Telomerase and neuronal marker status of differentiated NT2 and SK-N-SH human neuronal cells and primary human neurons

✍ Scribed by Pooja Jain; Maria A. Cerone; Andréa C. LeBlanc; Chantal Autexier

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 320 KB
• Volume: 85
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-4012
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21094

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Upon treatment with retinoic acid, NTera‐2 (NT2) human teratocarcinoma and SK‐N‐SH neuroblastoma cells can be induced to terminally differentiate into postmitotic neuronal cells. The neuronal cell yield obtained from the NT‐2 cells is partially dependent on the time of differentiation (24–55 days). SK‐N‐SH cells differentiate into a mixed population of neuronal and epithelium‐like cells. Here we report modified protocols that increase the number of differentiated NT‐2 and SK‐N‐SH cells and that establish an enriched neuronal SK‐N‐SH‐derived cell population essentially devoid of nonneuronal cells. Differentiated cells express the cytoskeleton‐associated protein tau and other typical neuronal markers, such as Map2, Ngn1, NeuroD, Mash1, and GluR which are also expressed in primary human fetal neurons. Telomerase activity is down‐regulated in differentiated cells, which is consistent with the telomerase status of primary fetal human neurons. Thus, differentiated NT2 and SK‐N‐SH cells may represent an excellent source for studies investigating the role of telomerase or other survival‐promoting activities in protecting human neuronal cells from cell death‐mediating stresses associated with neurodegenerative diseases. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.