The differentiation and survival of murine neurons in vitro is promoted by soluble factors produced by an astrocytic cell line

Abstract

The influence of accessory cells on the generation of neurons and neuronal survival has been studied in vitro using an immortalised, cloned cell line, Ast‐1, which has many of the functional and phenotypic characteristics of cells of the astrocytic lineage. It was found that monolayers of Ast‐1 cells were equivalent to monolayers of primary astrocytes in their ability to promote the generation of neurofilament positive neurons from neuroepithelial cells obtained from embryonic day 10 (E10) mice; and both were superior to NIH 3T3 cells. Ast‐1 cell monolayers were also found to provide a suitable substrate for the prolonged survival (at least 3 days in vitro) of neurofilament positive neurons ..