Neural stem cells express non-neural markers during embryoid body coculture

Abstract

The capacity of neural stem cells (NSC) to transdifferentiate into a wide range of non-neuronal lineages is the subject of debate. One approach to test NSC plasticity is to ectopically place NSCs in permissive or instructive microenvironments in which the signals driving differentiation of multiple cell types are being elicited. Here we produce embryoid body neurosphere aggregates by combining neurosphere derivatives from fetal mice constitutively expressing green fluorescent protein with embryonic stem (ES) cells isolated from Zin40 mice constitutively expressing nuclear β-galacosidase. Under these conditions, we assess neurosphere-derivative-immunoreactivity to anti-neurofilament heavy cha..