This work was funded (in part) by the Helmholtz Alliance ICEMED - Imaging and Curing Environmental Metabolic Diseases, through the Initiative and Network Fund of the Helmholtz Association, a grant from the Else Kroener-Fresenius Foundation, and a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 655: Cells into tissues).

The work adheres to the Declaration of Helsinski and the ARVO Animal Statement. Animals were used for tissue collection and all relevant methods were followed according to the instructions of the animal facility at the University of Dresden. Animals were handled and housed according to the German Federal guidelines for the use and care of laboratory animals, and the study was approved by the Landesdirektion Dresden. Please consult with your institution&#8217;s veterinary policy (IACUC or other board) regarding appropriate euthanasia methodology.
Specific stock and working concentrations of reagents can be found in the Reagent Tables accompanying this protocol.
1. Culture Dish Preparation
<ol>
	<li>Coat dishes with a sufficient volume of 75 &#956;g/ml poly-L-ornithine (i.e. 2 ml/well of a 6-well plate) overnight in the cell culture incubator 2 days prior to the scheduled dissection date.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the poly-L-ornithine the following day and wash each well 2x&#160;with 3 ml of PBS for 5 min.</li>
	<li>Remove the final wash, then add fibronectin (diluted 1:250, 4 &#956;g/ml in PBS) to the plate and place the dishes in the incubator overnight.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the fibronectin on&#160;the day of dissection and wash the dishes 2x with PBS. Return the plates still containing the final PBS wash to the incubator&#160;until the dissociated tissue is ready for culturing. At that time, remove the PBS prior to plating the tissue.</li>
	<li>Store plates coated with poly-L-ornithinein the incubator for up to 3 weeks. Plates coated with fibronectin can be stored for up to 1 week. Fibronectin coating can be done in as little as 2 hr if urgent. Fibronectin is susceptible to denaturation; do not agitate the solution or let dishes dry.</li>
</ol>
2. Dissection/Plating
<ol>
	<li>This protocol applies to the use of 3 adult rats (3-6 months of age).</li>
	<li>Chill the brain sectioning block on ice prior to euthanizing the rat.</li>
	<li>Place a 15&#160;ml Falcon tube that contains 5 ml of N2 medium with added bFGF on ice.</li>
	<li>Euthanize the rats according to your institution&#8217;s veterinary policy.</li>
	<li>Remove the brain from the skull by making an incision down the midline of the head. Use forceps to peel away the bone allowing for the brain to be carefully extracted.</li>
	<li>Place the brain into a 10 cm Petri dish containing ice cold PBS. This will remove any residual hair and blood. (Figure 1A)</li>
	<li>Place the brain into the chilled sectioning block. (Figure 1B)</li>
	<li>Insert one new clean razor blade into the block as pictured in Figure 1C.</li>
	<li>Insert a second clean razor blade 3 mm caudal to the first as illustrated in Figure 1D.</li>
	<li>Carefully lift the blades from the block, taking with them the section of interest.</li>
	<li>Float the section off the blade by immersing it in PBS. (Figure 1E)</li>
