)和2,3-环核甘酸磷酸二脂酶(CNP)的表达.结果 从新生SD大鼠脑组织分离的细胞在无血清的培养基中形成悬浮的神经球.神经球具有自我更新和表达Nestin的能力,分化后的细胞能表达神经元、星型胶质细胞及少突胶质细胞的特异性抗原.结论 从新生大鼠的脑组织中成功分离出NSCs,其具有在体外自我更新和增殖、多向分化潜能及表达Nestin的能力.     

多聚赖氨酸和明胶对神经干细胞增殖和分化的影响

摘要 背景：目前大鼠神经干细胞体外诱导分化的研究报道诸多,但其分化过程很难控制,很多实验的操作方法复杂,分化比率也很低。 目的：探索大鼠胚胎前脑神经干细胞体外原代及传代培养方法,并观察其分化规律。 方法：胎鼠在无菌条件下分离出前脑,制备单细胞悬液,以1×1011L-1接种于含N2的DMEM/F12培养基中培养,传代培养过程中加入BrdU,标记神经干细胞球。诱导分化实验分为多聚赖氨酸铺板组、明胶铺板组和无铺板组。采用体积分数20%胎牛血清刺激其分化。免疫细胞化学检测nestin、BrdU及在血清诱导条件下神经干细胞向神经细胞分化的能力。 结果与结论：细胞呈神经干细胞样生长,具有连续增殖能力,可以传代培养。传代神经球中的细胞均呈nestin阳性和BrdU阳性。多聚赖氨酸铺板组和明胶铺板组贴壁后分化为神经细胞能力强于无铺板组(P < 0.01)。多聚赖氨酸铺板组略强于明胶铺板组(P > 0.05)。神经谱系标记物神经胶质纤维酸性蛋白和微管相关蛋白2的免疫细胞化学结果均阳性。结果表明,大鼠胚胎前脑富含神经干细胞,其分化观察,多聚赖氨酸和明胶在诱导神经干细胞分化中作为细胞贴壁支持物提高分化细胞数量的作用,且多分化为星形胶质细胞。 关键词：多聚赖氨酸;神经干细胞;明胶;增殖分化;体外培养 doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-8225.2010.47.004     

Efficient production of neural stem cells and neurons from embryonic stem cells

We have developed a simple method to efficiently produce a large number of neural stem cells and neurons from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. When cultured in astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) with mitogens (FGF-2 and EGF) under free-floating conditions, colonies of undifferentiated ES cells give rise to neural stem spheres (NSSs), composed of plentiful neural stem cells. Subsequent culture of the NSSs on an adhesive substrate with mitogens results in the migration of neural stem cells onto the substrate. These cells can be expanded, preserved by freezing, and differentiated into functional neurons. Neural stem cells and neurons provided by this NSS method may be valuable as potential donor cells for neuronal transplantation and also as convenient alternatives to tissue-derived neural cells.     

Interactions between human adipose stromal cells and mouse neural stem cells in vitro

Transplantation of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into adult rat brain has been known to reduce functional deficits associated with stroke and traumatic brain injury. However, in injured brains, there is no evidence that transplanted MSCs replace lost host brain tissue. In this study, we determined in vitro interaction between human adipose tissue stromal cells (hATSCs), a kind of MSC, and neural stem cells (NSCs). hATSCs were isolated and proliferated from human adipose tissues, and NSCs from the subventricular zone of postnatal mice. When NSCs were cultured on mitomycin-treated hATSC monolayers, their proliferation was decreased, but neuronal differentiation was significantly induced. The percentage of neurons significantly increased in 7 days in cultures of NSCs on hATSCs feeder as compared to NSCs cultured on laminin-coated dishes. When the duration of the cultures was extended to 14 days, hATSCs supported the survival of neurons derived from NSCs. To determine the role of soluble factors from hATSCs, NSCs were cultured with hATSCs conditioned medium or co-cultured with permeable filter on which hATSCs were grown. Although proliferation of NSCs significantly decreased and glial differentiation increased under these experimental conditions, their neuronal differentiation was not affected, indicating that direct physical contact between hATSCs and NSCs is required for induction of neuronal differentiation. These data indicate that hATSCs may provide supportive roles on endogenous neural stem cells, when they are transplanted into damaged brain.     

