To work under sterile conditions, it is recommended to perform all steps in a laminar flow hood.
1. Materials
<ul>
<li>Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P) (Components: Solution 1,2 , 3, and 4, Storage Buffer)</li>
<li>Pre-Separation Filters</li>
<li>(Optional) Myelin Removal Beads</li>
<li>Beta-mercaptoethanol</li>
<li>gentleMACS Dissociator</li>
<li>C Tubes</li>
<li>MACSmix Tube Rotator</li>
<li>HBSS (w/o)</li>
<li>HBSS (w)</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Prepare the following solutions prior to beginning the protocol:<ol>
<li>Hanks&rsquo; Buffered Salt Solution without divalent cations Ca2+ or Mg2+ (HBSS (w/o)</li>
<li>HBSS, standard, i.e. with Ca2+ and Mg2+ (HBSS (w)</li>
</ol></li>
<li>Depending on the antigen epitope of interest in subsequent applications, use either the Papain-based Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P) or the Trypsin-based Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (T).</li>
<li>Prepare the following solutions from the Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit:<ol>
<li>Solution 2: add beta-mercaptoethanol to 0.067 mM</li>
<li>Solution 4: dissolve powder in 0.7 ml Storage Buffer (provided in kit), gently mix (do not vortex)</li>
<li>Enzyme Mix 1: Pipette 1.9 mL Solution 2 and 50 &mu;l Solution 1 (both from kit) into a C Tube and incubate for 10-15 min at 37 &deg;C. This is sufficient to dissociate 400 mg of brain tissue.</li>
</ol></li>
</ol>
2. Dissociating the neural tissue
<ol>
<li>Weigh brain tissue in a tube containing 1 ml HBSS (w/o)</li>
<li>Transfer mouse brain into the C Tube containing 1950 &mu;L of preheated Enzyme Mix 1. (NOTE: this protocol is written for &le; 400 mg, but solution volumes can be scaled to accommodate up to 1600 mg of brain tissue per C Tube)</li>
<li>Place the C Tube onto the gentleMACS Dissociator and run program &ldquo;m_brain_01&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Incubate with rotation (4 rpm using a MACSmix Tube Rotator) for 15 min at 37 &deg;C.</li>
<li>Place the C Tube onto the gentleMACS Dissociator and run program &ldquo;m_brain_02&rdquo;.</li>
<li>During the dissociation step prepare 30 &mu;l of Enzyme Mix 2 per 400 mg of tissue by gently mixing 20 &mu;l of Solution 3 and 10 &mu;l of Solution 4.</li>
<li>Add Enzyme Mix 2 to the C Tube via the septum-sealed cap and mix gently without vortexing.</li>
<li>Incubate the C Tube with rotation for 10 min at 37 &deg;C in an incubator.</li>
<li>Place the C Tube onto the gentleMACS Dissociator and run program &ldquo;m_brain_03&rdquo;.</li>
<li>Incubate the C Tube with rotation for 10 min at 37 &deg;C in an incubator.</li>
<li>Centrifuge briefly to collect the sample at the bottom of the tube.</li>
</ol>
3. Filtration
<ol>
<li>Select a filter large enough to allow passage to the cells of interest. For instance, Purkinje cells are too large to pass through a 30 &mu;m filter, but Prominin-1+ cells will.</li>
<li>Use a suitable1000 &mu;l pipette to remove the cells form the C Tube through the septum-sealed cap and apply it to the Pre-Separation Filter on a 15 ml collection tube. (NOTE: for larger sample sizes use a 50 ml collection tube).</li>
<li>Wash the filter with 10 ml of HBSS (w).</li>
<li>Centrifuge the filtered cells at 300 x g for 10 min at RT.</li>
<li>Resuspend the supernatent in your medium or buffer of choice for subsequent applications.</li>
<li>To remove myelin debris, use Myelin Removal Beads.</li>
</ol>
4. Representative Result: Please See Figures 1-3
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/1267/Fig_1.png" alt="fig 1" /> Figure. 1 The brain dissociation with the gentleMACS Dissociator resulted in 97% viable cells, as flow cytometric analysis shows.
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/1267/1267fig2.png" alt="fig 2" /> Figure. 2 Light microscope picture of neurosphere formation after magnetic cell sorting using Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads after 7 days of cultivation in MACS&reg; NeuroMedium supplemented with MACS Supplement B27 PLUS. Cells were prepared from CD1 mouse brain (P3) using the Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P).
<img src="/files/ftp_upload/1267/1267fig4.jpg" alt="fig 3.5" /> Figure. 3 Myelin debris in single-cell suspensions considerably impairs cell isolation, and removal of myelin debris by Myelin Removal Beads increases efficiency cell separations. For MACS Separations using Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads, P22 mouse brain was dissociated using the Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P). Cells from the single-cell suspension were either directly used for separation, or were submitted to myelin depletion using Myelin Removal Beads. Comparing the separation from samples without and with myelin removal, demonstrates that the purity is higher for samples with previous myelin removal.

