This work is supported by NIH grant R01AR054593 and R01AR054593-S1 to Xu.

1. Preparation of Tissue Culture Plates
<ol>
 <li>Coat each well with enough Poly-D-Lysine (PDL) to cover the bottom of the well. Allow the plates to dry in the hood.</li>
 <li>After the wells are dry, rinse with sterile water, and aspirate. Allow the plates to dry in the hood.</li>
 <li>When dry, coat with fibronectin (that was dissolved in biowhittaker water overnight at 37 &deg;C at a concentration of 1 mg in 6 ml).</li>
 <li>Add NCSC medium [95 ml DMEM/F12, 1 ml Penn/Strep (P/S), 1 ml N2, 2 ml B27, 100 &mu;l mercaptoethanol (2ME; 50 mM stock), bFGF (20 ng/ml medium), IGF-1 (20 ng/ml of medium) and EGF(20 ng/ml of medium)] before fibronectin dry in the plates,</li>
</ol>
2. Extract Hair Follicle Cells from Human Scalp
<ol>
 <li>Before starting the procedure of isolating NCSCs, one needs to prepare the respective medias and reagents (see Table 1).</li>
 <li>Fresh adult human scalp skin from facelift procedures or fetal scalp tissue is collected, washed with PBS containing Penicillin-Streptomycin.</li>
 <li>The skin is then transferred into 50 ml tubes and incubated in DMEM with Dispase (10 mg/ml) overnight at 4 &deg;C. Incubation for 2-4 hr at 37 &deg;C is also effective. Skin pieces should be a maximum width of 1 cm to allow for enzyme to penetrate.</li>
 <li>Transfer the skin into a sterilized Petri dish; pull off each hair from the skin by grasping the hair shaft near the skin surface and pulling firmly and smoothly. The hair follicles show morphology of either anagen (Figure 1A) or telogen (Figure 1B).</li>
 <li>Incubate the isolated follicle fragments in 0.05% trypsin-EDTA (Invitrogen) for 15-20 min at room temperature with shaking periodically, add 4 ml DMEM with 10% FBS to stop reaction. The follicular epithelium is trypsinized and filtered through 40 &mu;m filter to obtain a single-cell suspension containing cells of varying size and shape.</li>
 <li>Spin at 200 x g for 5 min, discard supernatant carefully, re-suspend in 1 ml PBS containing 2% serum (FBS).</li>
 <li>Alternatively, plucked hair follicles can be placed in culture without trypsin digestion to grow hair spheres in situ.</li>
</ol>
3. Isolation of Hair Follicle NCSCs Using Flow Cytometric Cell Sorting
<ol>
 <li>Hair follicle single-cell suspension were obtained by trypsin digestion and labeled with antibodies against CD271 (APC-conjugated) /HNK1 (FITC-conjugated) or CD271/ alpha4 integrin (PE-conjugated) for 40 min on ice in the dark.</li>
 <li>Centrifuge for 5 min at 200 x g at room temperature and aspirate the supernatant.</li>
 <li>Resuspend cells in PBS containing 2% serum (FBS), and before sorting, PI is added to gate out the dead cells.</li>
 <li>Perform cell sorting by flow cytometry (FACS). Collect CD271+, HNK1+ double positive cells or CD271+, alpha4 integrin+ double positive cells (Figure 2).</li>
 <li>After sorting, CD271+, HNK1+ double positive cells or CD271+, alpha4 integrin+ double positive cells are cultured in ultra-low attachment plates in the NCSC medium</li>
</ol>
4. Culture of Primary NCSCs
<ol>
 <li>Culture the disassociated follicular cells or FACS sorted cells in ultra-low attachment plates in the NCSC medium, change medium every day.</li>
 <li>Check cell culture every day under microscope. NCSCs will start to form floating small aggregates after several days and well-formed spheres in 2-5 weeks in the culture depending on age of the donors (Figure 3A). Outgrowth will appear in a few days at the bulge region and well-formed spheres in situ in several weeks (Figure 3B) when entire hair follicles are cultured in the NCSC medium.</li>
</ol>
5. Expansion of NCSCs
<ol>
 <li>Wash cells with PBS once.</li>
 <li>Add pre-warmed (to 37 &deg;C, critical) accutase and incubate at 37 &deg;C for 5-10 min with shaking periodically to make sure Neural stem cell spheres dissociated into single cell( for attachment cultured NCSC, incubate cells with accutase at 37 &deg;C for 5 min to make sure hair follicle stem cells detached).</li>
 <li>Wash and centrifuge cells twice for 5 min at 200 x g at room temperature in DMEM/F12 medium to remove any remaining accutase solution.</li>
 <li>Re-suspend cells with NCSC culture medium.</li>
 <li>For floating culture, put the cells in ultra-low attachment plates. For attachment culture, put the cells in pretreated tissue culture plates.</li>
</ol>
6. Representative Results
NCSC culture medium is sufficient to maintain hNCSCs in an undifferentiated state without the need for feeder cells. Keratinocytes will not proliferate and gradually died in the medium. Certain small round cells will proliferate and form small aggregates in suspension after 3 to 5 days. These floating aggregates slowly increased in size, generated three-dimensional sphere-like structures, which we termed hair spheres (Figure 3A). If cultured in coated plates, the NCSCs will attach to the surface and not form any spheres. The attached NCSCs grow faster than in suspension. The sphere-forming or attached stem cells express NCSCs markers. When entire hair follicles are cultures, spheres are formed at the area corresponding to the bulge region (Figure 3B) .
<img alt="Figure 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/3194/3194fig1.jpg" /> 
Figure 1. Plucked anagen (A) and telogen (B) hair follicles.
 
