An in vitro pathway from embryonic stem cells to neurons and glia

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells can be induced to differentiate into neuron s and glia in vitro, Induction protocols are straightforward and involve cu lture in the presence of retinoic acid. They result in an efficient convers ion of undifferentiated ES cells to neural cells. Mature neurons produced h ave the key physiological, morphological and molecular properties of primar y cultured neurons derived from the central nervous system. Most significan tly, they form functional chemical synapses that utilize either glutamate, GABA or glycine as neurotransmitters. ES cell-derived glial cells also corr espond well with their normal counterparts. During induction, ES cells unde rgo a series of developmental steps that resemble key stages in the early m ouse embryo. This supports the hypothesis that the in vitro pathway is a va lid model of the normal developmental pathway leading to neurons and glia, The in vitro system combines three experimental strengths. It is suitable f or genetic manipulation, affords large numbers of cells and allows precise manipulation of the culture environment. It is thus suit-able for a wide va riety of mechanistic studies in the areas of neural development and cell bi ology. Copyright (C) 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel.