Differentiation of spinal cord derived neural stem cells modified by BDNF gene

Objective To study the differentiation potential of mouse spinal cord derived neural stem cells (NSCs) into neurons after being transfected with BDNF gene in vitro. Methods Spinal cord derived NSCs from the E14 fetus mouse were isolated and cultured in vitro; the retrovirus containing pLXSN-BDNF gene was established and transfected into thc above NSCs, and thea, spinal cord derived NSCs were induced to be differentiated into neuron-like cells. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect and calculate the ratio of differentiation of NSCs into neurons. Results The NSCs cultured in vitro partly adhered to the wall and differentiated within 24 h of transfection with BDNF gene, and most of the NSCs adhered to the wall differentiated within 48 h of transfection. The level of neurons from spinal cord derived NSCs modified by BDNF gene was markedly increased as compared with that that from normal spinal cord derived NSCs (P＜0.05). Conclusion NSCs transfected by retroviral pLXSN-BDNF can promote the cell differentiation. BDNF gene can increase greatly the percentage of neurons in the course of inducing the differentiation of mouse NSCs. Key words: Stem cell transplantation;  Cell differentiation;  Transfection