<img alt="Figure 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/3194/3194fig2.jpg" /> 
Figure 2. Representative images of FACS analysis of NCSCs. Left panel: cells are gated using anti-CD271 and anti-alphe 4 integrin antibodies. Right panel: cells are gated using anti-CD271 and anti-HNK1 antibodies.
<img alt="Figure 3" src="/files/ftp_upload/3194/3194fig3.jpg" /> 
Figure 3. Morphology of hair spheres. (A) Morphology of floating hair spheres, left panel: low power, right panel: high power. (B) Morphology of hair sphere in situ at the bulge region, left panel: a hair sphere at telogen bulge, right panel: a hair sphere at the bulge region of an anagen hair follicle.

<ol>
	<li>Cotsarelis, G., Cheng, S. Z., Dong, G., Sun, T. T., Lavker, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Existence+of+slow-cycling+limbal+epithelial+basal+cells+that+can+be+preferentially+stimulated+to+proliferate:+implications+on+epithelial+stem+cells.">Existence of slow-cycling limbal epithelial basal cells that can be preferentially stimulated to proliferate: implications on epithelial stem cells.</a> Cell. 57, 201-209 (1989).</li><li>Cotsarelis, G., Sun, T. T., Lavker, R. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Label-retaining+cells+reside+in+the+bulge+area+of+pilosebaceous+unit:+implications+for+follicular+stem+cells,+hair+cycle,+and+skin+carcinogenesis.">Label-retaining cells reside in the bulge area of pilosebaceous unit: implications for follicular stem cells, hair cycle, and skin carcinogenesis.</a> Cell. 61, 1329-1337 (1990).</li><li>Tanimura, S., 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=Hair+follicle+stem+cells+provide+a+functional+niche+for+melanocyte+stem+cells.">Hair follicle stem cells provide a functional niche for melanocyte stem cells.</a> Cell Stem Cell. 8, 177-187 (2011).</li><li>Yu, H., 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+a+novel+population+of+multipotent+adult+stem+cells+from+human+hair+follicles.">Isolation of a novel population of multipotent adult stem cells from human hair follicles.</a> Am. J. Pathol. 168, 1879-1888 (2006).</li><li>Yu, H., Kumar, S. M., Kossenkov, A. V., Showe, L., Xu, X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stem+cells+with+neural+crest+characteristics+derived+from+the+bulge+region+of+cultured+human+hair+follicles.">Stem cells with neural crest characteristics derived from the bulge region of cultured human hair follicles.</a> J. Invest. Dermatol. 130, 1227-1236 (2010).</li><li>Wong, C. 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=Neural+crest-derived+cells+with+stem+cell+features+can+be+traced+back+to+multiple+lineages+in+the+adult+skin.">Neural crest-derived cells with stem cell features can be traced back to multiple lineages in the adult skin.</a> J. Cell Biol. 175, 1005-1015 (2006).</li><li>Sieber-Blum, M., Grim, M., Hu, Y. F., Szeder, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pluripotent+neural+crest+stem+cells+in+the+adult+hair+follicle.">Pluripotent neural crest stem cells in the adult hair follicle.</a> Dev. Dyn. 231, 258-269 (2004).</li><li>Amoh, Y., 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=Implanted+hair+follicle+stem+cells+form+Schwann+cells+that+support+repair+of+severed+peripheral+nerves.">Implanted hair follicle stem cells form Schwann cells that support repair of severed peripheral nerves.