Figure 1

Ventral midbrain NSPC isolated from E12 rat embryos are multipotent. (A) VM NSPC cultured in the presence of the mitogenic factor FGF-2 express the markers of undifferentiated cells: Sox2, Vimentin and Nestin in proliferation stage. (B) After 6 days without FGF-2 (differentiation stage), VM NSPC differentiate into the three lineages of Central Nervous System: neurons (β-III Tubulin + and MAP2+), astrocytes (GFAP+) and oligodendrocytes (O4+), confirming the multipotency of these cultures. Nuclei were stained with Hoechst. Scale bars = 100 μm.