Mouse epidermal growth factor-responsive neural precursor cells increase the survival and functional capacity of embryonic rat dopamine neurons in vitro

WE have grown expanded populations of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-respons ive mouse striatal precursor cells and subsequently co-cultured these with primary E14 rat ventral mesencephalon. The aim of these experiments was to induce dopaminergic (DA) neuronal phenotypes from the murine precursors. Wh ile no precursor cell-derived neurons were induced to express tyrosine hydr oxylase (TH), there was a dramatic 30-fold increase in the survival of rat- derived TH-positive neurons in the co-cultures. The effect was not explicab le solely in terms of total plating density, and was accompanied by a signi ficantly enhanced capacity for [H-3]dopamine uptake in the co-cultures comp ared to rat alone cultures. The present data show that, although primary ra t E14 mesencephalic cells are incapable of inducing the development of DA n eurons from EGF-responsive mouse neural precursor cells, such precursors wi ll differentiate into cells capable of enhancing the survival and overall f unctional efficacy of primary embryonic dopamine neurons. NeuroReport 10:19 85-1992 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.