	<li>Harvest tissue from the area of interest (in this example we used the anterior commissure, (anterior) ACA, Figure 1F) using #5 forceps and collect into a 15 ml conical tube containing 1 ml N2 medium containing bFGF.</li>
	<li>Move the tube into a laminar flow cell culture hood, continuing the remainder of the protocol under sterile conditions.</li>
	<li>Mechanically dissociate the tissue using a 1 ml pipette tip attached to a P1000 pipettor. Pipette up and down several times (approximately 20x at a rate of 1 pipetting cycle per second) while pressing the opening of the pipette tip against the bottom of the conical tube&#160;(Figures&#160;1G 1-3). Stop trituration when the solution becomes homogeneous.</li>
	<li>Allow the solution to sit for 2 min to allow any larger nondissociated tissue to settle to the bottom. (Figure 1G 4)</li>
	<li>Collect the homogeneous supernatant and place into a conical tube containing 8.5 ml of N2 media plus 20 ng/ml bFGF, 500 ng/ml Dll4, 500 ng/ml Ang2, and 200 nMJAK Inhibitor.</li>
	<li>Plate them into 3 wells of a 6-well plate using 3 ml of diluted cell solution/well.</li>
	<li>Place the plate into a humidified cell incubator at 37 &#176;C, 5% CO2, 5% O2.</li>
</ol>
3. Daily Care
<ol>
	<li>Replace the medium on the culture dishes with N2 Medium containing bFGF, Ang2, Dll4, and JAK inhibitor 24 hr after plating.</li>
	<li>Add a bolus of bFGF, Dll4, Ang2, and JAK inhibitor on the next day.</li>
	<li>Continue this alternating process of media changes and factor additions for a total of 10-14 days.</li>
</ol>
4. Induction of Differentiation
<ol>
	<li>Withdraw bFGF, Dll4, Ang2, and JAK inhibitor containing medium and replace it with N2 medium that does not contain any additional factors.</li>
	<li>Change the medium every second day.</li>
	<li>Fix the cells after 10 days and perform immunocytochemistry.</li>
</ol>
5. Immunocytochemical Detection
<ol>
	<li>Aspirate the medium and fix cell culture plates with 2 ml of 4% paraformaldehyde for 20 min.</li>
	<li>Wash 2x with 3 ml of PBS for 5 min each.</li>
	<li>Aspirate PBS, then permeabilize and block the cells by adding 2 ml of PBS containing 5% normal donkey serum (NDS) and 0.1% Triton X-100 for 20 min.</li>
	<li>Prepare the primary antibody mix in PBS containing 5% NDS. Anti-nestin antibody can be used for identifying SCs, while TuJ1 (class III &#946;-tubulin), GFAP, and CNPase antibodies can be used together for a triple staining of differentiation markers.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the blocking solution and add 1.5 ml of the primary antibody mixture to each well. Incubate at room temperature for 90 min.</li>
	<li>Remove the primary antibodies and wash 2x with 3 ml of PBS, and 1x with 3 ml of PBS containing 5% NDS&#160;for 5 min each.</li>
	<li>Prepare the secondary antibodies in PBS containing 5% NDS.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the final wash and add 1.5 ml of secondary antibody solution to each well. Incubate in the dark for 40 min at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Remove the secondary antibody solution and add 2 ml of a freshly prepared DAPI stain (500 ng/ml in PBS). Incubate for 3 min.</li>
	<li>Aspirate the DAPI solution then wash 3x with 3 ml of PBS for 5 min&#160;each. The cells can now be visualized with a fluorescence microscope.</li>
</ol>

