A micromass culture method for rat embryonic neural cells.

A method of culturing early (13-day) rat embryo neural cells is described. Undifferentiated neural epithelium is disaggregated and cultured in small discrete islands. Cells that destined to differentiate as neurons actively segregate from the other cells in the island and aggregate together into small clumps. Other cells flatten and attach to the substrate and resemble typical fibroblasts throughout the culture period. The clumps of preneuron cells spread out forming large irregular foci. Spreading is mediated by active cell movements. Cells in the foci differentiate as a pure population of neurons identifiable by specific inhibition of 3H-labelled gamma-amino butyric acid incorporation or by labelling with a monoclonal antibody to GQ-ganglioside. The ganglioside is not found on the cell surface at the start of culture after trypsinization, but emerges during the 5 days of culture. The antigen is similarly not present in the embryonic mesencephalon in vivo at 13 days post coitum, only emerging later in the differentiated midbrain. There is thus an apparent de novo synthesis, which is paralleled in vivo and in vitro.