</a> Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 17734-17738 (2005).</li><li>Koliatsos, V. E., Xu, L., Yan, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+stem+cell+grafts+as+therapies+for+motor+neuron+disease.">Human stem cell grafts as therapies for motor neuron disease.</a> Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 8, 137-141 (2008).</li><li>McKenzie, I. A., Biernaskie, J., Toma, J. G., Midha, R., Miller, F. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Skin-derived+precursors+generate+myelinating+Schwann+cells+for+the+injured+and+dysmyelinated+nervous+system.">Skin-derived precursors generate myelinating Schwann cells for the injured and dysmyelinated nervous system.</a> J. Neurosci. 26, 6651-6660 (2006).</li><li>LeDouarin, N. M., Kalcheim, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> The Neural Crest. , (1999).</li><li>Tumbar, 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=Defining+the+epithelial+stem+cell+niche+in+skin.">Defining the epithelial stem cell niche in skin.</a> Science. 303, 359-363 (2004).</li><li>Roh, C., 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=Multi-potentiality+of+a+new+immortalized+epithelial+stem+cell+line+derived+from+human+hair+follicles.">Multi-potentiality of a new immortalized epithelial stem cell line derived from human hair follicles.</a> In Vitro Cell Dev. Biol. Anim. 44, 236-244 (2008).</li></ol>

We have nothing to disclose.

The cell isolation and culture methods described are reproducible and robust. We have generated NCSCs from dozens of individuals across a broad age range. Although it is best to process the tissue right after tissue harvest, we found that scalp tissues can be safely stored in media on ice for overnight transportation with minimal impact on cell viability.
It is important to treat the scalp tissue with antibiotics and use aseptic technique during hair follicle isolation to avoid potential micro...

<table border="1">
 <tbody>
 <tr>
 <td>Name of the reagent</td>
 <td>Company</td>
 <td>Catalogue number</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DMEM</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>11965-092</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>DMEM/F12</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>11330-32</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Heat-inactivated FBS</td>
 <td>Hyclone</td>
 <td>SH30071.03</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>B27 supplement</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17504044</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>N2 supplement</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17502048</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>bFGF</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>PHG0026</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>EGF</td>
 <td>R&amp;D system</td>
 <td>236-EG-01M</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>IGF-I</td>
 <td>R&amp;D system</td>
 <td>291-G1-050</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>0.05% Trypsin/EDTA</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>25300-054</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Dispase</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>17105041</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
 <td>Invitrogen</td>
 <td>15070063</td>
 </tr>
 </tbody> 
</table>
Table 1.

