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Transplantation of galectin‐1‐expressing human neural stem cells into the injured spinal cord of adult common marmosets
Author(s) -
Yamane Junichi,
Nakamura Masaya,
Iwanami Akio,
Sakaguchi Masanori,
Katoh Hiroyuki,
Yamada Masayuki,
Momoshima Suketaka,
Miyao Sachiyo,
Ishii Ken,
Tamaoki Norikazu,
Nomura Tatsuji,
Okano Hirotaka James,
Kanemura Yonehiro,
Toyama Yoshiaki,
Okano Hideyuki
Publication year - 2010
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/jnr.22322
Subject(s) - transplantation , spinal cord , spinal cord injury , neural stem cell , serotonergic , neurite , progenitor cell , stem cell , neurosphere , neuroscience , medicine , biology , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , in vitro , adult stem cell , serotonin , biochemistry , receptor , endothelial stem cell
Delayed transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) into the injured spinal cord can promote functional recovery in adult rats and monkeys. To enhance the functional recovery after NS/PC transplantation, we focused on galectin‐1, a carbohydrate‐binding protein with pleiotropic roles in cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and neurite outgrowth. Here, to determine the combined therapeutic effect of NS/PC transplantation and galectin‐1 on spinal cord injury (SCI), human NS/PCs were transfected by lentivirus with galectin‐1 and green fluorescent protein (GFP), (Gal‐NS/PCs) or GFP alone (GFP‐NS/PCs), expanded in vitro, and then transplanted into the spinal cord of adult common marmosets, 9 days after contusive cervical SCI. The animals' motor function was evaluated by their spontaneous motor activity, bar grip power, and performance on a treadmill test. Histological analyses revealed that the grafted human NS/PCs survived and differentiated into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. There were significant differences in the myelinated area, corticospinal fibers, and serotonergic fibers among the Gal‐NS/PC, GFP‐NS/PC, vehicle‐control, and sham‐operated groups. The Gal‐NS/PC‐grafted animals showed a better performance on all the behavioral tests compared with the other groups. These findings suggest that Gal‐NS/PCs have better therapeutic potential than NS/PCs for SCI in nonhuman primates and that human Gal‐NS/PC transplantation might be a feasible treatment for human SCI. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.