Perpendicular contact guidance of CNS neuroblasts on artificial microstructures

  • Isao Nagata
    Department of Cell Biology 1 , Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, 2-6, Musashidai, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 183, Japan
  • Akio Kawana
    NTT Basic Research Laboratories 2 , 3-9-11 Midori-cho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180, Japan
  • Norio Nakatsuji
    Mammalian Development Laboratory 3 , National Institute of Genetics, Mishima 411, Japan

Description

<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title> <jats:p>Rodent CNS neuroblasts show parallel and perpendic-ular contact guidance behaviors on aligned neurite bun-dles in microexplant cultures (Nakatsuji, N. and Nagata, I. (1989) Development, 106, 441-447; N. I. and N. N. (1991) ibid., 112, 581-590). To test the hypothesis that the physical surface structure of the neurite bundle causes the perpendicular contact guidance, we cultured dissociated neuroblasts on quartz plates on which grat-ing-like microstructures were fabricated by lithographic techniques. Various types of CNS neuroblasts, but not PNS neurons, oriented their processes and migrated both perpendicular and parallel to the axis of the microstructure. Perpendicular orientation was fre-quently observed when the microstructured grooves had depths between 0.3 m and 0.8 m and a width of 1 m, which roughly mimics a tightly aligned neurite bundle. Thus, CNS neuroblasts have the ability to extend their processes and migrate perpendicular to aligned surface microstructures.</jats:p>

Journal

  • Development

    Development 117 (1), 401-408, 1993-01-01

    The Company of Biologists

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