<ol><li>Hardt, O., Scholz, C., Küsters, D., Yanagawa, Y., Pennartz, S., Cremer, H., Bosio, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Gene+expression+analysis+defines+differences+between+region-specific+GABAergic+neurons%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Mol+Cell+Neurosci%22%5BJournal%5D)">Gene expression analysis defines differences between region-specific GABAergic neurons.</a> Mol Cell Neurosci. 39, 418-428 (2008).</li>
<li>Lee, J. K., McCoy, M. K., Harms, A. S., Ruhn, K. A., Gold, S. J., Tansey, M. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Regulator+of+G-protein+signaling+10+promotes+dopaminergic+neuron+survival+via+regulation+of+the+microglial+inflammatory+response%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22J+Neurosci%22%5BJournal%5D)">Regulator of G-protein signaling 10 promotes dopaminergic neuron survival via regulation of the microglial inflammatory response.</a> J Neurosci. 28, 8517-8528 (2008).</li>
<li>Környei, Z., Gócza, E., Rühl, R., Orsolits, B., Vörös, E., Szabó, B., Vágovits, B., Madarász, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Astroglia-derived+retinoic+acid+is+a+key+factor+in+glia-induced+neurogenesis%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22FASEB+J%22%5BJournal%5D)">Astroglia-derived retinoic acid is a key factor in glia-induced neurogenesis.</a> FASEB J. 21, 2496-2509 (2007).</li>
<li>Meylan, F., Davidson, T. S., Kahle, E., Kinder, M., Acharya, K., Jankovic, D., Bundoc, V., Hodges, M., Shevach, E. M., Keane-Myers, A., Wang, E. C., Siegel, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((The+TNF-family+receptor+DR3+is+essential+for+diverse+T+cell-mediated+inflammatory+diseases%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Immunity%22%5BJournal%5D)">The TNF-family receptor DR3 is essential for diverse T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.</a> Immunity. 29, 79-89 (2008).</li>
<li>Skog, J., Würdinger, T., van Rijn, S., Meijer, D. H., Gainche, L., Sena-Esteves, M., Curry, W. T. Jr, Carter, B. S., Krichevsky, A. M., Breakefield, X. O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Glioblastoma+microvesicles+transport+RNA+and+proteins+that+promote+tumour+growth+and+provide+diagnostic+biomarkers%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nat+Cell+Biol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Glioblastoma microvesicles transport RNA and proteins that promote tumour growth and provide diagnostic biomarkers.</a> Nat Cell Biol. 10, 1470-1476 (2008).</li>
</ol>

The authors are employees of Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Germany.

The gentleMACS Dissociator facilitates the standardized preparation of single-cell suspensions from neural tissues in a closed system. Neural Tissue Dissociation Kits are optimized to preserve antigen epitopes needed for further applications like immunostainings and immunomagnetic cell separation1-5. In this protocol we show the gentle enzymatic dissociation of mouse brain using the gentleMACS Dissociator and the Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P), yielding in 97% viable cells. 100 mg of neural tissue yields between 5x106 and 1x107 cells, depending on the age of the host tissue. The targeted Prominin-1+ cells were isolated using Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads and subsequently taken into culture. The protocol is shown to be even more effective with the additional use of Myelin Removal Beads when working with neural tissue derived from mice &gt;P7.

