Isolation and differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells from fetal rat dorsal root ganglia.

To find a promising alternative to neurons or schwann cells (SCs) for peripheral nerve repair applications, this study sought to isolate stem cells from fetal rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explants. Molecular expression analysis confirmed neural stem cell characteristics of DRG-derived neurospheres in terms of expressing neural stem cell-specific genes and a set of well-defined genes related to stem cell niches and glial fate decision. Under the influence of neurotrophic factors, bFGF and NGF, the neurospheres gave rise to neurofilament-expressing neurons and S100-expressing Schwann cell-like cells by different pathways. This study suggests that a subpopulation of stem cells that reside in DRGs is the progenitor of neurons and glia, which could directly induce the differentiation toward neurons, or SCs.