( hNT BlueNeurons are ideal for use in ...)hNT BlueNeurons Express b-Galactosidase at High ,Levels

hNT BlueNeurons are ideal for use in transplantation studies

hNT BlueNeurons Express b-Galactosidase at High Levels

Michael McGrogan * Guadalupe Gonzalez * Waldemar Lernhardt
Layton BioScience, Inc. Gilroy, California

Stratagene's hNT BlueNeurons express beta-galactosidase at high levels and are derived from a clone of the NT2 teratocarcinoma stably transfected with a lacZ gene expression vector. Because they are easily distinguished from surrounding tissue by in situ staining for beta-galactosidase, hNT BlueNeurons are ideal for use in transplantation studies.

figure 1

The NT2 cell line, derived from a human teratocarcinoma, exhibits properties indicative of a committed neuronal precursor stage. NT2 cells can be induced by retinoic acid (RA) to differentiate in vitro into postmitotic central nervous system (CNS) neurons, hNT neurons* (figure 1). In the course of RAinduced differentiation, NT2 cells lose neuroepithelial markers and telomerase activity, acquire many neuronal markers, begin to express glutamate receptor channels, change the metabolism of amyloid precursor proteins and become permissive for infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

An increasing number of reports describe transplantation of hNT neurons into rodent brains.15 hNT neurons successfully integrate into surrounding tissue and establish synapses. Although hNT neurons can be identified in transplanted tissue by staining with antibodies specific for human markers, an additional method of identification would allow immunostaining for multiple markers. The lacZ gene was chosen as a marker to be introduced into hNT neurons because it is very
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