<ol>
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We have nothing to disclose.

Many of the steps critical to successful isolation, expansion, and differentiation of neural stem cells from the adult brain are shared in common with standard tissue culture techniques. The objective to bear in mind is that NSCs isolated from the adult brain should maintain as many of their in vivo&#160;characteristics as possible (Figure 2J). Often a balance between necessary caution and appropriate speed needs to be struck. Care with the isolation of the brain from the skull will make the ide...

The central dogma of neurobiology, laid down by the fundamental observations of the brain cytoarchitecture made by Ram&#243;n Y. Cajal over a century ago, held that neurogenesis was unlikely after adolescence given the complexity of the neural networks found in the CNS1. Despite the work of Altman in the 1960s, and later Kaplan, demonstrating that 3H-thymidine could be found in mature neurons indicating that in fact neurons were being generated in distinct areas of the adult brain, the dogma continued to hold2,3. Evidence continued to mount with Nottebohm&#8217;s research describing the seasonal changes in the number of neurons present in songbird brains4. It wasn&#8217;t until 1999, when Gould et al. published work on the generation of neurons in the hippocampus increases with the performance of associative learning tasks in rat, as well as the observations of Kornack and Rakic demonstrating continued neurogenesis in the adult macaque that the concept of a less rigid, more plastic brain, was recognized5,6.
The search for the cellular source for these de novo generated neurons lead to the discovery of a discrete population of stem cells (SCs) that reside in areas of the brain referred to as niches7. The subventricular zone and sub granular zone of the hippocampus are considered to be the two principal neurogenic regions8,9. Cells isolated from these locations display the classic characteristic of embryonic or fetal derived SCs, self-renewal and differentiation potential. In the case of neural stem cells (NSCs), they can be differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. In addition, these SCs &#160;stain positive for fetal NSC markers such as the intermediate filament protein nestin10. More recent work highlights that SCs might not be limited to these two areas, and are in fact localized throughout the brain as a largely quiescent population of cells tightly associated with the vasculature11.
The observations that SCs are mobilized in response to injury suggests the possibility of being able to utilize these cells for regenerative purposes to aid in the recovery from neurodegenerative disorder and stroke12,13. This is not unlike the role that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) &#160;play in the healing of connective tissues, which are found as perivascular cells that have the potential to become osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipose cells14. However, NSCs cannot be harvested in the same manner as MSCs from bone marrow by routine aspiration and density gradient centrifugation techniques and subsequently utilized in autologous cell based therapies. As a consequence, other sources of cells, such as the use of fetal NSCs or neuronal precursors derived from embryonic stem cells have been extensively explored in animal disease and injury models with varying degrees of success15. Induced pluripotent stem cell technologies utilizing somatic cell sources offer another potential avenue for producing therapeutically useful cell-based therapies for a wide range of applications, overcoming the limited availability and ethical concerns regarding the use of embryonic cells and fetal tissues16. However, clinical translation of these findings has proven to be a difficult task, as demonstrated in the struggles of treating various neurological conditions with SC-based therapeutic approaches17,18, as well as a tortuous path to regulatory clearance. As an alternative approach, introduction of specific pharmacological treatments can modulate NSC numbers and facilitate recovery in models of Parkinson&#8217;s disease and stroke19. Whatever the strategy might be, understanding how to effectively manipulate these cells requires an accessible in vitro system.
Cultures of NSCs can be performed either as aggregate cultures, also known as neurospheres, or as a monolayer8,20. Both techniques have been widely used, allowing for the establishment of defined culture conditions, i.e. use of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) or basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) as a mitogen source, that provide for the expansion of multipotent precursors. While neurosphere cultures may be better suited for studying clonal propagation capability of an isolated cell type, the system has been shown to produce a mixed population of cells during expansion21. In addition, the closed structure of neurospheres makes pharmacological manipulation of the cells impractical, and the interpretation of the influence these factors may have could be confounded due to the microenvironment established within the neurosphere itself. Monolayer cultures, on the other hand, can be employed in high throughput screens of small molecule libraries, providing a powerful tool to explore the signal transduction mechanisms that regulate SC growth and differentiation and opens the opportunity to discover novel compounds that specifically target this cell population.
As a consequence, the ability to reproducibly generate cultures of adult NSCs from different regions of interest in the brain can be used in a broad spectrum of research applications, ranging from developmental studies of the central nervous system (CNS) to exploring novel regenerative medicine approaches. The protocol presented here demonstrates how to dissect and assess the differentiation potential of CNS SCs isolated from the adult rodent brain.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="596">
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		<col />
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	<tbody>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">6-well tissue culture dishes</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">BD Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">353934</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="105">
			<td height="190" rowspan="1" style="height:190px;width:216px;">Poly-L-ornithine</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">P-3655</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			5 mg/ml stock solution prepared in double distilled water (Stable for several months at -20 &#176;C).
			Working concentration 0.5 mg/ml in water (Stable for 1 month at 4 &#176;C).
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Fibronectin</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1030-Fn</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Do not agitate stock solution</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Filtration Apparatus</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Corning Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">430769</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:216px;">DMEM/F-12</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Mediatech</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">10-090-CV</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">See note below for complete N2 media preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Apo-transferrin</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">T-2036</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Insulin</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">I-0516</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="68">
