Abstract
Multipotent somatic stem cells have been identified in various adult tissues. However, the stem/progenitor cells of the peripheral nerves have been isolated only from fetal tissues. Here, we isolated Schwann-cell precursors/immature Schwann cells from the injured peripheral nerves of adult mice using a floating culture technique that we call “Schwann-spheres." The Schwann-spheres were derived from de-differentiated mature Schwann cells harvested 24 hours to 6 weeks after peripheral nerve injury. They had extensive self-renewal and differentiation capabilities. They strongly expressed the immature-Schwann-cell marker p75, and differentiated only into the Schwann-cell lineage. The spheres showed enhanced myelin formation and neurite growth compared to mature Schwann cells in vitro. Mature Schwann cells have been considered a promising candidate for cell-transplantation therapies to repair the damaged nervous system, whereas these “Schwann-spheres" would provide a more potential autologous cell source for such transplantation.
Highlights
IntroductionMultipotent somatic stem cells have been identified in various adult tissues
In recent years, multipotent somatic stem cells have been identified in various adult tissues
No spheres were obtained from intact sciatic nerves. These spheres from nestin-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) mice were positive for EGFP, suggesting that they were Nestin-positive immature cells (Fig. 1A)
Summary
Multipotent somatic stem cells have been identified in various adult tissues. We cultured the dedifferentiated Schwann cells obtained from the injured peripheral nerves of adult mice at the specific time-point under the floating culture condition and isolated Schwann-cell precursors/immature Schwann cells, as spheres, which we called ‘‘Schwann-spheres.’’ This is the first report showing that ‘‘Schwann-spheres’’ can be obtained from adult peripheral nerves. Their differentiation, myelination, and neurite growth promoting properties in vitro suggested their potential use in cell transplantation therapy for the damaged nervous system
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