Dopaminergic neurons in explants of substantia nigra in culture

✍ Scribed by Coyle, Joseph T. ;Jacobowitz, David ;Klein, David ;Axelrod, Julius

• Book ID: 102958239
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1973
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 702 KB
• Volume: 4
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3034
• DOI: 10.1002/neu.480040507

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Explants of substantia nigra and corpus striatum obtained from newborn rats were maintained in tissue culture for up to six days. Explants of substantia nigra exhibited a net increase in the ability to take up H^3^‐dopamine, a process associated with the dopaminergic neurons; in contrast, the explants of corpus striatum showed a rapid loss in this ability to accumulate H^3^‐dopamine. After three days in culture, the specific activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and monoamine oxidase had decreased 50% in explants of substantia nigra. A medium including fetal calf serum and chick embryo extracts was necessary for the increase in H^3^‐dopamine uptake, and nerve growth factor had an inhibitory effect. Histofluorescent examination of nigral explants cultured for three days indicated morphologically normal dopaminergic neurons.