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Progesterone Increases Dopamine Neurone Number in Differentiating Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Author(s) -
Díaz N. F.,
DíazMartínez N. E.,
Velasco I.,
CamachoArroyo I.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of neuroendocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1365-2826
pISSN - 0953-8194
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2009.01891.x
Subject(s) - dopaminergic , dopamine , endocrinology , medicine , embryonic stem cell , cellular differentiation , biology , dopamine receptor , stem cell , receptor , intracellular , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , biochemistry , gene
Progesterone participates in the regulation of several functions in mammals, including brain differentiation and dopaminergic transmission, but the role of progesterone in dopaminergic cell differentiation is unknown. We investigated the effects of progesterone on dopaminergic differentiation of embryonic stem cells using a five‐stage protocol. Cells were incubated with different progesterone concentrations during the proliferation (stage 4) or differentiation (stage 5) phases. Progesterone added at 1, 10 and 100 n m during stage 4 increased the number of dopamine neurones at stage 5 by 72%, 80% and 62%, respectively, compared to the control group. The administration of progesterone at stage 5 did not induce significant changes in the number of dopamine neurones. These actions were not mediated by the activation of intracellular progesterone receptors because RU 486 did not block the positive effects of progesterone on differentiation to dopaminergic neurones. The results obtained suggest that progesterone should prove useful with respect to producing higher proportions of dopamine neurones from embryonic stem cells in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.