<table><tbody><tr><td>C Tubes</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-093-237</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>gentleMACS&amp;#8482; Starting Kit</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-093-235</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_709_763_gentleMACS_Dissociator.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>MACSmix&amp;#8482; Tube Rotator</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-090-753</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_251_MACSmix_Tube_Rotator.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_251_MACSmix_Tube_Rotator.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (P)</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-092-628</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_656_Neural_Tissue_Dissociation_Kits.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_656_Neural_Tissue_Dissociation_Kits.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Pre-Separation Filters</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-041-407</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_247_Pre_Separation_Filters.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_34_247_Pre_Separation_Filters.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-092-333</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_654_524_Anti_Prominin_1_MicroBeads.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_654_524_Anti_Prominin_1_MicroBeads.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Anti-Prominin-1-APC</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-092-335</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_599_525_Anti_Prominin_1.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_599_525_Anti_Prominin_1.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Myelin Removal Beads</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-094-544</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_688_Myelin_Removal_Beads.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_688_Myelin_Removal_Beads.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Art 1000 Reach Pipet Tips </td><td>Molecular BioProducts</td><td>Order no. 2079</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mbpinc.com/ASP/products.aspx?query_TipID=61&quot;&gt;http://www.mbpinc.com/ASP/products.aspx?query_TipID=61&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mbpinc.com/html/products/art/display.html&quot;&gt;http://www.mbpinc.com/html/products/art/display.html&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Neural Tissue Dissociation Kit (T)</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-093-231</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_656_Neural_Tissue_Dissociation_Kits.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_712_656_Neural_Tissue_Dissociation_Kits.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>Propidium Iodide Solution</td><td>Miltenyi Biotec</td><td>Order no. 130-093-233</td><td>&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_337_744_Propidium_Iodide_Solution.aspx&quot;&gt;http://www.miltenyibiotec.com/en/PG_337_744_Propidium_Iodide_Solution.aspx&lt;/a&gt;</td></tr></tbody></table>

generation of single-cell suspensions from mouse neural tissue

Within the nervous system, hundreds of neuronal and glial cell types have been described. Each specific cell type in the brain or spinal cord has a repertoire of cell surface molecules, or molecular determinants, through which it can be identified and characterized. Currently, robust cell identification and separation technologies require single-cell preparations to be generated while simultaneously limiting cell death and destruction of characteristic surface protein. The gentleMACS Dissociator, when used in combination with trypsin or papain-based dissociation kits, can effectively and gently dissociate brain tissue while preserving antigen epitopes and limiting cell loss. Standardized preparation of single-cell suspensions is achieved using C Tubes and optimized, preset gentleMACS Programs. Once generated, single-cell suspensions can be treated with monoclonal conjugates like Anti-Prominin-1 MicroBeads, which identify neural progenitors, or purified further using Myelin Removal Beads.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Generation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Neural Tissue at JoVE.com

Generation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Neural Tissue

Dissociating cells from specific tissue types requires specific parameters for tissue aggitation to obtain a high volume of viable, culturable cells. The Miltenyi gentleMACS Dissociator optimizes this task with a simple, practical protocol. In this publication the use of this apparatus on nerual tissue is explained.

Within the nervous system, hundreds of neuronal and glial cell types have been described. Each specific cell type in the brain or spinal cord has a ...

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Video: Generation of Single-Cell Suspensions from Mouse Neural Tissue

Culture of Mouse Neural Stem Cell Precursors

Primary neural stem cell cultures are useful for studying the mechanisms underlying central nervous system development. Stem cell research will increase our understanding of the nervous system and may allow us to develop treatments for currently incurable brain diseases and injuries. In addition, stem cells should be used for stem cell research aimed at the detailed study of mechanisms of neural differentiation and transdifferentiation and the genetic and environmental signals that direct the specialization of the cells into particular cell types.  This video demonstrates a technique used to disaggregate cells from the embryonic day 12.5 mouse dorsal forebrain. The dissection procedure includes harvesting E12.5 mouse embryos from the uterus, removing the "skin" with fine dissecting forceps and finally isolating pieces of cerebral cortex. Following the dissection, the tissue is digested and mechanically dissociated. The resuspended dissociated cells are then cultured in "stem cell" media that favors growth of neural stem cells.

