Serum factor supporting long-term survival of rat central neurons in culture.

Gel filtration of serum at pH 3.6 yielded a fraction that supported long-term (months) survival of dissociated rat central neurons in monolayer culture more reliably than the traditionally used unfractionated serum. The cultures remained neuron-rich, because this fraction did not support the proliferation of glia and fibroblasts that occurs in whole serum. With an apparent molecular weight of 55,000 and an isoelectric point of 5.6, the active factor (or factors) in this fraction is distinct from any well-defined growth factor.