This book explores improved, extended, and fully updated protocols for embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in a variety of contexts.

The absence of stem cell-specific markers has posed challenges to the identification and isolation of stem cells. We report the isolation of a discrete and highly enriched population of neural stem cells from clonally derived colonies of neural stem cell and progenitor cells (neurospheres) after exposure to the fluorescent DNA binding dye Hoeschst 33342 and subsequent analysis via dual waveleng...

An obstacle to early stem cell transplantation into the acutely injured spinal cord is poor survival of transplanted cells. Transplantation of embryonic stem cells as substrate adherent embryonic stem cell-derived neural aggregates (SENAs) consisting mainly of neurons and radial glial cells has been shown to enhance survival of grafted cells in the injured mouse brain. In the attempt to promote...

Human stem cells are in evaluation in clinical stem cell trials, primarily as autologous bone marrow studies, autologous and allogenic mesenchymal stem cell trials, and some allogenic neural stem cell transplantation projects. Safety and efficacy are being addressed for a number of disease state applications. There is considerable data supporting safety of bone marrow and mesenchymal stem cell ...

The adult mouse forebrain, which exhibits substantial ongoing cell genesis, contains self-renewing multipotent neural stem cells that respond to epidermal growth factor (EGF), but the adult spinal cord, which exhibits limited cell genesis, does not. Spinal cord development is a process characterized by defined periods of cell histogenesis. Thus, in the present study we asked whether EGF-respons...

Cell cycle regulation is crucial for the maintenance of stem cell populations in adult mammalian tissues. During development, the cell cycle length in neural stem cells increases, which could be associated with their capabilities for self-renewal. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate differentiation and cell cycle progression in embryonic neural stem cells remain largely unknown. Her...

The complexity of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the incompetence of a large number of promise treatments in MS urge us to plan new and more effective therapeutic approaches that aim to suppress ongoing autoimmune responses and induction of local endogenous regeneration. Emerging data propose that hematopoietic, mesenchymal and neural stem cells have the potential to restore self-tolerance, to pro...

Here we describe characterization of chicken neuronal Per-Arnt-Sim domain 3 (NPAS3) gene during embryogenesis including examinations of expression pattern and function of the gene. RTPCR assay showed that the primary tissue of expression for this gene is the central nervous system (CNS) while RNA in situ hybridization assay confirmed that NPAS3 was expressed in the ventricular zone of developin...

Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) is a member of the KLF family of transcription factors and regulates proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and somatic cell reprogramming. In embryonic stem (ES) cells, Klf4 can be a good indicator of stem-like capacity. Klf4 is a 55 kD transcription factor containing three zinc finger domains. Klf4 binds the CACCC core sequence at multiple sites in the 5’ flank...