This video describes the method used for isolation of neuroprecursors from the developing cortex of embryonic mice. The procedure for removing embryos from the uterus, dissecting the cortical tissue, and digesting the isolated cerebral cortex is shown.

Primary neural stem cell cultures are useful for studying the mechanisms underlying central nervous system development. Stem cell research will increase ...

Establishing Embryonic Mouse Neural Stem Cell Culture Using the Neurosphere Assay

In mammalians, stem cells acts as a source of undifferentiated cells to maintain cell genesis and renewal in different tissues and organs during the life span of the animal. They can potentially replace cells that are lost in the aging process or in the process of injury and disease. The existence of neural stem cells (NSCs) was first described by Reynolds and Weiss (1992) in the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) using a novel serum&#8208;free culture system, the neurosphere assay (NSA). Using this assay, it is also feasible to isolate and expand NSCs from different regions of the embryonic CNS. These in vitro expanded NSCs are multipotent and can give rise to the three major cell types of the CNS. While the NSA seems relatively simple to perform, attention to the procedures demonstrated here is required in order to achieve reliable and consistent results. This video practically demonstrates NSA to generate and expand NSCs from embryonic day 14-mouse brain tissue and provides technical details so one can achieve reproducible neurosphere cultures. The procedure includes harvesting E14 mouse embryos, brain microdissection to harvest the ganglionic eminences, dissociation of the harvested tissue in NSC medium to gain a single cell suspension, and finally plating cells in NSA culture. After 5-7 days in culture, the resulting primary neurospheres are passaged to further expand the number of the NSCs for future experiments.

This video protocol demonstrates the application of the neurosphere assay for the isolation and expansion of neural stem cells from the ganglionic eminences of embryonic day 14-mouse brain.

In mammalians, stem cells acts as a source of undifferentiated cells to maintain cell genesis and renewal in different tissues and organs during the life ...

Neuroscience

Generation of Neural Stem Cells from Discarded Human Fetal Cortical Tissue

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ultimately give rise to intermediate progenitors and later, the various neuronal and glial cell subtypes that form the cerebral cortex. The capacity to generate and expand human NSCs (so called neurospheres) from discarded normal fetal tissue provides a means with which to directly study the functional aspects of normal human NSC development 1-5. This approach can also be directed toward the generation of NSCs from known neurological disorders, thereby affording the opportunity to identify disease processes that alter progenitor proliferation, migration and differentiation 6-9. We have focused on identifying pathological mechanisms in human Down syndrome NSCs that might contribute to the accelerated Alzheimer's disease phenotype 10,11. Neither in vivo nor in vitro mouse models can replicate the identical repertoire of genes located on human chromosome 21. 
Here we use a simple and reliable method to isolate Down syndrome NSCs from aborted human fetal cortices and grow them in culture. The methodology provides specific aspects of harvesting the tissue, dissection with limited anatomical landmarks, cell sorting, plating and passaging of human NSCs. We also provide some basic protocols for inducing differentiation of human NSCs into more selective cell subtypes.

A simple and reliable method on isolation and culture of neural stem cells from discarded human fetal cortical tissue is described. Cultures derived from known human neurological disorders can be used for characterization of pathological cellular and molecular processes, as well as provide a platform to assess pharmacological efficacy.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside along the ventricular zone neuroepithelium during the development of the cortical plate. These early progenitors ...

One Mouse, Two Cultures: Isolation and Culture of Adult Neural Stem Cells from the Two Neurogenic Zones of Individual Mice

