Induction of mice adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into functional motor neuron-like cells

Publication date: Available online 11 July 2016 Source:Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy Author(s): Rafal H. Abdullah, Nahi Y. Yaseen, Shahlaa M Salih, Ahmad Adnan Al-Juboory, Ayman Hassan, Ahmed Majeed Al-Shammari The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into acetylcholine secreted motor neuron-like cells, followed by elongation of the cell axon, is a promising treatment for spinal cord injury and motor neuron cell dysfunction in mammals. Differentiation is induced through a pre-induction step using Beta- mercaptoethanol (BME) followed by four days of induction with retinoic acid and sonic hedgehog. This process results in a very efficient differentiation of BM-MSCs into motor neuron-like cells. Immunocytochemistry showed that these treated cells had specific motor neural markers: microtubule associated protein-2 and acetylcholine transferase. The ability of these cells to function as motor neuron cells was assessed by measuring acetylcholine levels in a culture media during differentiation. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that the differentiated cells were functional. Motor neuron axon elongation was then induced by adding different concentrations of a nerve growth factor (NGF) to the differentiation media. Using a collagen matrix to mimic the natural condition of neural cells in a three-dimensional model showed that the MSCs were successfully differentiated into motor neuron-like cells. This process can efficiently differentia...
Source: Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research