EFFECTS OF FGF-1 AND FGF-2 ON GD3 IMMUNOREACTIVE SPINAL NEUROEPITHELIAL CELLS

Embryonic central nervous system neuroepithelial cells are a transient population of cells that give rise to neuronal and glial progenitors, In the E12-E16 embryonic rat spinal neural tube we have identified ne uroepithelial cells as radially oriented cells expressing the GD3 gang lioside as recognized by the monoclonal anti-GD3 ganglioside antibodie s, R24 and LB1. In vitro, neuroepithelial cells, which migrate from th e ventral aspect of E12 rat lumbosacral neural tube explants, also exp ress GD3 ganglioside immunoreactivity, thus permitting their distincti on from neural crest cells (NCC) which migrate from the dorsal aspect of such explants, Fibroblast growth factor-1 (FGF-1, acidic FGF) and F GF-2 (basic FGF) increase the migration of neuroepithelial cells and t he extent to which they incorporate the thymidine analogue bromodeoxyu ridine (BrdU), They do not, however, alter the rate at which these mig rating neuroepithelial cells undergo cell death, Previous observations established the actions of FGF-1 and FGF-2 on neuronal and glial cell s, The present study indicates that these growth factors also influenc e the motility and proliferation of progenitor cells at a developmenta l stage which precedes their divergence into neuronal and glial lineag es. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.