1. Improved Method for Efficient Generation of Functional Neurons from Murine Neural Progenitor Cells
- Author
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Soni, Abhinav, Klütsch, Diana, Hu, Xin, Houtman, Judith, Rund, Nicole, McCloskey, Asako, Mertens, Jerome, Schafer, Simon T., Amin, Hayder, and Toda, Tomohisa
- Subjects
physiology [Electrical Synapses] ,QH301-705.5 ,Neurogenesis ,Cell Culture Techniques ,Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ,Synaptic Transmission ,Article ,Cell Line ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,induced neurons ,Electrical Synapses ,Phenotype ,nervous system ,neuronal culture ,genetics [Neurogenesis] ,ddc:570 ,physiology [Neural Stem Cells] ,Animals ,physiology [Nerve Net] ,neuronal network ,Nerve Net ,Biology (General) ,Evoked Potentials ,neural stem cells - Abstract
Neuronal culture was used to investigate neuronal function in physiological and pathological conditions. Despite its inevitability, primary neuronal culture remained a gold standard method that requires laborious preparation, intensive training, and animal resources. To circumvent the shortfalls of primary neuronal preparations and efficiently give rise to functional neurons, we combine a neural stem cell culture method with a direct cell type-conversion approach. The lucidity of this method enables the efficient preparation of functional neurons from mouse neural progenitor cells on demand. We demonstrate that induced neurons (NPC-iNs) by this method make synaptic connections, elicit neuronal activity-dependent cellular responses, and develop functional neuronal networks. This method will provide a concise platform for functional neuronal assessments. This indeed offers a perspective for using these characterized neuronal networks for investigating plasticity mechanisms, drug screening assays, and probing the molecular and biophysical basis of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Published
- 2021