Continuous culture of neuronal cells from adult human olfactory epithelium

Abstract

Cells from the olfactory epithelium of adult human cadavers have been propagated in primary culture and subsequently cloned. These cells exhibit neuronal properties including: neuron-specific enolase, olfactory marker protein, neurofilaments, and growth-associated protein 43. Simultaneously, the cells exhibit nonneuronal properties such as glial fibrillary acidic protein and keratin, the latter suggesting properties of neuroblasts or stem cells. These clonal cultures contain 5-10% of cells sufficiently differentiated to show odorant-dependent cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) or calcium-release responses when challenged with submicromolar concentrations of odorants. The potential of culturing neuronal cells from patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia, could enable the study of the pathophysiology of these neurons in the culture dish and allow new approaches to the study of mental illness.

Alzheimer and beta-amyloid-treated fibroblasts demonstrate a decrease in a memory-associated GTP-binding protein, Cp20.

“…23), suggests that its absence could also influence the closely related to central nervous system neurons. They express neuron-specific enolase and make direct synaptic contacts with the central nervous system (24 …”

Olfactory mucosa for transplant‐mediated repair: A complex tissue for a complex injury?

“…Similarly to its rodent counterpart, olfactory neurogenesis is thought to occur in the adult human and it has been shown that post mortem olfactory tissue retains the capacity for neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation until at least 72 years of age (Wolozin et al, 1992;Feron et al, 1998;Murrell et al, 1996). In humans the olfactory mucosa covers a much smaller area when compared to other mammalian species, probably because of the fact that olfaction is less developed in humans than in other mammals (see Fig.…”

Disease-specific, neurosphere-derived cells as models for brain disorders

“…Olfactory neuroblasts (Wolozin et al, 1992b) and neurospheres (Roisen et al, 2001;Murrell et al, 2005) can be grown from the human olfactory mucosa. In the present study, olfactory neurospheres were generated from olfactory mucosa biopsies by growing the dissociated cells in serum-free medium containing EGF and FGF2.…”