MIGRATION OF PURIFIED EMBRYONIC MOTONEURONS GRAFTED INTO ADULT-MOUSE CNS

Embryonic motoneurons were fluorescently-labelled with carbocyanine (d il) by means of retrograde transport and then grafted into the adult m ouse spinal cord (L2) and brain (striatum) for 2-10 weeks. The motoneu rons were grafted either following purification on the fluorescence-ac tivated cell sorter or in the presence of embryonic glial cells and in terneurons from the spinal cord. In both conditions of grafting, moton eurons were found to survive and develop in both grey and white matter and were found to migrate long distances in both regions of the centr al nervous system. Migration of neurons after grafting remains a contr oversial issue, therefore we have discussed the work of other groups t hat have described the same phenomenon.