DEVELOPMENTAL TRANSITION BY SPINAL-CORD PLASMA-MEMBRANES OF EMBRYONIC CHICK FROM PERMISSIVE TO RESTRICTIVE SUBSTRATES FOR THE MORPHOLOGICAL-DIFFERENTIATION OF NEUROBLASTOMA X GLIOMA HYBRID NG108-15 CELL

Recent studies of spinal cord development and plasticity, in chick, have demonstrated a loss of regenerative ability correlating to embryonic day (E) 13 of the 21-day developmental period. Here we describe membrane fractions from embryonic chick spinal cords as permissive or restrictive substrates for the neuron-like differentiation of neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid NG108-15 cells, in vitro. Plasma membranes were purified from the thoracic spinal cord of embryos at a series of developmental stages (E10-E18). Micro-well plates were coated with the fractions and NG108-15 cells cultured thereon. Cells adhered to the E10-coated wells and began to differentiate after 2 h, becoming highly differentiated, with neurites 2-3 times longer than the diameter of the cell body after 24 h in culture. In contrast, cells cultured in E18-coated wells remained as clusters of undifferentiated cells of rounded morphology, even after 48 h in culture. As well, the permissive and restrictive plasma membranes were assessed semiquantitatively as the number of adhering cells after 20 h of culture. Adhesion of cells to the substrate decreased as the embryonic age of the plasma membrane substrate increased. Examination of the plasma membrane fractions, using SDS-PAGE, revealed several proteins in the 40-60 kDa range that varied substantially between E12, E14 and E18. Results of this study provide in vitro confirmation of previous in vivo findings; namely, that early embryonic spinal cord is initially permissive for neuritic outgrowth becoming restrictive around E13. As well, this study provides the foundation for several possible avenues of research to identify the proteins involved in the transition from permissive to restrictive environments for spinal cord repair in the embryonic chick.