Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells possess the properties of self-renewal and pluripotency, similar to embryonic stem cells. They are a good candidate as a source of suitable cells for cell replacement therapy. In this study, we transplanted human iPS cell-derived neural progenitors into an ischemic mouse brain. Human iPS cells were differentiated into neuronal progenitors by serum-free culture of embryoid body-like aggregates (SFEBs). Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by occluding the middle cerebral artery using the intraluminal filament technique. Donor cells were transplanted into the ischemic lateral striatum 1 week after ischemia induction. Cells survived at the transplantation site, with migration of a proportion of cells along the external capsule and corpus callosum. Cells that were positive for the basal telencephalon marker, Nkx2.1, migrated into the basal part of the telencephalon. The pallial telencephalon marker, Emx1, was detected in cells that had migrated into the pallial part of the telencephalon. SFEBs differentiated into various types of neurons, and a retrograde tracer labeling study showed that differentiated cells integrated into host neural circuitry. Behavioral recovery was significantly enhanced in the transplanted group. Our results suggest that human iPS cell-derived neuronal progenitors survive and migrate in the ischemic brain, and contribute toward functional recovery via neural circuit reconstitution.
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