CULTURE OF HYPOGLOSSAL CELLS, DISSOCIATED FROM FETAL AND NEWBORN RATS

Primary cultures of dissociated cells from brainstem cranial nuclei ha ve not been described in the literature. The present paper shows that dissociated rat posterior brainstem celts, as well as cells from the h ypoglossal nucleus, taken from both foetal and postnatal animals, can be maintained in long-term culture. This can be achieved by using a DM EM/F-12 medium with defined supplements, with or without foetal calf s erum. Under such conditions, the growth of neuritic processes as well as the formation of neural networks can be observed. The different cel l types present in the cultures can be identified by immunohistochemis try with antibodies raised against neuron specific enolase, glial fibr illary acidic protein, galactocerebroside and choline-acetyl transfera se. As previously demonstrated for other brain-dissociated neurones ma intained in cultures, the use of molecules, involved in cell adhesive mechanisms, can modify the morphological properties of the growing cel ls. This was particularly observed when poly-L-lysine and laminin were used as substrata.