Ogawa M, Ishikawa T, Irimajiri A
Nature. 1984;307(5946):66-8. doi: 10.1038/307066a0.
Adrenomedullary cells and autonomic ganglion cells originate from the neural crest. Both cell types synthesize, store and release catecholamines; however, their structural and functional properties are distinctly different. Aloe and Levi-Montalcini have shown in vivo that when the adrenal medulla is exposed to exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF) most cells differentiate into neuronal cells substantially similar to sympathetic neurones. Experiments in vitro have also shown that neonatal as well as adult adrenal chromaffin cells and their neoplastic correlate (PC12 cells) undergo neurone-like morphologic differentiation in response to NGF. From these morphological and biochemical studies alone, however, it remains uncertain whether the functional neuronal transformation is also accompanied. We report here that the adrenal chromaffin cells in culture can differentiate into neuronal cells having functional synapses which were found to be cholinergic in nature. Furthermore, the type of synaptic vesicles in the newly formed synapses was apparently dependent upon K+ levels in the culture medium.
肾上腺髓质细胞和自主神经节细胞起源于神经嵴。这两种细胞类型都能合成、储存和释放儿茶酚胺；然而，它们的结构和功能特性明显不同。阿洛和莱维 - 蒙塔尔奇尼在体内实验中表明，当肾上腺髓质暴露于外源性神经生长因子（NGF）时，大多数细胞会分化为与交感神经元基本相似的神经元细胞。体外实验也表明，新生以及成年肾上腺嗜铬细胞及其肿瘤相关细胞（PC12细胞）会因NGF而发生神经元样形态分化。然而，仅从这些形态学和生物化学研究来看，尚不确定是否也伴随着功能性神经元转化。我们在此报告，培养中的肾上腺嗜铬细胞可分化为具有功能性突触的神经元细胞，这些突触被发现本质上是胆碱能的。此外，新形成突触中的突触小泡类型显然取决于培养基中的钾离子水平。
