Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
Selektion, Charakterisierung und Entwicklung von neuronalen Subtypen des optischen Tektums des Huhns in vitro
Abstract
dc:descriptionIt is possible to cultivate cells of the optic tectum of the chick and to observe significant processes of growth and differentiation under serum free conditions. Visual analysis allowed a first classification of the cells in different cell types. Immuncytochemical and electrophysiological evaluations enabled a further and more detailed assignment of tectal cells in vitro into different classes of cell types. The expression of different proteins which have been verified to be restricted to certain cell types in vivo, was also detected in vitro. The grade of differentiation was determined by intracellular electrophysiological recordings of the cultivated neurons, permitting the discrimination of significantly different classes of neuronal subtypes. However, differentiation of cultivated cells into in-vivo like cell types was only observed to a certain extent as complex cellular properties were not detected under serum free conditions. The comparison with other cell culture systems shows that this kind of “partial” differentiation is a common effect of primary cell culture systems, especially of cultures containing many different cell types. For this reason one scope of this thesis was to establish a selection procedure by which a certain subpopulation was selected based on their N-cadherin expression. This extracted cell fraction appeared to be significant different from the rest of the tectal neurons in respect of their electrophysiological properties, demonstrating an enrichment of specific cell types in vitro. Furthermore the N-cadherin positive cell fraction showed a significant stronger reaction to supplementation of the cell culture medium with nerve growth factor NT-3. Morphological complexity as well as electrophysiological properties of N-cadherin positive cells were enhanced by NT-3 supplementation. NT-3 is strongly involved in survival and differentiation of SGC cells in vivo, indicating a high proportion of SGC cells within the selected fraction of N-cadherin positive cells. A co-cultivation with astrocytes had the opposite effect and inhibited a functional differentiation of the selected cells. These results indicate that appropriate external factors may enhance a cell type specific differentiation of neurons in vitro.
Degree
thesis:*- Grantor dc:publisher
- Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
- Year dc:date
- 2007
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Mönig, Benedikt
- Contributors dc:contributor
-
- Luksch, Harald
Subjects
dc:subject × 8Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
- Language dc:language
- ger