Name: purification of prominin-1+ stem cells from postnatal mouse cerebellum
Uploaded: 2020-04-12T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Purification of Prominin-1+ Stem Cells from Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum at JoVE.com

We thank the Opal lab members for their suggestions. This work was supported by NIH grants 1RO1 NS062051 and 1RO1NS08251 (Opal P)

All animal experiments were performed in compliance with the NIH&#8217;s Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (2011) and were approved by the Northwestern University IACUC (Protocol IS00011368).
1. Preparation of Solutions
<ol>
	<li>Prepare tissue dissociation solution made from sterile phenol red-containing Dulbecco&#8217;s phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) with papain (100 U/ml), cysteine (0.2 mg/ml) and DNase (250 U/ml).</li>
	<li>To prepare DNase solution dilute&#160;100 mg of...

<ol>
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Y., Rose, M. F., Zoghbi, H. Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Math1+expression+redefines+the+rhombic+lip+derivatives+and+reveals+novel+lineages+within+the+brainstem+and+cerebellum.">Math1 expression redefines the rhombic lip derivatives and reveals novel lineages within the brainstem and cerebellum.</a> Neuron. 48, 31-43 (2005).</li><li>Li, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+population+of+Nestin-expressing+progenitors+in+the+cerebellum+exhibits+increased+tumorigenicity.">A population of Nestin-expressing progenitors in the cerebellum exhibits increased tumorigenicity.</a> Nature Neurosciences. 16, 1737-1744 (2013).</li><li>Lee, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+of+neural+stem+cells+from+the+postnatal+cerebellum.">Isolation of neural stem cells from the postnatal cerebellum.</a> Nature Neurosciences. 8, 723-729 (2005).</li><li>Toren, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CD133-positive+hematopoietic+stem+cell+"stemness"+genes+contain+many+genes+mutated+or+abnormally+expressed+in+leukemia.">CD133-positive hematopoietic stem cell "stemness" genes contain many genes mutated or abnormally expressed in leukemia.</a> Stem Cells. 23, 1142-1153 (2005).</li><li>Zhu, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Prominin+1+marks+intestinal+stem+cells+that+are+susceptible+to+neoplastic+transformation.">Prominin 1 marks intestinal stem cells that are susceptible to neoplastic transformation.</a> Nature. 457, 603-607 (2009).</li><li>Man, S. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Critical+Role+for+the+DNA+Sensor+AIM2+in+Stem+Cell+Proliferation+and+Cancer.">Critical Role for the DNA Sensor AIM2 in Stem Cell Proliferation and Cancer.</a> Cell. 162, 45-58 (2015).</li><li>Fleming, J. T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Purkinje+neuron+acts+as+a+central+regulator+of+spatially+and+functionally+distinct+cerebellar+precursors.">The Purkinje neuron acts as a central regulator of spatially and functionally distinct cerebellar precursors.</a> Developmental Cell. 27, 278-292 (2013).</li><li>Panchision, D. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Optimized+flow+cytometric+analysis+of+central+nervous+system+tissue+reveals+novel+functional+relationships+among+cells+expressing+CD133,+CD15,+and+CD24.">Optimized flow cytometric analysis of central nervous system tissue reveals novel functional relationships among cells expressing CD133, CD15, and CD24.</a> Stem Cells. 25, 1560-1570 (2007).</li><li>Beaudoin, G. