In vitro identification of dividing neuronal precursors from embryonic chick ciliary ganglion

In chick parasympathetic ciliary ganglion the neuronal birthdate is well defined, between 2.5 and 5.5 days of embryonic development, and neuronal precursor cells that are able to differentiate into neurons in vitro can be isolated from E4.5 ganglia. In this report, using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and Maplb immunostaining, we demonstrate that these cells can be isolated from E7-E8 chick embryos as well, suggesting that neuronal precursor cells are still present in the ciliary ganglion after the end of the in vivo neurogenesis. These precursor cells retain the ability to divide and generate newly differentiated neurons in vitro when cultured in a chemically defined medium. Such a capacity is highly stimulated by bFGF but not by CNTF.