PROCESS FOR PRODUCING NERVE STEM CELLS, MOTOR NEURONS AND GABAERGIC NEURONS FROM EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

摘要

A process for producing motor neurons and GABAergic neurons characterized by comprising suspension-culturing embryonic stem cells in the presence or absence of a protein noggin to form embryoids, deriving the embryoids into nerve stem cells by suspension culture in the presence of a fibroblast growt h factor and a sonic hedgehog protein, and then differentiating the same. According to this method, at least motor neurons and GABAergic neurons can b e systematically and efficiently produced from ES cells. Selective acquisition of neurons would be applicable to the transplant therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's chorea, Alzheimer's disease, etc.