			<td height="68" style="height:68px;width:216px;">Putrescine</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P-5780</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">1 M stock solution in ddH2O (Stable at 20 &#176;C for 6 months)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="68">
			<td height="68" style="height:68px;width:216px;">Sodium Selenite</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">S-5261</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">500 &#181;M stock solution in ddH2O (Stable at -20 &#176;C for 6 months)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:216px;">Progesterone</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P-8783</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">100 &#181;M stock solution in ethanol (Stable at -20&#176;C for 6 months)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;">Penicillin/Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">15140-122</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;">Phosphate Buffered Saline</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Mediatech</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">21-040-CV</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF)</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">233-FB</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Working concentration 20 ng/ml&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Delta4 (Dll4)</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1389-D4</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Working concentration&#160; 500 ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Angiopoetin 2 (Ang2)</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">623-AN</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Working concentration&#160; 500 ng/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">JAK Inhibitor</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Calbiochem</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">420099</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Working concentration 200 nM&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Bovine Serum Albumin</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A-2058</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">15- and 50-ml Conical tubes</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Corning Life Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">430053, 430829</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="243">
			<td colspan="4" height="243" style="height:243px;width:596px;">Other necessary items include: General dissection instruments, including razor blade and forceps, Adult rat (3-6 months old; Sprague-Dawley or Long Evans), CO2 intoxication chamber, Laminar flow hood for cell culture and incubator Incubator (humidified, 37 &#176;C, 5% CO2, 5% O2). Note: For complete N2 media preparation, to one bottle of DMEM/F-12 (500 ml) add 0.05 g of apotransferin, 0.0125 g of insulin (freshly predissolved in 1 ml of 10 mM NaOH), 50 &#956;l of putrescine, 30 &#956;l of sodium selenite, 100 &#956;l of progesterone stocks, and 5 ml of penicillin/streptomycin solution.&#160; Adjust pH to 7.2, if needed. Filter-sterilize and store at 4 &#176;C for up to 3 weeks and protect from light.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;"></td>
			<td style="width:95px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>[header]</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td colspan="2" height="22" style="height:22px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Immunofluorescence Reagents Table</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:216px;">Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Electron Microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">15719</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Normal Donkey Serum (NDS)</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D-9663</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Triton X-100</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">T-8787</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:216px;">4,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI)</td>
			<td style="width:95px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">D-8417</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">5 mg/ml stock solution in methanol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>[header]</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;"></td>
			<td style="width:95px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Primary Antibody Table</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Nestin</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Chemicon</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">MAB353</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:400
			Species: Mouse IgG1
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Hes3</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Santa Cruz</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">sc-25393</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:100
			Species: Rabbit IgG
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Sox2</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">MAB2018&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:100
			Species: Mouse IgG2a
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">CNPase</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Chemicon</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">MAB326</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:200
			Species: Mouse IgG1
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">&#946;-tubulin III (TUJ1)</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">MAB1195</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:500
			Species: Mouse IgG2a
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="43" rowspan="1" style="height:43px;width:216px;">Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Dako North America</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">Z0334</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor 1:500
			Species: Rabbit
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>[header]</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:216px;"></td>
			<td style="width:95px;"></td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Secondary Antibody Table</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="64" rowspan="1" style="height:64px;width:216px;">Alexa&#160;&#160; 568</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">A-21124</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:200
			Species: Goat anti Mouse IgG1
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="64" rowspan="1" style="height:64px;width:216px;">Alexa 488</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">A-21131</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:200
			Species: Goat anti Mouse IgG2a
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="64" rowspan="1" style="height:64px;width:216px;">Cy5</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:95px;">Jackson ImmunoResearch</td>
			<td rowspan="1" style="width:119px;">59883</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">
			Dilution Factor: 1:200
			Species: Goat anti Rabbit
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