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Culturing+pyramidal+neurons+from+the+early+postnatal+mouse+hippocampus+and+cortex.">Culturing pyramidal neurons from the early postnatal mouse hippocampus and cortex.</a> Nature Protocols. 7, 1741-1754 (2012).</li><li>Edamakanti, C. R., Do, J., Didonna, A., Martina, M., Opal, P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mutant+ataxin1+disrupts+cerebellar+development+in+spinocerebellar+ataxia+type+1.">Mutant ataxin1 disrupts cerebellar development in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.</a> Journal of Clinical Investigation. 128, 2252-2265 (2018).</li><li>Erlandsson, A., Enarsson, M., Forsberg-Nilsson, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Immature+neurons+from+CNS+stem+cells+proliferate+in+response+to+platelet-derived+growth+factor.">Immature neurons from CNS stem cells proliferate in response to platelet-derived growth factor.</a> Journal of Neurosciences. 21, 3483-3491 (2001).</li><li>Galli, R., Pagano, S. F., Gritti, A., Vescovi, A. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Regulation+of+neuronal+differentiation+in+human+CNS+stem+cell+progeny+by+leukemia+inhibitory+factor.">Regulation of neuronal differentiation in human CNS stem cell progeny by leukemia inhibitory factor.</a> Developmental Neurosciences. 22, 86-95 (2000).</li><li>Silbereis, J., Cheng, E., Ganat, Y. M., Ment, L. R., Vaccarino, F. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Precursors+with+Glial+Fibrillary+Acidic+Protein+Promoter+Activity+Transiently+Generate+GABA+Interneurons+in+the+Postnatal+Cerebellum.">Precursors with Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Promoter Activity Transiently Generate GABA Interneurons in the Postnatal Cerebellum.</a> Stem Cells. 27, 1152-1163 (2009).</li><li>Parmigiani, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Heterogeneity+and+Bipotency+of+Astroglial-Like+Cerebellar+Progenitors+along+the+Interneuron+and+Glial+Lineages.">Heterogeneity and Bipotency of Astroglial-Like Cerebellar Progenitors along the Interneuron and Glial Lineages.</a> Journal of Neurosciences. 35, 7388-7402 (2015).</li><li>Wojcinski, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cerebellar+granule+cell+replenishment+postinjury+by+adaptive+reprogramming+of+Nestin(+)+progenitors.">Cerebellar granule cell replenishment postinjury by adaptive reprogramming of Nestin(+) progenitors.</a> Nature Neurosciences. 20, 1361-1370 (2017).</li><li>Yang, Z., Joyner, A. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=YAP1+is+involved+in+replenishment+of+granule+cell+precursors+following+injury+to+the+neonatal+cerebellum.">YAP1 is involved in replenishment of granule cell precursors following injury to the neonatal cerebellum.</a> Developmental Biology. 1606 (19), 30207 (2019).</li><li>Wang, S. S., Kloth, A. D., Badura, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+cerebellum,+sensitive+periods,+and+autism.">The cerebellum, sensitive periods, and autism.</a> Neuron. 83, 518-532 (2014).</li><li>Eberhart, C. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Three+down+and+one+to+go:+modeling+medulloblastoma+subgroups.">Three down and one to go: modeling medulloblastoma subgroups.</a> Cancer Cell. 21, 137-138 (2012).</li><li>Takahashi, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CD133+is+a+positive+marker+for+a+distinct+class+of+primitive+human+cord+blood-derived+CD34-negative+hematopoietic+stem+cells.">CD133 is a positive marker for a distinct class of primitive human cord blood-derived CD34-negative hematopoietic stem cells.</a> Leukemia. 28, 1308-1315 (2014).</li></ol>

