Interneurons are the ‘brakes’ of the central nervous system. Connections between neurons in the brain are finely tuned and any increased electrical activity is dampened down by these cells. In the neocortex, the location for functions including sensory perceptions, emotion and cognition, interneurons represent between 20 and 30% of neurons.
axoCellsTM cortical inhibitory interneuron progenitors are derived from human iPSCs. In their progenitor state, the cells express the important Nkx-2.1 protein, indicative of mature parvalbumin and somatostatin interneuron development. After 20 days of culture, the cells mature to become interneurons. They will display key markers including parvalbumin, somatostatin, tyrosine hydroxylase, PAX-6, MAP2, beta-tubulin and GABA receptor and GAD enzyme. At day 30, the mature interneurons display functional calcium imaging responses to glutamic acid and glycine stimulation using the Axol NeurOne system.
