Fetal liver-derived Sca-1+ cells can differentiate into both neurons and astrocytes in vivo

AIM: To determine whether Sca-1⁺ cells from fetal liver can differentiate into neural cells. METHODS: The sex of 14.5-day-old murine fetuses was determined by PCR analysis of sry gene, and Sca-1⁺ cells from male fetal liver were isolated with a magnetic cell sorting kit, 2×10³ of which were then transplanted into lethally irradiated female mice. The donor cells and their characteristics in recipient brains were identified and detected by FISH and immunohistochemistry double-staining analysis at 60, 120, 180 days after transplantation. RESULTS: There existed many male cells in brains of female recipients, some of them express neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN), and some of them express the astrocyte-specific marker, i.e. glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). CONCLUSION: Sca-1⁺ cells from fetal liver, which contain hematopoietic stem cells, can differentiate into neuronal cells and astrocytes in the brains of adult mice.