Selective specification of CNS stem cells into oligodendroglial or neuronal cell lineage: cell culture and transplant studies

Neural stem cells (NSCs) were isolated from embryonic day 16 Sprague-Dawley rats and cultured in a novel serum-free stem cell medium that selected for the growth of NSCs and against the growth of GFAP(+) cells (astrocytes). NSCs maintained in culture for extended periods of time retained immunoreactivity for both nestin and PSA-NCAM, two markers characteristic of the stem cell phenotype. Moreover, using an oligodendrocyte (OL) specification medium, NSCs differentiated into OL as evidenced by their morphology and expression of multiple oligodendrocyte/myelin-specific markers. In addition, NSCs are capable of acquiring a neuronal phenotype as evidenced by expressing neuronal markers, such as neurofilament (NF) and NeuN when cultured in a defined medium for neurons indicating that these cells are also a good source of neuroblasts, which could be used to replace neuronal populations in the brain. We also showed successful propagation and differentiation of NSCs into OL after cryostorage, allowing for the later use of stored NSCs. The long-term goal of culturing NSCs and committed oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLP) is to obtain homogeneous populations for transplantation with the goal of remyelinating the myelin-deficient CNS. Our preliminary experiments carried out on normal and myelin deficient rats demonstrate that these cells survive and migrate extensively in both types of hosts. NSCs grafted as such, as well as cells derived from NSCs exposed to selective specification before grafting, are able to differentiate within the host brain. As expected, NSCs are capable of giving rise to astrocytes in a medium favoring this phenotype.     

Analysis of the expression and function of BRINP family genes during neuronal differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cell‐derived neural stem cells

We previously identified a novel family of genes, BRINP1, 2, and 3, that are predominantly and widely expressed in both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). In the present study, we analyzed the expression pattern of three BRINP genes during differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell‐derived neural stem cells (NSCs) and their effects on the cell‐cycle regulation of NSCs. While there was no significant expression of any BRINP‐mRNA expressed in mouse ES cells, BRINP 1 and 2‐mRNAs was expressed at high levels in the ES cell‐derived neural stem cells. Upon differentiation into neuronal cells in the presence of retinoic acid and BDNF, all three types of BRINP‐mRNA were induced with a similar time course peaking at day three of treatment. Upon differentiation into astroglial cells in the presence of serum, BRINP1‐mRNA was slightly up‐regulated, while BRINP2‐ and BRINP3‐mRNAs were almost abolished in the astrocytes. While 69.2, 26.1, and 7.7% of cells in a population of NSCs in the exponentially growing phase were in the G1, S and G2 phases, respectively, over‐expression of any one of the three BRINP genes completely abolished cells in the G2 phase and significantly reduced the cells in S phase to 11.8–13.8%. Based on these results, the physiological roles of induced BRINP genes in the cell‐cycle suppression of terminally differentiated post‐mitotic neurons are discussed. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Time-sensitive effects of hypoxia on differentiation of neural stem cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro

Abstract

Objectives:

Oxygen tension is an important component of microenvironment for the differentiation of embryonic stem cells including neural lineage. However, the comprehensive influence of hypoxia on neural differentiation during embryonic neural development has not yet been examined.

Methods:

In this study, we investigated the effect of low oxygen levels (5% O₂), or hypoxia, in two stages of neural differentiation in vitro: (1) inducing mouse embryonic stem cells into neural stem cells (NSCs); and then (2) inducing NSCs into neural progenitor cells in neurospheres.

