Abstract: Neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) are a transient population of stem cells that emerge early in vertebrate development; some NCSCs are thought to be multipotent and differentiate into a variety of cells, including peripheral nerve cells, glial cells, bone cells, chondrocytes and adipocytes. We have developed a culture system that can grow human iPSC-derived NCSCs and maintain expression of the SOX10 gene, a characteristic of pluripotent NCSCs, for more than 6 months. NCSCs maintained for several months were able to differentiate into various cell types such as peripheral neurons, melanocytes, MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells)-mediated osteocytes, chondrocytes, and adipocytes, suggesting that these cultures have a pluripotent stem cell population. The NCSC lines established expressed the major marker genes of neural crest cells and were shown to differentiate into three or more linages. This culture system is expected to be useful not only for basic research on molecular events in pluripotent and differentiated stem cells, but also for applied research such as drug screening.
