Expression of differentiated activities in reaggregated brain cell cultures.

Dissociated fetal mouse brain cells are allowed to reassociate in rotation culture to form aggregates. After several weeks these reaggregated brain cell cultures show markedly increased specific activities of monoamine oxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, and the brain-specific protein S-100, while catechol-O-methyltransferase activity increases slightly. Similar changes in these activities are found during mouse brain maturation. The amounts of monoamine oxidase, catechol-O-methyltransferase, and S-100 were also determined in surface cultures of fetal mouse brain cells, as well as glioma and neuroblastoma cell lines. The fetal brain and glial cell cultures possess much higher activities than the cultured neuroblastoma cells. However, lactate dehydrogenase activity was highest in the glioma and lowest in the surface cultures of fetal brain cells.