Synthesis of an Enzyme-Mediated Reversible Cross-linked Hydrogel for Cell Culture.

Detachment of fragile cell types cultured on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces has been shown to be detrimental to their viability. For example, detachment of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons grown in vitro in 2D typically results in loss of neuronal connections and/or cell death. Avoiding cell detachment altogether by changing the properties of the substrate on which the cells are grown is a compelling strategy to maintain cell viability.

Lineage tracing reveals the hierarchical relationship between neural stem cell populations in the mouse forebrain.

Since the original isolation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult mammalian brain, further work has revealed a heterogeneity in the NSC pool. Our previous work characterized a distinct, Oct4 expressing, NSC population in the periventricular region, through development and into adulthood. We hypothesized that this population is upstream in lineage to the more abundant, well documented, GFAP expressing NSC.

A 3D culture model of innervated human skeletal muscle enables studies of the adult neuromuscular junction.

Two-dimensional (2D) human skeletal muscle fiber cultures are ill-equipped to support the contractile properties of maturing muscle fibers. This limits their application to the study of adult human neuromuscular junction (NMJ) development, a process requiring maturation of muscle fibers in the presence of motor neuron endplates. Here we describe a three-dimensional (3D) co-culture method whereby human muscle progenitors mixed with human pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons self-organize to form functional NMJ connections.

Microglia are an essential component of the neuroprotective scar that forms after spinal cord injury.

The role of microglia in spinal cord injury (SCI) remains poorly understood and is often confused with the response of macrophages. Here, we use specific transgenic mouse lines and depleting agents to understand the response of microglia after SCI. We find that microglia are highly dynamic and proliferate extensively during the first two weeks, accumulating around the lesion.