Results:

In the first stage, NSCs generation was reduced under hypoxia. Less mature morphological changes (including neural marker) of NSCs were observed, suggesting the prevention of early differentiation under hypoxic conditions. Thus undifferentiated stem cells were maintained in this stage. However, in the second stage, hypoxia induced neural differentiation in neurospheres. Nevertheless, non-neural progenitor cell formation, such as mesoderm progenitor cell lines or epithelial cell lines, was restricted by low oxygen tension.

Discussions:

Our results demonstrate that hypoxia is essential for regulating neural differentiation and show the different effects on NSC differentiation dependent on the time-course of NSC development. In the early stage of NSCs induction, hypoxia inhibits neural differentiation and maintains the undifferentiated state; in the later stage of NSCs induction, hypoxia induces neural differentiation. Our study may contribute to the development of new insights for expansion and control of neural differentiation.     

Differentiation of rat striatal embryonic stem cells in vitro: monolayer culture vs. three-dimensional coculture with differentiated brain cells

Several groups have demonstrated the existence of self-renewing stem cells in embryonic and adult mouse brain. In vitro, these cells proliferate in response to epidermal growth factor, forming clusters of nestin-positive cells that may be dissociated and subcultured repetitively. Here we show that, in stem cell clusters derived from rat embryonic striatum, cell proliferation decreased with increasing number of passages and in response to elevated concentrations of potassium (30 mM KCl). In monolayer culture, the appearance of microtubule-associated protein type-5-immunoreactive (MAP-5(+)) cells (presumptive neurons) in response to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was reduced at low cell density and with increasing number of passages. In the presence of bFGF, elevated potassium caused a more differentiated neuronal phenotype, characterized by an increased proportion of MAP-5(+) cells, extensive neuritic branching, and higher specific activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase. Dissociated stem cells were able to invade cultured brain cell aggregates containing different proportions of neurons and glial cells, whereas they required the presence of a considerable proportion of glial cells in the host cultures to become neurofilament H-positive. The latter observation supports the view that astrocyte-derived factors influence early differentiation of the neuronal cell lineage.     

Generation of graftable dopaminergic neuron progenitors from mouse ES cells by a combination of coculture and neurosphere methods

Parkinson's disease is characterized by a loss of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons and is generally viewed as a potential target for stem cell therapy. Although several studies have reported the generation of postmitotic DA neurons from embryonic stem (ES) cells, it is unknown whether the proliferative progenitors of DA neurons can be isolated in vitro. To investigate this possibility, we have developed a combined approach in which ES cells are cocultured with PA6 stromal cells to expose them to stromal cell-derived inducing activity (SDIA) and are then cultured as neurospheres. Mouse ES cell colonies were detached from PA6 feeder cells after 8 days of SDIA treatment and then expanded as spheres for another 4 days in serum-free medium supplemented with fibroblast growth factor-2. The spheres exhibited neural stem cell characteristics and contained few DA neurons at this stage of culture. After being induced to differentiate on polyornithine/laminin-coated dishes for 7 days, these spheres generated DA neurons in vitro at a relatively low frequency. Intriguingly, addition of PA6 cell conditioned medium to the sphere culture medium significantly increased the percentage of DA neurons to 25-30% of the total number of neurons. Transplantation of conditioned medium-treated day 4 spheres, which contained DA neuron progenitors, into the mouse striatum resulted in the generation of a significant number of graft-derived DA neurons. These findings suggest that progenitors of DA neurons are generated and can proliferate in ES cell-derived neurospheres induced by serial SDIA and PA6 conditioned medium treatment.     