isolation and culture of neural crest stem cells from human hair follicles

Hair follicles undergo lifelong growth and hair cycle is a well-controlled process involving stem cell proliferation and quiescence. Hair bulge is a well-characterized niche for adult stem cells1. This segment of the outer root sheath contains a number of different types of stem cells, including epithelial stem cells2, melanocyte stem cells3 and neural crest like stem cells4-7. Hair follicles represent an accessible and rich source for different types of human stem cells. We and others have isolated neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) from human fetal and adult hair follicles4,5. These human stem cells are label-retaining cells and are capable of self-renewal through asymmetric cell division in vitro. They express immature neural crest cell markers but not differentiation markers. Our expression profiling study showed that they share a similar gene expression pattern with murine skin immature neural crest cells. They exhibit clonal multipotency that can give rise to myogenic, melanocytic, and neuronal cell lineages after in vitro clonal single cell culture. Differentiated cells not only acquire lineage-specific markers but also demonstrate appropriate functions in ex vivo conditions. In addition, these NCSCs show differentiation potential toward mesenchymal lineages. Differentiated neuronal cells can persist in mouse brain and retain neuronal differentiation markers. It has been shown that hair follicle derived NCSCs can help nerve regrowth, and they improve motor function in mice transplanted with these stem cells following transecting spinal cord injury8. Furthermore, peripheral nerves have been repaired with stem cell grafts9, and implantation of skin-derived precursor cells adjacent to crushed sciatic nerves has resulted in remyelination10. Therefore, the hair follicle/skin derived NCSCs have already shown promising results for regenerative therapy in preclinical models.
Somatic cell reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has shown enormous potential for regenerative medicine. However, there are still many issues with iPS cells, particularly the long term effect of oncogene/virus integration and potential tumorigenicity of pluripotent stem cells have not been adequately addressed. There are still many hurdles to be overcome before iPS cells can be used for regenerative medicine. Whereas the adult stem cells are known to be safe and they have been used clinically for many years, such as bone marrow transplant. Many patients have already benefited from the treatment. Autologous adult stem cells are still preferred cells for transplantation. Therefore, the readily accessible and expandable adult stem cells in human skin/hair follicles are a valuable source for regenerative medicine.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Stem Cells from Human Hair Follicles at JoVE.com

Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Stem Cells from Human Hair Follicles

This article presents a robust protocol for isolation and culture of neural crest stem cells from human hair follicles.

Hair follicles undergo lifelong growth and hair cycle is a well-controlled process involving stem cell proliferation and quiescence. Hair bulge is a ...

isolation-culture-neural-crest-stem-cells-from-human-hair

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

16.9K vistas.  School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. En este artículo se presenta un robusto protocolo para el aislamiento y cultivo de células de la cresta neural madre de folículos pilosos humanos.

Video: Isolation and Culture of Neural Crest Stem Cells from Human Hair Follicles

Production of Chick Embryo Extract for the Cultivation of Murine Neural Crest Stem Cells

The neural crest arises from the neuro-ectoderm during embryogenesis and persists only temporarily. Early experiments already proofed pluripotent progenitor cells to be an integral part of the neural crest1. Phenotypically, neural crest stem cells (NCSC) are defined by simultaneously expressing p75 (low-affine nerve growth factor receptor, LNGFR) and SOX10 during their migration from the neural crest2,3,4,5. These progenitor cells can differentiate into smooth muscle cells, chromaffin cells, neurons and glial cells, as well as melanocytes, cartilage and bone6,7,8,9. To cultivate NCSC in vitro, a special neural crest stem cell medium (NCSCM) is required10. The most complex part of the NCSCM is the preparation of chick embryo extract (CEE) representing an essential source of growth factors for the NCSC as well as for other types of neural explants. Other NCSCM ingredients beside CEE are commercially available. Producing CCE using laboratory standard equipment it is of high importance to know about the challenging details as the isolation, maceration, centrifugation, and filtration processes. In this protocol we describe accurate techniques to produce a maximized amount of pure and high quality CEE.

To cultivate neural crest stem cells (NCSC) in vitro, a special medium (NCSCM) is required. Essential part of NCSCM is chick embryo extract (CEE). We here describe accurate techniques to produce a maximized amount of pure and high quality CEE, including details as the isolation, maceration, centrifugation, and filtration processes.

The neural crest arises from the neuro-ectoderm during embryogenesis and persists only temporarily. Early experiments already proofed pluripotent ...

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 ...

Mouse Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cell (EPI-NCSC) Cultures

EPI-NCSC are remnants of the embryonic neural crest in an adult location, the bulge of hair follicles. They are multipotent stem cells that have the physiological property to generate a wide array of differentiated cell types, including neurons, nerve supporting cells, smooth muscle cells, bone/cartilage cells and melanocytes. EPI-NCSC are easily accessible in the hairy skin and can be isolated as a highly pure population of stem cells. This video provides a detailed protocol for preparing mouse EPI-NCSC cultures from whisker follicles. The whisker pad of an adult mouse is removed, and whisker follicles dissected. The follicles are then cut longitudinally and subsequently transversely above and below the bulge region. The bulge is removed from the collagen capsule and placed in a culture plate. EPI-NCSC start to emigrate from the bulge explants 3 to 4 days later.

