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Differentiation of Human Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cells (hEPI-NCSC) Into Virtually Homogenous Populations of Dopaminergic Neurons

Differentiation of Human Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cells (hEPI-NCSC) Into Virtually Homogenous Populations of Dopaminergic Neurons

Alla Narytnyk, Bernard Verdon, Andrew Loughney, Michele Sweeney, Oliver Clewes, Michael J Taggart, Maya Sieber-Blum

Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2014 Apr;10(2):316-26.

PMID: 24399192

Abstract:

Here we provide a protocol for the directed differentiation of hEPI-NCSC into midbrain dopaminergic neurons, which degenerate in Parkinson's disease. hEPI-NCSC are neural crest-derived multipotent stem cells that persist into adulthood in the bulge of hair follicles. The experimental design is distinctly different from conventional protocols for embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. It includes pre-differentiation of the multipotent hEPI-NCSC into neural stem cell-like cells, followed by ventralizing, patterning, continued exposure to the TGFβ receptor inhibitor, SB431542, and at later stages of differentiation the presence of the WNT inhibitor, IWP-4. All cells expressed A9 midbrain dopaminergic neuron progenitor markers with gene expression levels comparable to those in normal human substantia nigra. The current study shows for the first time that virtually homogeneous populations of dopaminergic neurons can be derived ex vivo from somatic stem cells without the need for purification, with useful timeliness and high efficacy. This novel development is an important first step towards the establishment of fully functional dopaminergic neurons from an ontologically relevant stem cell type, hEPI-NCSC.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP686772178	IWP-4		686772-17-8	Price

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