Enumeration of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells in the Neural Colony‐Forming Cell Assay

Advancement in our understanding of the biology of adult stem cells and their therapeutic potential relies heavily on meaningful functional assays that can identify and measure stem cell activity in vivo and in vitro. In the mammalian nervous system, neural stem cells (NSCs) are often studied using...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2008-04, Vol.26 (4), p.988-996
Main Authors: Louis, Sharon A., Rietze, Rodney L., Deleyrolle, Loic, Wagey, Ravenska E., Thomas, Terry E., Eaves, Allen C., Reynolds, Brent A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Animals
Cell Count - methods
Cell culture
Cell Differentiation - physiology
Cells, Cultured
Clonal assays
Colony formation
Colony-Forming Units Assay - methods
Embryonic Stem Cells - cytology
Embryonic Stem Cells - physiology
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Neural differentiation
Neural stem cell
Neurons - cytology
Neurons - physiology
Stem cells
Stem/progenitor cell
Tissue‐specific stem cells
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Advancement in our understanding of the biology of adult stem cells and their therapeutic potential relies heavily on meaningful functional assays that can identify and measure stem cell activity in vivo and in vitro. In the mammalian nervous system, neural stem cells (NSCs) are often studied using a culture system referred to as the neurosphere assay. We previously challenged a central tenet of this assay, that all neurospheres are derived from a NSC, and provided evidence that it overestimates NSC frequency, rendering it inappropriate for quantitation of NSC frequency in relation to NSC regulation. Here we report the development and validation of the neural colony‐forming cell assay (NCFCA), which discriminates stem from progenitor cells on the basis of their proliferative potential. We anticipate that the NCFCA will provide additional clarity in discerning the regulation of NSCs, thereby facilitating further advances in the promising application of NSCs for therapeutic use. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.
ISSN:1066-5099
1549-4918
DOI:10.1634/stemcells.2007-0867