Mouse Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cell EPI-NCSC Cultures

Here we show our method to isolate mouse epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSC). Technique involves micro-dissecting whisker follicles, isolating the bulge and placeing it into tissue culture. EPI-NCSC start to emigrate from bulge explants onto the substratum within 3 - 4 days.

EPI-NCSC are remnants of the embryonic neural crest in an adult location, the bulge of hair follicles. They are multipotent stem cells that have the ...

Biology

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 ...

Dissection, Culture and Analysis of Primary Cranial Neural Crest Cells from Mouse for the Study of Neural Crest Cell Delamination and Migration

Over the past several decades there has been an increased availability of genetically modified mouse models used to mimic human pathologies. However, the ability to study cell movements and differentiation in vivo is still very difficult. Neurocristopathies, or disorders of the neural crest lineage, are particularly challenging to study due to a lack of accessibility of key embryonic stages and the difficulties in separating out the neural crest mesenchyme from adjacent mesodermal mesenchyme. Here, we set out to establish a well-defined, routine protocol for the culture of primary cranial neural crest cells. In our approach we dissect out the mouse neural plate border during the initial neural crest induction stage. The neural plate border region is explanted and cultured. The neural crest cells form in an epithelial sheet surrounding the neural plate border, and by 24 h after explant, begin to delaminate, undergoing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to become fully motile neural crest cells. Due to our two-dimensional culturing approach, the distinct tissue populations (neural plate versus premigratory and migratory neural crest) can be readily distinguished. Using live imaging approaches, we can then identify changes in neural crest induction, EMT and migratory behaviors. The combination of this technique with genetic mutants will be a very powerful approach for understanding normal and pathological neural crest cell biology.

This protocol describes the dissection and culture of cranial neural crest cells from mouse models, primarily for the study of cell migration. We describe the live imaging techniques used and the analysis of speed and cell shape changes.

Over the past several decades there has been an increased availability of genetically modified mouse models used to mimic human pathologies. However, the ...

Developmental Biology

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 and Culture of Adult Epithelial Stem Cells from Human Skin

The homeostasis of all self-renewing tissues is dependent on adult stem cells. As undifferentiated stem cells undergo asymmetric divisions, they generate daughter cells that retain the stem cell phenotype and transit-amplifying cells (TA cells) that migrate from the stem cell niche, undergo rapid proliferation and terminally differentiate to repopulate the tissue.
Epithelial stem cells have been identified in the epidermis, hair follicle, and intestine as cells with a high in vitro proliferative potential and as slow-cycling label-retaining cells in vivo 1-3. Adult, tissue-specific stem cells are responsible for the regeneration of the tissues in which they reside during normal physiologic turnover as well as during times of stress 4-5. Moreover, stem cells are generally considered to be multi-potent, possessing the capacity to give rise to multiple cell types within the tissue 6. For example, rodent hair follicle stem cells can generate epidermis, sebaceous glands, and hair follicles 7-9. We have shown that stem cells from the human hair follicle bulge region exhibit multi-potentiality 10.
Stem cells have become a valuable tool in biomedical research, due to their utility as an in vitro system for studying developmental biology, differentiation, tumorigenesis and for their possible therapeutic utility. It is likely that adult epithelial stem cells will be useful in the treatment of diseases such as ectodermal dysplasias, monilethrix, Netherton syndrome, Menkes disease, hereditary epidermolysis bullosa and alopecias 11-13. Additionally, other skin problems such as burn wounds, chronic wounds and ulcers will benefit from stem cell related therapies 14,15. Given the potential for reprogramming of adult cells into a pluripotent state (iPS cells)16,17, the readily accessible and expandable adult stem cells in human skin may provide a valuable source of cells for induction and downstream therapy for a wide range of disease including diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

A rapid, robust way of isolating viable adult epithelial stem cells from human skin is described. The method utilizes enzymatic digestion of skin collagen matrix , followed by plucking of hair follicles and isolation of single cell suspensions or tissue fragments for cell culture.

