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Updated: May 15, 2026
Neuronal Differentiation from Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells In vitro
Published on: June 2, 2020
Conversion of rat embryonic stem cells into neural precursors in chemical-defined medium
Xinrong Peng1, Haixia Gao, Ying Wang
1Laboratory of Viral and Gene Therapy, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgical Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China.
Abstract:
Rat embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great interest for the research of neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. However, neural conversion of rat ES cells in vitro has proven to be a challenge owing to the proliferation arrest and apoptosis. Here we report that rat ES cells can commit efficiently to a neural fate in the presence of CHIR99021 and Y-27632 (CY medium). In addition, CHIR99021 is crucial for maintaining the metabolic activity of differentiated rat ES cells, while Y-27632 facilitates the neural differentiation of rat ES cells by inhibiting bone morphogenetic protein expression. The chemical-defined CY medium also provides a platform for exploring the mechanism of neural commitment and optimizing the production efficiency of neural precursor from rat ES cells.