Prominin-1-expressing cerebellar stem cells reside in the prospective white matter during the first 3 weeks of postnatal life. Their proliferation is tightly controlled by the sonic hedgehog pathway supported by Purkinje cells17. These stem cells/progenitors contribute to later-born GABAergic interneurons called basket cells and stellate cells. These interneurons reside in the molecular layer, where they synapse onto Purkinje cells and sculpt PC topography and function via GABAergic inhibition<sup...

The cerebellum has been long recognized as a major neuronal circuit coordinating voluntary movement1. It receives input from the wide swathes of the neuroaxis, which includes proprioceptive information from the periphery, so as to fine tune motor output&#160;and coordinate motion. More recently, it has also been implicated in regulating cognition and emotions by potentially using similar information processing networks2,3,4.
The adult cerebellum is composed of an outer cerebellar cortex and inner white matter. Interspersed within these structures are deep intracerebellar nuclei. Similar to the rest of the nervous system, the development of the cerebellum is driven by the proliferation of multipotent progenitor cells (stem cells) that migrate and differentiate to yield this well-organized structure. In early development (E10.5&#8211;E13.5), a ventricular stem niche around the developing fourth ventricle generates GABAergic neurons (i.e., Purkinje cells, Lugaro cells, Golgi cells) along with Bergmann glia5,6,7,8.
Later in development (postnatal week one), a second stem cell niche in the rhombic lip generates MATH1- and Nestin-expressing progenitors that give rise to excitatory granule neurons9,10,11,12. Recently a third stem cell niche has been described13. These cells express prominin-1 (also known as CD133), a membrane-spanning glycoprotein that defines a subset of stem cells in the intestine and hematopoietic systems14,15,16. In vivo fate mapping shows that these stem cells generate key molecular layer interneurons (i.e., basket cells and stellate cells), along with astrocytes, during the first three postnatal weeks. In the past, it has been difficult to study these cells in vitro because prior methods have required costly and time-consuming techniques (i.e., fluorescence-activated cell sorting [FACS]) that are dependent on prominin-1 staining12,13,17. This protocol describes an immunomagnetic-based method for the isolation of these stem cells that can then be readily cultured and differentiated.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>0.05%Trypsin</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>25300054</td>
			<td>0.05%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2% B27</td>
			<td>Gibco; Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>17504001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2mM EDTA solution</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>46-034-CI</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Anti- Prominin-1 microbeads</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biote</td>
			<td>130-092-333</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>bovine serum albumin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>A9418</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Column MultiStand</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>culture plates ultra - low attachment</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>3473</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>cysteine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C7880</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DNase</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>D4513-1VL</td>
			<td>250 U/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dulbecco&#8217;s Phosphate Buffer Saline</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14040141</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hank&#39;s balanced salt solution-HBSS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14025-092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Human recombinant Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>G507A</td>
			<td>20 ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Human recombinant Epidermal Growth Factor</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>G502A</td>
			<td>20 ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Leukemia Inhibitory Factor</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>L5158</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>l-glutamine</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25030081</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscopy</td>
			<td>Lieca TCS SP5 confocal microscopes</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MiniMACS separator</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-102</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>mouse anti-Prominin-1</td>
			<td>Affymetrix eBioscience</td>
			<td>14-1331</td>
			<td>1 in 100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nestin</td>
			<td>Abcam</td>
			<td>ab27952</td>
			<td>1 in 200</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Neurobasal medium</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher</td>
			<td>25030081</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>O4</td>
			<td>Millopore</td>
			<td>MAB345</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Papain</td>
			<td>Worthington</td>
			<td>LS003126</td>
			<td>(100 U/ml)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Platelet- Derived Growth Factor</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>H8291</td>
			<td>10 ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Poly-D-Lysine</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P6407</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>rabbit anti-tubulin, b-III</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>T2200</td>
			<td>1 in 500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Rabit anti-GFAP</td>
			<td>Dako</td>
			<td>Z0334</td>
			<td>1 in 500</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Separation columns-MS columns</td>
			<td>Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sterile cell strainer</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22363547</td>
			<td>40um</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

purification of prominin-1+ stem cells from postnatal mouse cerebellum

Most cerebellar neurons arise from two embryonic stem niches: a rhombic lip niche, which generates all the cerebellar excitatory glutamatergic neurons, and a ventricular zone niche, which generates the inhibitory GABAergic Purkinje cells, which are neurons that constitute the deep cerebellar nuclei and Bergman glia. Recently, a third stem cell niche has been described that arises as a secondary germinal zone from the ventricular zone niche. The cells of this niche are defined by the cell surface marker prominin-1 and are localized to the developing white matter of the postnatal cerebellum. This niche accounts for the late born molecular layer GABAergic interneurons along with postnatally generated cerebellar astrocytes. In addition to their developmental role, this niche is gaining translational importance in regards to its involvement in neurodegeneration and tumorigenesis. The biology of these cells has been difficult to decipher because of a lack of efficient techniques for their purification. Demonstrated here are efficient methods to purify, culture, and differentiate these postnatal cerebellar stem cells.

Prominin-1-positive postnatal cerebellar stem cells formed neurospheres in neurosphere medium rich in growth factors (EGF and bFGF). These neurospheres were positive for prominin-1-staining, the marker used for isolation, and also as a stain for other stem cell markers such as Nestin and GFAP13 (Figure 1). The stem cell marker expression was maintained throughout culture and for up to at least eight passages20. Upon withdrawal of growth factors...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Purification of Prominin-1+ Stem Cells from Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum at JoVE.com

Purification of Prominin-1+ Stem Cells from Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum

Demonstrated here is an efficient and cost-effective method to purify, culture, and differentiate white matter stem cells from postnatal mouse cerebellum.

