Multipotent neurospheres can be derived from forebrain subependymal zone and spinal cord of adult mice after protracted postmortem intervals

The adult mammalian CNS harbors a population of multipotent stem/progenitor cells that can be induced to grow as proliferative neurospheres in vitro. We demonstrate here that neurosphere-generating cells can be isolated from adult mouse spinal cord and forebrain subependymal zone after postmortem in tervals of up to 140 h, when kept at 4 degrees C, and up to 30 h when kept at room temperature. Although there was an inverse relationship between pos tmortem interval and the number of neurospheres generated, neurospheres der ived under these conditions were proliferative and could give rise to both neurons and glia. (C) 1999 Academic Press.