ABSTRACT
The mode of action of retinoids in relation to their activity in the adult central nervous system and the potential of synthetic retinoid analogues is reviewed. Investigation into the activity of such molecules will further our understanding of the retinoid pathway during nervous system development and in various neurological disease states.
Subject(s)
Models, Biological , Nervous System/drug effects , Retinoids/pharmacology , Retinoids/physiology , Adult , Animals , Humans , Nervous System/metabolism , Nervous System Diseases/drug therapyABSTRACT
Following the differentiation of cultured stem cells is often reliant on the expression of genes and proteins that provide information on the developmental status of the cell or culture system. There are few molecules, however, that show definitive expression exclusively in a specific cell type. Moreover, the reliance on a small number of molecules that are not entirely accurate biomarkers of particular tissues can lead to misinterpretation in the characterization of the direction of cell differentiation. Here we describe the use of technology that examines the mass spectrum of proteins expressed in cultured cells as a means to identify the developmental status of stem cells and their derivatives in vitro. This approach is rapid and reproducible and it examines the expression of several different biomarkers simultaneously, providing a profile of protein expression that more accurately corresponds to a particular type of cell differentiation.
Subject(s)
Cell Differentiation , Pluripotent Stem Cells/chemistry , Proteome/analysis , Proteomics/methods , Acetamides/pharmacology , Antigens, Surface/analysis , Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate , Biomarkers/analysis , Carcinoma, Embryonal/metabolism , Carcinoma, Embryonal/pathology , Embryonal Carcinoma Stem Cells , Flow Cytometry , Gangliosides/analysis , Glycosphingolipids/analysis , Humans , Keratins/analysis , Neoplastic Stem Cells , Neurons/chemistry , Neurons/pathology , Peptides/analysis , Pluripotent Stem Cells/drug effects , Pluripotent Stem Cells/pathology , Proteoglycans/analysis , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens , Tretinoin/pharmacology , Tubulin/analysisABSTRACT
There are few reliable experimental systems available to study the molecular mechanisms that govern human embryonic development. Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from teratocarcinomas and are considered the malignant counterparts of human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Several of the existing human EC stem cell lines provide robust and simple culture systems to study certain aspects of cellular differentiation in a manner pertinent to human embryogenesis. Here we review the strategies used to derive and characterize the established and recognized human EC stem cell line TERA2.cl.SP12. Furthermore, we demonstrate the value of human EC stem cells as a model of early development and focus on cell fate determination in the embryonic ectoderm.