Purification of Prominin-1+ Stem Cells from Postnatal Mouse Cerebellum

Most cerebellar neurons arise from two embryonic stem niches: a rhombic lip niche, which generates all the cerebellar excitatory glutamatergic neurons, ...

This protocol describes an easy and cost effective method to purify stem cells from the postnatal cerebellum. These stem cells account for the late-born molecularly garbled interneurons, but they also account for postnatally-derived cerebellar astrocytes. Thus, studying these cells is clearly important for understanding the development of the cerebellum.Using this protocol, the yield of stem cell is comparable to that of FACS-based strategy which is typically 10 times more expensive. This protocol can be generalized to extract prominin-1 expressing stem cells from other tissues such as intestine and bone marrow. Begin by placing the dish with the brain under a dissection microscope.Use fine number five forceps to remove the meninges and large blood vessels from the cerebellum, then separate the cerebellum from the brainstem using the spatula. Transfer the cerebellum into a 15 milliliter centrifuge tube containing five milliliters of ice cold HBSS solution. Rinse it then decant the HBSS.Repeat the wash two more times. After the last rinse, add five milliliters of papain-based tissue dissociation solution that has been pre-warmed to 37 degrees Celsius. Incubate the tissue for 15 minutes in a 37 degree Celsius water bath and slowly mix the contents of the tube by inverting it three to five times every three minutes.Prepare a wide diameter and narrow diameter glass Pasteur pipette by fire polishing over a Bunsen burner. After the incubation, wash the tissue three times with five milliliters of HBSS solution making sure to avoid losing tissue while decanting. After the last HBSS wash, add five milliliters of DPBS with 250 microliters of DNAse to the tissue and dissociate it by gently triturating 10 to 15 times with the wide diameter Pasteur pipette.Then use the narrow Pasteur pipette to further triturate the tissue slurry 10 times. If larger pieces of tissue remain, press them against the bottom of the tube with the pipette tip and continue pipetting until a fine suspension is achieved. Place the centrifuge tubes on ice.Then strain the dissociated cells through a 40 micrometer cell strainer into a 50 milliliter tube. Top the filter with 10 milliliters of ice cold HBSS solution to ensure that the cells pass through the mesh. Transfer the filtered cells to a fresh 15 milliliter centrifuge tube and centrifuge the suspension at 300 times g for 10 minutes at four degrees Celsius.Then use a vacuum aspirator to remove the supernatant completely. Resuspend the cell pellet in 160 microliters of ice cold magnetic column buffer. Add 40 microliters of anti-prominin-1 microbeads to the cell suspension.Then incubate the tubes in a refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the antibody to bind to the prominin-1 expressing cells. Wash the cells with one to two milliliters of column buffer X and centrifuge them at 300 times g for 10 minutes. Aspirate the supernatant and resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of column buffer X.Place the magnetic columns on the magnetic stand and rinse them once with 500 microliters of buffer X.Apply the labeled cell suspension onto the column and collect the flowthrough in fresh 15 milliliter tubes.Wash the column three times with 500 microliters of buffer X.Then remove the columns from the magnetic field and place them in 1.5 milliliter tubes. Add one milliliter of culture medium and push the plunger into the column to flush out the cells tagged with prominin-1 beads. To passage the neurospheres, transfer them along with the culture medium into a sterile 15 milliliter centrifuge tube.Pellet the neurospheres by centrifugation at 300 times g for five minutes and discard the supernatant. Resuspend the pellet in five milliliters of dissociation media with papain or 0.05%trypsin solution and incubate the cells at 37 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. Centrifuge the cell suspension again.Then resuspend the cells in five milliliters of neurosphere medium and dissociate them by slowly pipetting them up and down 10 times with a Pasteur pipette. Plate the cells in neurosphere media as described in the text protocol and enrich them with secondary neurospheres after seven to 10 days in culture as previously described. Count the cells on a hemocytometer and plate the optimal number of cells on poly-D-lysine coated plates for future experiments.Column purified prominin-1 positive postnatal cerebellar stem cells formed neurospheres in growth factor rich neurosphere medium. These neurospheres were positive for prominin-1, their marker used for isolation and for other stem cell markers such as nestin and GFAP. Cells in the flowthrough stained negative for stem cell markers prominin-1 and nestin and positive for neuronal marker beta-III tubulin.Upon withdrawal of growth factors and in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor or PDGF-AA, the prominin-1 positive neurospheres differentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. When attempting this technique, it is important to make sure the neurospheres are pushed through for prominin-1 antibody and they can be passaged because normal cells also tend to form clumps which may look like neurospheres. Using this isolation method, one can characterize its derivative lineages like neurons and glia in health and disease condition.This method is valuable and provides novel insight into role of cerebellar stem cells in cerebellar development and disease conditions like spinocerebellar ataxia and cancer.

