Presence of typical neuronal markers in serially cultured cells from adult human brain.

Typical markers for neurons but not for astroglia have been identified in cells cultured from a sample of normal adult human temporal lobe, which was removed to gain access to a glioma. Cells were grown in medium containing growth factors, including fibroblast growth factor and nerve growth factor. The cells grew slowly (doubling time, 18 days) and have been carried as far as passage 8 over 10 months. Both immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry with redundant antibodies demonstrated the presence of neurofilaments (NF-H, NF-M, NF-L), but not glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was also found. Morphologically, the cultures consisted of a pleimorphic population of cells with frequent long processes. Cells demonstrating neuronal rather than astroglial markers can be cultured from normal adult human brain.