Figure 6: Neurosphere-forming cells induced by stab wound and GFs in the adult rat neocortex and striatum.

(a,b) GFP⁺ neurospheres formed in vitro by cells exposed to GFs and GFP viruses in vivo. (c–h) Phase-contrast images (c–e) and staining for BrdU (f–h, red) of growing secondary neurospheres. Cell nuclei were stained with Hoechst 33258 (blue). (i) Frequencies of neurosphere-forming cells 14 days after tissue isolation (primary spheres, indicated as 1st) and 14 days after the first passage (secondary spheres, indicated as 2^nd; mean±s.d., n=10). *P<0.01 in Student’s t-test. (j–m) Differentiation of a secondary neurosphere derived from the striatum. The cells (phase-contrast image in j) were stained for TuJ1 (k, red), GFAP (l, blue) and O4 (m, green). (n) Percentages of TuJ1⁺, GFAP⁺ and O4⁺ cells among total cells in culture of secondary neurospheres (mean±s.d., n=4). *P<0.01 compared with SVZ-derived cells in Student’s t-test. Scale bar, a,b,d–i,k, 50 μm.