The neurosphere assay and the adherent monolayer culture system are valuable tools to determine the potential (proliferation or differentiation) of adult neural stem cells in vitro. These assays can be used to compare the precursor potential of cells isolated from genetically different or differentially treated animals&#160;to determine the effects of exogenous factors on neural precursor cell proliferation and differentiation and to generate neural precursor cell lines that can be assayed over continuous passages. The neurosphere assay is traditionally used for the post-hoc identification of stem cells, primarily due to the lack of definitive markers with which they can be isolated from primary tissue&#160;and has the major advantage of giving a quick estimate of precursor cell numbers in brain tissue derived from individual animals. Adherent monolayer cultures, in contrast, are not traditionally used to compare proliferation between individual animals, as each culture is generally initiated from the combined tissue of between 5-8 animals. However, they have the major advantage that, unlike neurospheres, they consist of a mostly homogeneous population of precursor cells and are useful for following the differentiation process in single cells. Here, we describe, in detail, the generation of neurosphere cultures and, for the first time, adherent cultures from individual animals. This has many important implications including paired analysis of proliferation and/or differentiation potential in both the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus (DG) of treated or genetically different mouse lines, as well as a significant reduction in animal usage.

Here we describe a detailed protocol for the simultaneous generation of neural precursor cell cultures, as either adherent monolayers or neurospheres, from the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus of individual adult mice.

The neurosphere assay and the adherent monolayer culture system are valuable tools to determine the potential (proliferation or differentiation) of adult ...

Isolation and Culture of Adult Neural Stem Cells from the Mouse Subcallosal Zone

Adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) can be used for the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. NSCs have the potential for differentiation and proliferation into three types of cells: neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Identifying aNSC-derived regions and characterizing the aNSC properties are critical for the potential use of aNSCs and for the elucidation of their role in neural regeneration. The subcallosal zone (SCZ), located between white matter and the hippocampus, has recently been reported to contain aNSCs and continuously give rise to neuroblasts. A low percentage of aNSCs from the SCZ is differentiated into neurons; most cells are differentiated into glial cells, such as oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. These cells are suggested to have a therapeutic potential for traumatic cortical injury. This protocol describes in detail the process to generate SCZ-aNSCs from an adult mouse brain. A brain matrix with intervals of 1 mm is used to obtain the SCZ-containing coronal slices and to precisely dissect the SCZ from the whole brain. The SCZ sections are initially subjected to a neurosphere culture. A well-developed culture system allows for the verification of their characteristics and can increase research on NSCs. A neurosphere culture system provides a useful tool for determining proliferation and collecting the genuine NSCs. A monolayer culture is also an in vitro system to assay proliferation and differentiation. Significantly, this culture system provides a more homogenous environment for NSCs than the neurosphere culture system. Thus, using a discrete brain region, these culture systems will be helpful for expanding our knowledge about aNSCs and their applications for therapeutic uses.

Establishing culture systems for the expansion of adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) allows for the examination and application of aNSCs for therapy. The subcallosal zone (SCZ) has recently been recognized as a novel neuroblast-forming region in adult mice. Here, methods for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of SCZ-aNSCs are described.

Adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) can be used for the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. NSCs have the potential for differentiation and proliferation ...

Isolation and Culture of Embryonic Mouse Neural Stem Cells

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent and can give rise to the three major cell types of the central nervous system (CNS). In vitro culture and expansion of NSCs provide a suitable source of cells for neuroscientists to study the function of neurons and glial cells along with their interactions. There are several reported techniques for the isolation of neural stem cells from adult or embryo mammalian brains. During the microsurgical operation to isolate NSCs from different regions of the embryonic CNS, it is very important to reduce the damage to the brain cells to obtain the highest ratio of live and expandable stem cells. A possible technique for stress reduction during isolation of these cells from the mouse embryo brain is the reduction of surgical time. Here, we demonstrate a developed technique for rapid isolation of these cells from the E13 mouse embryo ganglionic eminence. Surgical procedures include harvesting E13 mouse embryos from the uterus, cutting the frontal fontanelle of the embryo with a bent needle tip, extracting the brain from the skull, microdissection of the isolated brain to harvest the ganglionic eminence, dissociation of the harvested tissue in NSC medium to gain a single cell suspension, and finally plating cells in suspension culture to generate neurospheres.

Here, we introduce a novel microsurgical technique for the isolation of neural stem cells from the E13 mouse embryo ganglionic eminence.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are multipotent and can give rise to the three major cell types of the central nervous system (CNS). In vitro culture and ...