purification-of-prominin-1-stem-cells-from-postnatal-mouse-cerebellum

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Cells from Embryonic Murine Neural Tube

The embryonic neural crest (NC) is a multipotent progenitor population that originates at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, undergoes an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrates throughout the embryo, giving rise to diverse cell types 1-3. NC also has the unique ability to influence the differentiation and maturation of target organs4-6. When explanted in vitro, NC progenitors undergo self-renewal, migrate and differentiate into a variety of tissue types including neurons, glia, smooth muscle cells, cartilage and bone. 
NC multipotency was first described from explants of the avian neural tube7-9. In vitro isolation of NC cells facilitates the study of NC dynamics including proliferation, migration, and multipotency. Further work in the avian and rat systems demonstrated that explanted NC cells retain their NC potential when transplanted back into the embryo10-13. Because these inherent cellular properties are preserved in explanted NC progenitors, the neural tube explant assay provides an attractive option for studying the NC in vitro. 
To attain a better understanding of the mammalian NC, many methods have been employed to isolate NC populations. NC-derived progenitors can be cultured from post-migratory locations in both the embryo and adult to study the dynamics of post-migratory NC progenitors11,14-20, however isolation of NC progenitors as they emigrate from the neural tube provides optimal preservation of NC cell potential and migratory properties13,21,22. Some protocols employ fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate a NC population enriched for particular progenitors11,13,14,17. However, when starting with early stage embryos, cell numbers adequate for analyses are difficult to obtain with FACS, complicating the isolation of early NC populations from individual embryos. Here, we describe an approach that does not rely on FACS and results in an approximately 96% pure NC population based on a Wnt1-Cre activated lineage reporter23. 
The method presented here is adapted from protocols optimized for the culture of rat NC11,13. The advantages of this protocol compared to previous methods are that 1) the cells are not grown on a feeder layer, 2) FACS is not required to obtain a relatively pure NC population, 3) premigratory NC cells are isolated and 4) results are easily quantified. Furthermore, this protocol can be used for isolation of NC from any mutant mouse model, facilitating the study of NC characteristics with different genetic manipulations. The limitation of this approach is that the NC is removed from the context of the embryo, which is known to influence the survival, migration and differentiation of the NC2,24-28.

Isolation of embryonic neural crest from the neural tube facilitates the use of in vitro methods for studying migration, self-renewal, and multipotency of neural crest.

The embryonic neural crest (NC) is a multipotent progenitor population that originates at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, undergoes an epithelial to ...

Feeder-free Derivation of Neural Crest Progenitor Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential for studying human embryonic development, for modeling human diseases in the dish and as a source of transplantable cells for regenerative applications after disease or accidents. Neural crest (NC) cells are the precursors for a large variety of adult somatic cells, such as cells from the peripheral nervous system and glia, melanocytes and mesenchymal cells. They are a valuable source of cells to study aspects of human embryonic development, including cell fate specification and migration. Further differentiation of NC progenitor cells into terminally differentiated cell types offers the possibility to model human diseases in vitro, investigate disease mechanisms and generate cells for regenerative medicine. This article presents the adaptation of a currently available in vitro differentiation protocol for the derivation of NC cells from hPSCs. This new protocol requires 18 days of differentiation, is feeder-free, easily scalable and highly reproducible among human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines as well as human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Both old and new protocols yield NC cells of equal identity.

Neural crest (NC) cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) have great potential for modeling human development and disease and for cell replacement therapies. Here, a feeder-free adaptation of the currently widely used in vitro differentiation protocol for the derivation of NC cells from hPSCs is presented.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have great potential for studying human embryonic development, for modeling human diseases in the dish and as a ...

