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Long‐term survival of fetal porcine lateral ganglionic eminence cells in the hippocampus of rats
Author(s) -
Jacoby Douglas B.,
Lindberg Charles,
Cunningham Miles G.,
Ratliff Judson,
Dinsmore Jonathan
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4547(19990615)56:6<581::aid-jnr4>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - ganglionic eminence , median eminence , hippocampus , neuroscience , term (time) , fetus , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , medicine , hypothalamus , physics , pregnancy , central nervous system , genetics , quantum mechanics , cerebrum
Embryonic porcine brain tissue from the lateral ganglionic eminence was transplanted into the adult rat hippocampus to determine whether fetal striatal cells could survive, differentiate, and integrate in a heterotopic site. The hippocampus, a common site of epileptic seizure activity, was chosen to determine if fetal striatal cells could supply inhibitory GABAergic neurons that may serve to block seizures. Cells were either implanted with a single deposit using a standard metal cannula or by five smaller disseminated deposits with a glass micropipette. At 20–24 weeks, animals immunosuppressed with cyclosporin showed long‐term survival of porcine cells in the adult hippocampus. Analysis by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization showed that the grafts contained glial and neuronal cell types, including GABAergic neurons within graft core and networks of porcine neuronal fibers extending from the graft into the host parenchyma. In addition, a marker of porcine presynaptic terminals, synaptobrevin, was abundant within the grafts and was found associated with hippocampal structures and cell layers suggesting functional integration of grafted cells within the host. The survival of xenografts in the hippocampus and potential integration of inhibitory components provides evidence that these grafts may serve as an internal negative feedback mechanism to quench epileptiform activity. J. Neurosci. Res. 56:581–594, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.