Neural lineage development in the rhesus monkey with embryonic stem cells

There are three controversial and undetermined models of neurogenesis and gliogenesis from neuroepithelial cells in the early neural tube; the first in which neurons and glia were proposed to originate from a single homogenous population, the second from two separate pools of committed glial and neuronal progenitors, or, lastly, from transit radial glial (RG). Issues concerning embryonic neural lineage development in primates are not well understood due to restrictions imposed by ethics and material sources. In this study, early neural lineage development was investigated in vitro with rhesus monkey embryonic stem cells (rESC) by means of immunofluorescence with lineage specific markers. It was revealed that neural differentiation likely progresses in a sequential lineage restriction pathway from neuroepithelial stem/progenitor cells to neurons and glia via RG and intermediate precursors: neuronal precursors and glial progenitors. In conclusion, our results suggest that the early neural lineage development of rESC in vitro supported the model in which neuroepithelial cells develop into RG capable of generating both neurons and glia. This work should facilitate understanding of the mechanism of development of the nervous system in primates.