Isolation of Distinct Cell Populations from the Developing Cerebellum by Microdissection

Microdissection is a novel technique that can isolate specific regions of a tissue and eliminate contamination from cellular sources in adjacent areas. This method was first utilized in the study of Nestin-expressing progenitors (NEPs), a newly identified population of cells in the cerebellar external germinal layer (EGL). Using microdissection in combination with fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS), a pure population of NEPs was collected separately from conventional granule neuron precursors in the EGL and from other contaminating Nestin-expressing cells in the cerebellum. Without microdissection, functional analyses of NEPs would not have been possible with the current methods available, such as Percoll gradient centrifugation and laser capture microdissection. This technique can also be applied for use with various tissues that contain either recognizable regions or fluorescently-labeled cells. Most importantly, a major advantage of this microdissection technique is that isolated cells are living and can be cultured for further experimentation, which is currently not possible with other described methods.

Nestin-expressing&#160;progenitors are a newly identified population of neuronal progenitors in the developing cerebellum. Using the microdissection technique presented here in combination with fluorescent-activated cell sorting, this cell population can be purified with no contamination from other cerebellar regions and can be cultured for further studies.

Microdissection is a novel technique that can isolate specific regions of a tissue and eliminate contamination from cellular sources in adjacent areas. ...

Purification of Mouse Brain Vessels

In the brain, most of the vascular system consists of a selective barrier, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that regulates the exchange of molecules and immune cells between the brain and the blood. Moreover, the huge neuronal metabolic demand requires a moment-to-moment regulation of blood flow. Notably, abnormalities of these regulations are etiological hallmarks of most brain pathologies; including glioblastoma, stroke, edema, epilepsy, degenerative diseases (ex: Parkinson&#8217;s disease, Alzheimer&#8217;s disease), brain tumors, as well as inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis, meningitis and sepsis-induced brain dysfunctions. Thus, understanding the signaling events modulating the cerebrovascular physiology is a major challenge. Much insight into the cellular and molecular properties of the various cell types that compose the cerebrovascular system can be gained from primary culture or cell sorting from freshly dissociated brain tissue. However, properties such as cell polarity, morphology and intercellular relationships are not maintained in such preparations. The protocol that we describe here is designed to purify brain vessel fragments, whilst maintaining structural integrity. We show that isolated vessels consist of endothelial cells sealed by tight junctions that are surrounded by a continuous basal lamina. Pericytes, smooth muscle cells as well as the perivascular astrocyte endfeet membranes remain attached to the endothelial layer. Finally, we describe how to perform immunostaining experiments on purified brain vessels.

We describe a protocol allowing the purification of the mouse brain's vascular compartment. Isolated brain vessels include endothelial cells linked by tight junctions and surrounded by a continuous basal lamina, pericytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, as well as perivascular astroglial membranes.

In the brain, most of the vascular system consists of a selective barrier, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that regulates the exchange of molecules and ...

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 ...

Homochronic Transplantation of Interneuron Precursors into Early Postnatal Mouse Brains

Neuronal fate determination and maturation requires an intricate interplay between genetic programs and environmental signals. However, disentangling the roles of intrinsic vs. extrinsic mechanisms that regulate this differentiation process is a conundrum for all developmental neurobiologists. This issue is magnified for GABAergic interneurons, an incredibly heterogeneous cell population that is born from transient embryonic structures and undergo a protracted migratory phase to disperse throughout the telencephalon. To explore how different brain environments affect interneuron fate and maturation, we developed a protocol for harvesting fluorescently labeled immature interneuron precursors from specific brain regions in newborn mice (P0-P2). At this age, interneuron migration is nearly complete and these cells are residing in their final resting environments with relatively little synaptic integration. Following collection of single cell solutions via flow cytometry, these interneuron precursors are transplanted into P0-P2 wildtype postnatal pups. By performing both homotopic (e.g., cortex-to-cortex) or heterotopic (e.g., cortex-to-hippocampus) transplantations, one can assess how challenging immature interneurons in new brain environments affects their fate, maturation, and circuit integration. Brains can be harvested in adult mice and assayed with a wide variety of posthoc analysis on grafted cells, including immunohistochemical, electrophysiological and transcriptional profiling. This general approach provides investigators with a strategy to assay how distinct brain environments can influence numerous aspects of neuron development and identify if specific neuronal characteristics are primarily driven by hardwired genetic programs or environmental cues.