growing neural stem cells from conventional and nonconventional regions of the adult rodent brain

Recent work demonstrates that central nervous system (CNS) regeneration and tumorigenesis involves populations of stem cells (SCs) resident within the adult brain. However, the mechanisms these normally quiescent cells employ to ensure proper functioning of neural networks, as well as their role in recovery from injury and mitigation of neurodegenerative processes are little understood. These cells reside in regions referred to as &#34;niches&#34; that provide a sustaining environment involving modulatory signals from both the vascular and immune systems. The isolation, maintenance, and differentiation of CNS SCs under defined culture conditions which exclude unknown factors, makes them accessible to treatment by pharmacological or genetic means, thus providing insight into their in vivo behavior. Here we offer detailed information on the methods for generating cultures of CNS SCs from distinct regions of the adult brain and approaches to assess their differentiation potential into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in vitro. This technique yields a homogeneous cell population as a monolayer culture that can be visualized to study individual SCs and their progeny. Furthermore, it can be applied across different animal model systems and clinical samples, being used previously to predict regenerative responses in the damaged adult nervous system.

Identifying the region of interest from which to harvest neural stem cells is the critical first step and will define the amount of time it takes to get a confluent plate of cells. For example, the SVZ is a classic neurogenic area and therefore has a higher relative proportion of neural stem cells. However, the technique presented here can be used with other regions not often recognized as having a robust neurogenic potential during adulthood. For the purposes of this protocol, we used the anterior commissure (anterior p...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Growing Neural Stem Cells from Conventional and Nonconventional Regions of the Adult Rodent Brain at JoVE.com

Growing Neural Stem Cells from Conventional and Nonconventional Regions of the Adult Rodent Brain

Neural stem cells harvested from the adult brain are increasing utilized in applications ranging from the basic research of nervous system development to exploring potential clinical applications in regenerative medicine. This makes rigorous control in the isolation and culturing conditions used to grow these cells critical to sound experimental outcomes.

Recent work demonstrates that central nervous system (CNS) regeneration and tumorigenesis involves populations of stem cells (SCs) resident within the ...

growing-neural-stem-cells-from-conventional-nonconventional-regions

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

12.1K Views.  University of Dresden. Neural stem cells harvested from the adult brain are increasing utilized in applications ranging from the basic research of nervous system development to exploring potential clinical applications in regenerative medicine. This makes rigorous control in the isolation and culturing conditions used to grow these cells critical to sound experimental outcomes. 

Video: Growing Neural Stem Cells from Conventional and Nonconventional Regions of the Adult Rodent Brain

Growth and Differentiation of Adult Hippocampal Arctic Ground Squirrel Neural Stem Cells

Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii, AGS) are unique in their ability to hibernate with a core body temperature near or below freezing 1. These animals also resist ischemic injury to the brain in vivo 2,3 and oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro 4,5. These unique qualities provided the impetus to isolate AGS neurons to examine inherent neuronal characteristics that could account for the capacity of AGS neurons to resist injury and cell death caused by ischemia and extremely cold temperatures. Identifying proteins or gene targets that allow for the distinctive properties of these cells could aid in the discovery of effective therapies for a number of ischemic indications and for the study of cold tolerance. Adult AGS hippocampus contains neural stem cells that continue to proliferate, allowing for easy expansion of these stem cells in culture. We describe here methods by which researchers can utilize these stem cells and differentiated neurons for any number of purposes. By closely following these steps the AGS neural stem cells can be expanded through two passages or more and then differentiated to a culture high in TUJ1-positive neurons (~50%) without utilizing toxic chemicals to minimize the number of dividing cells. Ischemia induces neurogenesis 6 and neurogenesis which proceeds via MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt survival signaling pathways contributes to ischemia resistance in vivo7 and in vitro 8 (Kelleher-Anderson, Drew et al., in preparation). Further characterization of these unique neural cells can advance on many fronts, using some or all of these methods.

Neural stem cells were prepared from the hippocampus of adult non-hibernating yearling Arctic ground squirrels (AGS). These neural stem cells can be expanded through numerous passages, differentiated and maintained as a nearly 50:50 neuron to glial culture.

Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii, AGS) are unique in their ability to hibernate with a core body temperature near or below freezing 1. These ...

Isolation and Expansion of the Adult Mouse Neural Stem Cells Using the Neurosphere Assay

Isolation and expansion of the putative neural stem cells (NSCs) from the adult murine brain was first described by Reynolds and Weiss in 1992 employing a chemically defined serum-free culture system known as the neurosphere assay (NSA). In this assay, the majority of differentiated cell types die within a few days of culture but a small population of growth factor responsive precursor cells undergo active proliferation in the presence of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and/ basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF). These cells form colonies of undifferentiated cells called neurospheres, which in turn can be subcultured to expand the pool of neural stem cells. Moreover, the cells can be induced to differentiate, generating the three major cell types of the CNS i.e. neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. This assay provides an invaluable tool to supply a consistent, renewable source of undifferentiated CNS precursors, which could be used for in vitro studies and also for therapeutic purposes.
This video demonstrates the NSA method to generate and expand NSCs from the adult mouse periventricular region, and provides technical insights to ensure one can achieve reproducible neurosphere cultures. The procedure includes harvesting the brain from the adult mouse, micro-dissection of the periventricular region, tissue preparation and culture in the NSA. The harvested tissue is first chemically digested using trypsin-EDTA and then mechanically dissociated in NSC medium to achieve a single cell suspension and finally plated in the NSA. After 7-10 days in culture, the resulting primary neurospheres are ready for subculture to reach the amount of cells required for future experiments.

