Specific effects of nerve growth factor on the differentiation pattern of mouse embryonic stem cells in vitro.

The effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on the differentiation pattern of pluripotent undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) was studied. Morphological analysis of differentiating stem cells and histochemical silver-staining analysis of embryonic carcinoma (P19S1801A1) and embryonic stem cells (ESC-BLC 6) permitted the demonstration of nerve cell differentiation. NGF treatment resulted in an accelerated appearance of neuron-like cells in differentiating embryoid bodies of ESC line BLC 6. By use of the silver-staining test NGF dependent induction of nerve cell lineage was demonstrated. The presented embryonic stem cell model allows to study the time course of differentiation and induction of a special cell lineage of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells by growth factors.