Challenging young neurons in new brain regions can reveal important insights into how the environment sculpts neuronal fate and maturation. This protocol describes a procedure to harvest interneuron precursors from specific brain regions and transplant them either homotopically or heterotopically into the brain of postnatal pups.

Neuronal fate determination and maturation requires an intricate interplay between genetic programs and environmental signals. However, disentangling the ...

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 ...

Primary Culture of Neurons Isolated from Embryonic Mouse Cerebellum

The use of primary cell cultures has become one of the major tools to study the nervous system in vitro. The ultimate goal of using this simplified model system is to provide a controlled microenvironment and maintain the high survival rate and the natural features of dissociated neuronal and nonneuronal cells as much as possible under in vitro conditions. In this article, we demonstrate a method of isolating primary neurons from the developing mouse cerebellum, placing them in an in vitro environment, establishing their growth, and monitoring their viability and differentiation for several weeks. This method is applicable to embryonic neurons dissociated from cerebellum between embryonic days 12&ndash;18.

Conducting in vitro experiments to reflect in vivo conditions as adequately as possible is not an easy task. The use of primary cell cultures is an important step toward understanding cell biology in a whole organism. The provided protocol outlines how to successfully grow and culture embryonic mouse cerebellar neurons.

The use of primary cell cultures has become one of the major tools to study the nervous system in vitro. The ultimate goal of using this simplified model ...

Isolation and Expansion of Neurospheres from Postnatal (P1&#8722;3) Mouse Neurogenic Niches

The neurosphere assay is an extremely useful in vitro technique for studying the inherent properties of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) including proliferation, self-renewal and multipotency. In the postnatal and adult brain, NSPCs are mainly present in two neurogenic niches: the subventricular zone (SVZ) lining the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). The isolation of the neurogenic niches from postnatal brain allows obtaining a higher amount of NSPCs in culture with a consequent advantage of higher yields. The close contact between cells within each neurosphere creates a microenvironment that may resemble neurogenic niches. Here, we describe, in detail, how to generate SVZ- and DG-derived neurosphere cultures from 1&#8722;3-day-old (P1&#8722;3) mice, as well as passaging, for neurosphere expansion. This is an advantageous approach since the neurosphere assay allows a fast generation of NSPC clones (6&#8722;12 days) and contributes to a significant reduction in the number of animal usage. By plating neurospheres in differentiative conditions, we can obtain a pseudomonolayer of cells composed of NSPCs and differentiated cells of different neural lineages (neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) allowing the study of the actions of intrinsic or extrinsic factors on NSPC proliferation, differentiation, cell survival and neuritogenesis.

In this article, we describe, in detail, a protocol for the generation of neurosphere cultures from postnatal mouse neural stem cells derived from the main mouse neurogenic niches. Neurospheres are used to identify neural stem cells from brain tissue allowing the estimation of precursor cell numbers. Moreover, these 3D structures can be plated in differentiative conditions, giving rise to neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, allowing the study of cell fate.

The neurosphere assay is an extremely useful in vitro technique for studying the inherent properties of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) including ...

Neuronal Differentiation from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells In vitro

The neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) is a potential tool for elucidating the key mechanisms involved in neurogenesis and potentially aid in regenerative medicine. Here, we established an efficient and low cost method for neuronal differentiation from mESCs in vitro, using the strategy of combinatorial screening. Under the conditions defined here, the 2-day embryoid body formation + 6-day retinoic acid induction protocol permits fast and efficient differentiation from mESCs into neural precursor cells (NPCs), as seen by the formation of well-stacked and neurite-like A2lox and 129 derivatives that are Nestin positive. The healthy state of embryoid bodies and the timepoint at which retinoic acid (RA) is applied, as well as the RA concentrations, are critical in the process. In the subsequent differentiation from NPCs into neurons, N2B27 medium II (supplemented by Neurobasal medium) could better support the long term maintenance and maturation of neuronal cells. The presented method is highly efficiency, low cost and easy to operate, and can be a powerful tool for neurobiology and developmental biology research.

Here, we established a low cost and easy to operate method that directs fast and efficient differentiation from embryonic stem cells into neurons. This method is suitable for popularization among laboratories and can be a useful tool for neurological research.

The neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) is a potential tool for elucidating the key mechanisms involved in neurogenesis and ...