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Glial cell induced neural differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells
Qiang Ma1,2, Ming Cai2, Jing-Wei Shang2
1School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, No. 2 Linggong Road, Dalian 116023, Liaoning Province, China.
Background:
Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have an important application prospect in the field of cell therapy for various neurodegenerative diseases, and inducing factors that regulate BMSC differentiation are proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy. In this study, we explored the effect of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on the course of BMSC differentiation.
Methods:
BMSCs were isolated from rat bone marrow and induced by GDNF. The effects of GDNF on BMSC viability and proliferation were verified by cell counting kit-8, MTT, bromodeoxyuridine, and flow cytometry assays. Neuronal differentiation from BMSCs was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence via measuring the expression of several neural specific markers.
Results:
Compared to untreated BMSCs, GDNF induced the differentiation of BMSCs into neuron-like cells and enhanced the expression levels of neuronal markers including nestin and NCAM. Moreover, the expression of SCF was suppressed by GDNF stimulation.
Conclusion:
GDNF could elevate the differentiation of BMSCs into neuron-like cells and could be considered as an effective candidate cell for future neuroscience research.