This video protocol demonstrates the neurosphere assay method to generate and expand neural stem cells from the adult mouse periventricular region, and provides technical insights to ensure one can achieve reproducible neurosphere cultures.

Isolation and expansion of the putative neural stem cells (NSCs) from the adult murine brain was first described by Reynolds and Weiss in 1992 employing a ...

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 ...

One Mouse, Two Cultures: Isolation and Culture of Adult Neural Stem Cells from the Two Neurogenic Zones of Individual Mice

The neurosphere assay and the adherent monolayer culture system are valuable tools to determine the potential (proliferation or differentiation) of adult neural stem cells in vitro. These assays can be used to compare the precursor potential of cells isolated from genetically different or differentially treated animals&#160;to determine the effects of exogenous factors on neural precursor cell proliferation and differentiation and to generate neural precursor cell lines that can be assayed over continuous passages. The neurosphere assay is traditionally used for the post-hoc identification of stem cells, primarily due to the lack of definitive markers with which they can be isolated from primary tissue&#160;and has the major advantage of giving a quick estimate of precursor cell numbers in brain tissue derived from individual animals. Adherent monolayer cultures, in contrast, are not traditionally used to compare proliferation between individual animals, as each culture is generally initiated from the combined tissue of between 5-8 animals. However, they have the major advantage that, unlike neurospheres, they consist of a mostly homogeneous population of precursor cells and are useful for following the differentiation process in single cells. Here, we describe, in detail, the generation of neurosphere cultures and, for the first time, adherent cultures from individual animals. This has many important implications including paired analysis of proliferation and/or differentiation potential in both the subventricular zone (SVZ) and dentate gyrus (DG) of treated or genetically different mouse lines, as well as a significant reduction in animal usage.

Here we describe a detailed protocol for the simultaneous generation of neural precursor cell cultures, as either adherent monolayers or neurospheres, from the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus of individual adult mice.

The neurosphere assay and the adherent monolayer culture system are valuable tools to determine the potential (proliferation or differentiation) of adult ...

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 ...

Cell Sorting of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells from the Adult Mouse Subventricular Zone and Live-imaging of their Cell Cycle Dynamics

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles (SVZ) sustain olfactory neurogenesis throughout life in the mammalian brain. They successively generate transit amplifying cells (TACs) and neuroblasts that differentiate into neurons once they integrate the olfactory bulbs. Emerging fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) techniques have allowed the isolation of NSCs as well as their progeny and have started to shed light on gene regulatory networks in adult neurogenic niches. We report here a cell sorting technique that allows to follow and distinguish the cell cycle dynamics of the above-mentioned cell populations from the adult SVZ with a LeX/EGFR/CD24 triple staining. Isolated cells are then plated as adherent cells to explore in details their cell cycle progression by time-lapse video microscopy. To this end, we use transgenic Fluorescence Ubiquitination Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) mice in which cells are red-fluorescent during G1 phase due to a G1 specific red-Cdt1 reporter. This method has recently revealed that proliferating NSCs progressively lengthen their G1 phase during aging, leading to neurogenesis impairment. This method is easily transposable to other systems and could be of great interest for the study of the cell cycle dynamics of brain cells in the context of brain pathologies.

We report a Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)-based method to isolate neural stem cells (NSCs) and their progeny from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mouse brain. Applied to Fluorescence Ubiquitination Cell Cycle Indicator (FUCCI) transgenic mice, it allows the study of cell cycle progression by live imaging.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles (SVZ) sustain olfactory neurogenesis throughout life in the mammalian brain. ...

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 ...