Efficient Nucleofection of NSCs Isolated from the Murine Subventricular Zone

Isolation, Expansion, and Nucleofection of Neural Stem Cells from Adult Murine Subventricular Zone

Isolation and expansion of neural stem cells (NSCs) from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mouse brain can be achieved in a medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) as mitogens, producing clonal aggregates known as neurospheres. This in vitro system is a valuable tool for studying NSC potential. Transfection of siRNAs or genes carried in plasmids can be used to induce perturbations to gene expression and study NSC biology. However, the exogenous nucleic acid delivery to NSC cultures is challenging due to the low efficiency of central nervous system (CNS) cells transfection. Here, we present an improved nucleofection system that achieves high efficiency of gene delivery in expanded NSCs from adult murine SVZ. We demonstrate that this relatively simple method enhances gene perturbation in adult NSCs, surpassing traditional transfection protocols with survival rates exceeding 80%. Moreover, this method can also be applied in primary isolated NSCs, providing a crucial advancement in gene function studies through gene expression manipulation via knockdown or overexpression in neurosphere cultures.

Author Spotlight: Improved Nucleofection for High-Efficiency Gene Delivery in Murine Subventricular Zone-Derived Neural Stem Cell Cultures

Here, we describe a nucleofection system designed to enhance gene delivery efficiency in expanded neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from the adult murine subventricular zone. The findings demonstrate that this method significantly improves gene perturbation in NSCs, surpassing the effectiveness of traditional transfection protocols and enhancing cell survival rate.

Isolation and expansion of neural stem cells (NSCs) from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mouse brain can be achieved in a medium supplemented ...

Obtaining Single-Cell Suspensions from Murine Brain and Skull Bone Marrow

Isolating Immune Cells from Mouse Brain and Skull

Mounting evidence indicates that the immune response triggered by brain disorders (e.g., brain ischemia and autoimmune encephalomyelitis) occurs not only in the brain, but also in the skull. A key step toward analyzing changes in immune cell populations in both the brain and skull bone marrow after brain damage (e.g., stroke) is to obtain sufficient numbers of high-quality immune cells for downstream analyses. Here, two optimized protocols are provided for isolating immune cells from the brain and skull bone marrow. The advantages of both protocols are reflected in their simplicity, speed, and efficacy in yielding a large quantity of viable immune cells. These cells may be suitable for a range of downstream applications, such as cell sorting, flow cytometry, and transcriptomic analysis. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the protocols, immunophenotyping experiments were performed on stroke brains and normal brain skull bone marrow using flow cytometry analysis, and the results aligned with findings from published studies.

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Complex Immune Response Following Brain Ischemia

To investigate the immune response to brain disorders, one common approach is to analyze changes in immune cells. Here, two simple and effective protocols are provided for isolating immune cells from murine brain tissue and skull bone marrow.

Mounting evidence indicates that the immune response triggered by brain disorders (e.g., brain ischemia and autoimmune encephalomyelitis) occurs not only ...

Generating Neural Progenitors from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells by the Hanging Drop Method

Source: Hanafiah, A., et al. <a href="https://app.jove.com/v/61446">Differentiation and Characterization of Neural Progenitors and Neurons from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2020).
The video demonstrates the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to embryoid bodies (EBs) by the hanging drop method. Upon suspending the mESCs in hanging drops and incubating, the cells aggregate to form EBs, which are further differentiated into neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) using a differentiation medium supplemented with retinoic acid (RA).

1. mESC culture

	Coat a 10 cm tissue-culture-treated plate with 0.1% gelatin and allow the gelatin to set for at least 15&#8211;30 min before aspirating ...

JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments

Neuronal Culture Techniques

Primary Neuronal Culture

Obtaining a Single-Cell Suspension from Mouse Hippocampal Tissue

Source: Trujillo, M., et al. <a href="https://app.jove.com/v/63007">Combined Mechanical and Enzymatic Dissociation of Mouse Brain Hippocampal Tissue.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2021)
This video demonstrates a protocol to obtain a highly viable single-cell suspension from the mouse brain hippocampus using a combination of automated mechanical dissociation and a mixture of enzymes to aid in enzymatic digestion.

All procedures involving animal samples have been reviewed and approved by the appropriate animal ethical review committee. 
1. Prepare Enzyme Mix 1 and 2 ...