Developmental features of rat cerebellar neural cells cultured in a chemically defined medium
We studied some aspects of the differentiation of rat cerebellar neural cells obtained from 8-day postnatal animals and cultured in a serum-free, chemically defined medium (CDM). The ability of the cells to take up radioactive transmitter amino acids was analyzed autoradiographically. The L-glutamate analogue /sup 3/H-D-aspartate was taken up by astroglial cells, but not by granule neurons, even in late cultures (20 days in vitro). This is in agreement with the lack of depolarization-induced release of /sup 3/H-D-aspartate previously observed in this type of culture. In contrast, /sup 3/H-(GABA) was scarcely accumulated by glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytes, but taken up by glutamate-decarboxylase-positive inhibitory interneurons and was released in a Ca2+-dependent way upon depolarization: /sup 3/H-GABA evoked release progressively increased with time in culture. Interestingly, the expression of the vesicle-associated protein synapsin I was much reduced in granule cells cultured in CDM as compared to those maintained in the presence of serum. These data would indicate that in CDM the differentiation of granule neurons is not complete, while that of GABAergic neurons is not greatly affected. Whether the diminished differentiation of granule cells must be attributed only to serum deprivation or also to other differences in the composition of the culture medium remains to be established. /sup 3/H-GABA was avidly taken up also by a population of cells which were not recognized by antibodies raised against GFAP, glutamate decarboxylase, and microtubule-associated protein 2. These cells have been characterized as bipotential precursors of oligodendrocytes and of a subpopulation of astrocytes bearing a stellate shape and capable of high-affinity /sup 3/H-GABA uptake.
- Research Organization:
- Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy
- OSTI ID:
- 5578719
- Journal Information:
- J. Neurosci. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Neurosci. Res.; (United States) Vol. 3; ISSN JNRED
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AMINO ACIDS
AMINOBUTYRIC ACID
ANIMAL CELLS
ANIMALS
ASPARTIC ACID
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
BODY
BRAIN
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CELL CULTURES
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CEREBELLUM
CULTURE MEDIA
DRUGS
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
NERVE CELLS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUROREGULATORS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PHYSIOLOGY
RATS
RODENTS
SOMATIC CELLS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES