Transformation of human umbilical mesenchymal cells into neurons in vitro

Abstract

Neuronal transplantation has provided a promising approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases. Recently, efforts have been directed at in vitro induction of various stem cells to transform into neurons. We report the first successful quantities in an in vitro attempt at directing the transformation into neurons of human umbilical mesenchymal cells, which are capable of rapid proliferation in vitro and are easily available. When cultured in neuronal conditioned medium, human umbilical mesenchymal cells started to express neuron-specific proteins such as NeuN and neurofilament (NF) on the 3rd day and exhibited retraction of the cell body, elaboration of processes, clustering of cells and expression of functional mRNA responsible for the synthesis of subunits of the kainate receptor and glutamate decarboxylase on the 6th day. Between the 9th and 12th days, the percentage of human umbilical mesenchymal cells expressing NF was as high as 87%, while functionality was demonstrated by glutamate invoking an inward current. At this stage, cells were differentiated into mature neurons in the post mitosis phase.

Use of poly(DL-lactide-ε-caprolactone) membranes and mesenchymal stem cells from the Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord for promoting nerve regeneration in axonotmesis: In vitro and in vivo analysis

“…After 96 h the regular mesenchymal-like shape of the cells changed and the cells became exceedingly long. Morphologically it was observed the formation of neuroglial-like cells after differentiation which were positively stained for the typical specific neuronal markers ( Choong et al, 2007;Fu et al, 2004;Mitchell et al, 2003) such as the GFAP, the GAP-43 and the NeuN attesting a clear successful differentiation. The morphologic and biochemical characteristics of neuroglial-like cells are already described but the mechanism by which stem cells differentiate into neuroglial-like cells is still unknown.…”

Transplantation of umbilical cord–derived mesenchymal stem cells as a novel strategy to protect the central nervous system: technical aspects, preclinical studies, and clinical perspectives

“…Several groups have reported the in vitro differentiation of hUC-MSCs into neural cells (5,27,30,59,(72)(73)(74).…”

“…After about 10 d in culture, 87% of cells were differentiated and functional, as demonstrated by their generation of an inward current in response to glutamate (73).…”

Upregulated expression of oncomodulin, the beta isoform of parvalbumin, in perikarya and axons in the diencephalon of parvalbumin knockout mice

“…In the report by Fu et al (2004), the specificity of the antibody sc-7449 for alpha-PV (C-19, Santa Cruz) was demonstrated. The specificity of the antibody sc-7446 used for the detection of OM (OCM N-19, Santa Cruz) is described in the paper of Devarajan et al (2005).…”