Newswise — There is a great deal of interest in the potential uses of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) for therapeutic purposes, such as transplantation. These cells can also be used as models to study how human nerve cells develop or how diseases progress. In Parkinson's disease for example, a way to study human dopaminergic neurons is potentially of great value. Human ESCs can be transformed into such neurons, but there are considerable technical difficulties in the creation and maintenance of many lines of hESCs.
In a paper published in the current issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Aging, and BresaGen, Inc. found that a variant line of hESC could be used, avoiding some of these problems in normal hESC lines. The authors report that BG01V, a variant of the hESC line BG01 with extra chromosomes 12, 17 and X, may serve as a potential model for studies of dopaminergic neuronal differentiation of hESCs.
The research suggests that this line is an ideal substitute for routine experiments on hESC properties and differentiation. Writing in the article, Xianmin Zeng, PhD, of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, states, "BG01V is stable, and is currently available worldwide to researchers from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) at a cost-effective rate. Its growth characteristics and recovery from cryopreservation are better than the parent line BG01. The overall properties of BG01V are, nonetheless, very similar to the parent line. We therefore believe that the BG01V line will be an invaluable resource for basic research on hESCs." The article is "BG01V: A Variant Human Embryonic Stem Cell Line which Exhibits Rapid Growth after Passaging and Reliable Dopaminergic Differentiation" by Xianmin Zeng, Jia Chen, Ying Liu, Yongquan Luo, Thomas C. Schulz, Allan J. Robins, Mahendra S. Rao and William J. Freed. It appears in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, Vol. 22, Number 6 published by IOS Press.
About Restorative Neurology and NeuroscienceRestorative Neurology and Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the plasticity and response of the nervous system to accidental or experimental injuries or interventions, transplantation, neurodegenerative disorders and experimental strategies to improve regeneration or functional recovery. Experimental and clinical research papers showing novelty, significant experimental or clinical relevance and interest to a multidisciplinary audience are published.
About IOS PressCommencing its publishing activities in 1987, IOS Press (www.iospress.com) is a rapidly expanding scientific, technical, medical and professional publishing house focusing on a broad range of subject areas. Headquartered in Amsterdam, IOS Press publishes approximately 100 new books per annum and 70 international journals, covering topics ranging from computer science and mathematics to medicine and the natural sciences. Electronic access to all journals is now available. IOS Press also maintains offices in the Washington, DC area and Berlin, Germany as well as a co-publishing relationship with Ohmsha, Ltd (Tokyo).
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Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience (Vol. 22, No. 6)
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