Self-renewal and differentiation of reactive astrocyte-derived neural stem/progenitor cells isolated from the cortical peri-infarct area after stroke

In response to stroke, subpopulations of cortical reactive astrocytes proliferate and express proteins commonly associated with neural stem/progenitor cells such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Nestin. To examine the stem cell-related properties of cortical reactive astrocytes after injury, we generated GFAP-CreER(TM);tdRFP mice to permanently label reactive astrocytes. We isolated cells from the cortical peri-infarct area 3 d after stroke, and cultured them in neural stem cell medium containing epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. We observed tdRFP-positive neural spheres in culture, suggestive of tdRFP-positive reactive astrocyte-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (Rad-NSCs). Cultured Rad-NSCs self-renewed and differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Pharmacological inhibition and conditional knock-out mouse studies showed that Presenilin 1 and Notch 1 controlled neural sphere formation by Rad-NSCs after stroke. To examine the self-renewal and differentiation potential of Rad-NSCs in vivo, Rad-NSCs were transplanted into embryonic, neonatal, and adult mouse brains. Transplanted Rad-NSCs were observed to persist in the subventricular zone and secondary Rad-NSCs were isolated from the host brain 28 d after transplantation. In contrast with neurogenic postnatal day 4 NSCs and adult NSCs from the subventricular zone, transplanted Rad-NSCs differentiated into astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, but not neurons, demonstrating that Rad-NSCs had restricted differentiation in vivo. Our results indicate that Rad-NSCs are unlikely to be suitable for neuronal replacement in the absence of genetic or epigenetic modification.     

The generation of neural stem cells: induction of neural stem cells from embryonic stem (ES) cells]

Neural stem cells are considered the ultimate lineage precursors to all neurons and glia. Despite the significance of neural stem cells in the mammalian brain development, their ontogenesis remains unclear. We have established a colony-forming embryonic stem (ES) sphere assay, where ES cells were cultured in serum-free media in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) to form floating spheres. LIF-dependent ES cell-derived sphere cells showed self-renewal and neural multipotentiality, cardinal features of the neural stem cell, but retained some non-neural properties and broader potential. We dabbed the cells in the ES cell-derived sphere of primitive neural stem cells. LIF-dependent sphere-forming cells were also present in the epiblast of embryonic day 5.5-7.5 mouse embryos. The generation of the in vivo primitive neural stem cell was independent of Notch signaling but the activation of Notch pathway was necessary for the transition from the primitive neural stem cell to the neural stem cell. We propose that the neural stem cell originates from the pluripotent inner cell mass/epiblast cell via the primitive neural stem cell stage under the control of Notch signaling.     

Nestin‐expressing cells in the gut give rise to enteric neurons and glial cells

Background Neuronal stem cells (NSCs) are promising for neurointestinal disease therapy. Although NSCs have been isolated from intestinal musclularis, their presence in mucosa has not been well described. Mucosa‐derived NSCs are accessible endoscopically and could be used autologously. Brain‐derived Nestin‐positive NSCs are important in endogenous repair and plasticity. The aim was to isolate and characterize mucosa‐derived NSCs, determine their relationship to Nestin‐expressing cells and to demonstrate their capacity to produce neuroglial networks in vitro and in vivo. Methods Neurospheres were generated from periventricular brain, colonic muscularis (Musc), and mucosa–submucosa (MSM) of mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) controlled by the Nestin promoter (Nestin‐GFP). Neuronal stem cells were also grown as adherent colonies from intestinal mucosal organoids. Their differentiation potential was assessed using immunohistochemistry using glial and neuronal markers. Brain and gut‐derived neurospheres were transplanted into explants of chick embryonic aneural hindgut to determine their fate. Key Results Musc‐ and MSM‐derived neurospheres expressed Nestin and gave rise to cells of neuronal, glial, and mesenchymal lineage. Although Nestin expression in tissue was mostly limited to glia co‐labelled with glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), neurosphere‐derived neurons and glia both expressed Nestin in vitro, suggesting that Nestin+/GFAP+ glial cells may give rise to new neurons. Moreover, following transplantation into aneural colon, brain‐ and gut‐derived NSCs were able to differentiate into neurons. Conclusions & Inferences Nestin‐expressing intestinal NSCs cells give rise to neurospheres, differentiate into neuronal, glial, and mesenchymal lineages in vitro, generate neurons in vivo and can be isolated from mucosa. Further studies are needed for exploring their potential for treating neuropathies.