The homeostasis of all self-renewing tissues is dependent on adult stem cells. As undifferentiated stem cells undergo asymmetric divisions, they generate ...

Na&iuml;ve Adult Stem Cells Isolation from Primary Human Fibroblast Cultures

Over the last decade, several adult stem cell populations have been identified in human skin 1-4. The isolation of multipotent adult dermal precursors was first reported by Miller F. D laboratory 5, 6. These early studies described a multipotent precursor cell population from adult mammalian dermis 5. These cells--termed SKPs, for skin-derived precursors-- were isolated and expanded from rodent and human skin and differentiated into both neural and mesodermal progeny, including cell types never found in skin, such as neurons 5. Immunocytochemical studies on cultured SKPs revealed that cells expressed vimentin and nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural and skeletal muscle precursors, in addition to fibronectin and multipotent stem cell markers 6. Until now, the adult stem cells population SKPs have been isolated from freshly collected mammalian skin biopsies.
Recently, we have established and reported that a population of skin derived precursor cells could remain present in primary fibroblast cultures established from skin biopsies 7. The assumption that a few somatic stem cells might reside in primary fibroblast cultures at early population doublings was based upon the following observations: (1) SKPs and primary fibroblast cultures are derived from the dermis, and therefore a small number of SKP cells could remain present in primary dermal fibroblast cultures and (2) primary fibroblast cultures grown from frozen aliquots that have been subjected to unfavorable temperature during storage or transfer contained a small number of cells that remained viable 7. These rare cells were able to expand and could be passaged several times. This observation suggested that a small number of cells with high proliferation potency and resistance to stress were present in human fibroblast cultures 7.
We took advantage of these findings to establish a protocol for rapid isolation of adult stem cells from primary fibroblast cultures that are readily available from tissue banks around the world (Figure 1). This method has important significance as it allows the isolation of precursor cells when skin samples are not accessible while fibroblast cultures may be available from tissue banks, thus, opening new opportunities to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying rare genetic diseases as well as modeling diseases in a dish.

Na&amp;#239;ve Adult Stem Cells Isolation from Primary Human Fibroblast Cultures

We report a method to isolate na&#239;ve multipotent skin-derived precursor (SKP) cells from primary human fibroblast cultures. We show that these SKPs derived from fibroblast cultures share similar stem cell properties to the ones derived directly from human skin biopsies. These cells express the neural crest marker, nestin, in addition to the multipotent markers such as OCT4 and Nanog.

Over the last decade, several adult stem cell  populations have been identified in human skin 1-4.  The isolation of multipotent adult dermal precursors ...

Isolation and Culture of Primary Schwann Cells from a Human Dermis

Source: Jagadeeshaprasad, M. G., et al. <a href="https://app.jove.com/v/63776">Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Primary Schwann Cells, Keratinocytes, and Fibroblasts from Human Foreskin.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2022)
This video demonstrates a protocol for isolating and culturing Schwann cells from human dermis tissues. The human dermis contains various cell types, including fibroblasts and Schwann cells. After isolation, the cells are treated with an antimitotic agent to eliminate proliferating fibroblasts, resulting in a pure culture of Schwann cells.

All procedures involving sample collection have been performed in accordance with the institute&#39;s IRB guidelines.
1. Isolation of Schwann cells (SCs) ...

JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments

Neuronal Culture Techniques

Advanced Neuronal Models

Isolating Cranial Neural Folds From a Chick Embryo for a Neural Crest Cell Culture

Source: Jacques-Fricke, B. T., et al. <a href="https://app.jove.com/v/63799">Preparation and Morphological Analysis of Chick Cranial Neural Crest Cell Cultures.</a> J. Vis. Exp. (2022).
This video illustrates a technique for isolating cranial neural folds from the midbrain region of chick embryos. It presents a detailed dissection process of the neural folds, their placement, and attachment on fibronectin-coated coverslips, followed by the observation of neural crest cell migration from the neural folds.

All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board.
1. ...