Use of Synaptic Zinc Histochemistry to Reveal Different Regions and Laminae in the Developing and Adult Brain

Characterization of anatomical and functional brain organization and development requires accurate identification of distinct neural circuits and regions in the immature and adult brain. Here we describe a zinc histochemical staining procedure that reveals differences in staining patterns among different layers and brain regions. Others have utilized this procedure not only to reveal the distribution of zinc-containing neurons and circuits in the brain, but also to successfully delineate areal and laminar boundaries in the developing and adult brain in several species. Here we illustrate this staining procedure with images from developing and adult ferret brains. We reveal a zinc-staining pattern that serves as an anatomical marker of areas and layers, and can be reliably used to distinguish visual cortical areas in the developing and adult visual cortex. The main goal of this protocol is to present a histochemical method that allows the accurate identification of layers and regions in the developing and adult brain where other methods fail to do so. Secondarily, in conjunction with densitometric image analysis, this method allows one to assess the distribution of synaptic zinc to reveal potential changes throughout development. This protocol describes in detail the reagents, tools, and steps necessary to successively stain frozen brain sections. Although this protocol is described using ferret brain tissue, it can easily be adapted for use in rodents, cats, or monkeys as well as in other brain regions.

We describe a histochemical procedure that reveals characteristic laminar and areal zinc staining patterns in different brain regions. The zinc-staining pattern may be used in conjunction with other anatomical markers to reliably distinguish layers and regions in the developing and adult brain.

Characterization of anatomical and functional brain organization and development requires accurate identification of distinct neural circuits and regions ...

Collection of Frozen Rodent Brain Regions for Downstream Analyses

As our understanding of neurobiology has progressed, molecular analyses are often performed on small brain areas such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or nucleus accumbens. The challenge in this work is to dissect the correct area while preserving the microenvironment to be examined. In this paper, we describe a simple, low-cost method using resources readily available in most labs. This method preserves nucleic acid and proteins by keeping the tissue frozen throughout the process. Brains are cut into 0.5&#8211;1.0 mm sections using a brain matrix and arranged on a frozen glass plate. Landmarks within each section are compared to a reference, such as the Allen Mouse Brain Atlas, and regions are dissected using a cold scalpel or biopsy punch. Tissue is then stored at -80 &#176;C until use. Through this process rat and mouse mPFC, nucleus accumbens, dorsal and ventral hippocampus and other regions have been successfully analyzed using qRT-PCR and Western assays. This method is limited to brain regions that can be identified by clear landmarks.

This procedure describes the collection of discrete frozen brain regions to obtain high-quality protein and RNA using inexpensive and commonly available tools.

As our understanding of neurobiology has progressed, molecular analyses are often performed on small brain areas such as the medial prefrontal cortex ...

Intra-Arterial Delivery of Neural Stem Cells to the Rat and Mouse Brain: Application to Cerebral Ischemia

Neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is an emerging innovative treatment for stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. As compared to intracranial delivery, intra-arterial administration of NSCs is less invasive and produces a more diffuse distribution of NSCs within the brain parenchyma. Further, intra-arterial delivery allows the first-pass effect in the brain circulation, lessening the potential for trapping of cells in peripheral organs, such as liver and spleen, a complication associated with peripheral injections. Here, we detail the methodology, in both mice and rats, for delivery of NSCs through the common carotid artery (mouse) or external carotid artery (rat) to the ipsilateral hemisphere after an ischemic stroke. Using GFP-labeled NSCs, we illustrate the widespread distribution achieved throughout the rodent ipsilateral hemisphere at 1 d, 1 week and 4 weeks after postischemic delivery, with a higher density in or near the ischemic injury site. In addition to long-term survival, we show evidence of differentiation of GFP-labeled cells at 4 weeks. The intra-arterial delivery approach described here for NSCs can also be used for administration of therapeutic compounds, and thus has broad applicability to varied CNS injury and disease models across multiple species.

A method for delivering neural stem cells, adaptable for injecting solutions or suspensions, through the common carotid artery (mouse) or external carotid artery (rat) after ischemic stroke is reported. Injected cells are distributed broadly throughout the brain parenchyma and can be detected up to 30 d after delivery.

Neural stem cell (NSC) therapy is an emerging innovative treatment for stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. As compared to ...