tretinoin and 2-3-dioxo-6-nitro-7-sulfamoylbenzo(f)quinoxaline

Although it has long been known that cultured embryonic stem cells can generate neurons, the lineage relationships with their immediate precursors remain unclear. We report here that selection of highly proliferative stem cells followed by treatment with retinoic acid generated essentially pure precursors that markers identified as Pax-6-positive radial glial cells. As they do in vivo, these cells went on to generate neurons with remarkably uniform biochemical and electrophysiological characteristics.

Topics: Animals; Bicuculline; Blotting, Western; Calmodulin-Binding Proteins; Carrier Proteins; Cell Count; Cell Differentiation; Cell Lineage; Cells, Cultured; Drug Interactions; Electric Stimulation; Embryo, Mammalian; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Eye Proteins; Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; GABA Antagonists; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; Glutamic Acid; Homeodomain Proteins; Immunohistochemistry; Indoles; Intermediate Filament Proteins; Membrane Potentials; Mice; Nerve Tissue Proteins; Nestin; Neuroglia; Neurogranin; Neurons; Paired Box Transcription Factors; Patch-Clamp Techniques; PAX6 Transcription Factor; Quinoxalines; Receptor, Nerve Growth Factor; Receptor, trkA; Receptors, AMPA; Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; Repressor Proteins; Stem Cells; Synaptophysin; Tetrodotoxin; Time Factors; Tretinoin; Tubulin; Valine