Survival and neurite growth of chick embryo spinal cord cells in serum-free culture.

Cell survival and neurite growth were investigated in serum-free spinal cord cell cultures on polyornithine coating (PORN). Cells were obtained from 6- or 7-day-old chick embryos. Isolated spinal cord cells required promoting factors for their survival and neurite growth. The survival-promoting factors were initially present in spinal cord cells. High density cultures, co-cultures with spinal cord explants, and spinal cord extract promoted survival of isolated spinal cord cells in MEM with no additives. Other tissue extracts (brain, liver, heart and skeletal muscle), serum, and serum-free conditioned medium (SF-CM) of muscle or glioma C6 cells also promoted survival. The active substances in the brain extract and SF-CM were shown to be protein and were separated into 3 fractions (approximately molecular weight 150,000, 70,000, 40,000) by gel filtration chromatography. Survival and neurite growth were suggested to be promoted by different factors because: (1) survival was promoted by both tissue extract and SF-CM, but neurite growth was promoted only by SF-CM; (2) the neurite growth-stimulating activity of SF-CM was lost following dialysis and heat (100 degrees C, 2 min) treatment; however, the survival-promoting activity was not. It was also suggested that spinal cord cells produce neurite growth promoting factors, but did not initially contain these factors.