Biochemical and morphological characterization of sympathetic neurons grown in a chemically-defined medium

Previous studies have demonstrated that individual neurons from neonatal rat superior cervical ganglion express a mixed adrenergic-cholinergic phenotype when grown under certain tissue culture conditions. The expression of this phenotype is critically influenced by a number of undefined components present in the culture medium. In the present study, we have examined whether superior cervical ganglion neurons grown on a chemically defined serum-free medium similarly develop dual transmitter expression, or if under these conditions, neurons express only those properties characteristic of their adrenergic heritage. To address this issue, we established that superior cervical ganglion neurons could be maintained in culture for extended periods on the defined medium described by Bottenstein & Sato in the absence of supporting cells. We then studied the biochemical, immunocytochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of these neurons. We found that in defined medium, superior cervical ganglion neurons continued to express, in a modified form, certain of their expected adrenergic properties, including the development of tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activities, stores of endogenous norepinephrine, synaptic vesicles with dense cores and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive staining properties. Superior cervical ganglion neurons grown on a defined medium did not, however, acquire cholinergic traits in culture. In this paper we show that choline acetyltransferase activity did not reach detectable levels; the comparison paper documents that cholinergic synapses were not formed. We concluded that superior cervical ganglion neurons, grown under serum-free culture conditions, develop certain properties characteristic of adrenergic neurons and do not express a mixed adrenergic-cholinergic phenotype. A comparison paper describes the electrophysiological properties of these neurons and demonstrates the frequent occurrence of electrotonic synapses in these cultures.