日本理化研究所11月6日发表新闻公报说，该所研究人员用人类胚胎干细胞成功培养出与实际人类大脑皮质相似的组织，它能再现部分大脑皮质特有的神经活动。公报称，这项研究成果在全世界尚属首次，将有助于再生医疗和新药的研究。
公报说，该所发展生物学研究中心研究人员此前开发了用胚胎干细胞培育脑神经细胞的无血清浮游培养法，但这种方法只能控制单一的神经细胞分化，且效率不高。在本项研究中，研究人员对这种培养法进行了改良，新方法可诱导多种大脑神经细胞，特别是大脑皮质神经祖细胞高效率分化。
研究人员在人类胚胎干细胞培育脑神经细胞的研究中采用了这种新方法，并在培养过程中添加了自行研发的Rho激酶抑制剂。研究人员发现，人类胚胎干细胞经过46天的培养，产生了4种神经细胞，所形成的组织具有与人类胎儿大脑皮质组织极为相似的结构，并且神经细胞之间形成了一定的神经网络，可以再现部分大脑皮质特有的神经活动。
大脑皮质承担着知觉、思考和记忆等高层次大脑功能。有关专家指出，新研究成果对人们了解大脑重要区域的活动并开发治疗脑部疾病的新药和方法有帮助。这一研究成果发表在11月6日出版的美国《细胞—干细胞》（Cell Stem Cell）杂志上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Cell Stem Cell，Volume 3, Issue 5, 519-532，Mototsugu Eiraku，Yoshiki Sasai
Self-Organized Formation of Polarized Cortical Tissues from ESCs and Its Active Manipulation by ExtrinsicSignals
Mototsugu Eiraku1,Kiichi Watanabe1,Mami Matsuo-Takasaki1,Masako Kawada1,Shigenobu Yonemura2,Michiru Matsumura1,Takafumi Wataya1,Ayaka Nishiyama1,Keiko Muguruma1andYoshiki Sasai1,,
1 Organogenesis and Neurogenesis Group, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
2 Electron Microscope Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
SUMMARY
Here, we demonstrate self-organized formation of apico-basally polarized cortical tissues from ESCs using an efficient three-dimensional aggregation culture (SFEBq culture). The generated cortical neurons are functional, transplantable, and capable of forming proper long-range connections invivo and invitro. The regional identity of the generated pallial tissues can be selectively controlled (into olfactory bulb, rostral and caudal cortices, hem, and choroid plexus) by secreted patterning factors such as Fgf, Wnt, and BMP. In addition, the invivo-mimicking birth order of distinct cortical neurons permits the selective generation of particular layer-specific neurons by timed induction of cell-cycle exit. Importantly, cortical tissues generated from mouse and human ESCs form a self-organized structure that includes four distinct zones (ventricular, early and late cortical-plate, and Cajal-Retzius cell zones) along the apico-basal direction. Thus, spatial and temporal aspects of early corticogenesis are recapitulated and can be manipulated in this ESC culture.
