Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation of PC12 and embryonic stem cells on interdigitated microelectrode arrays: Contact structures for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST)

Erhard Bieberich; Anthony Guiseppi-Elie

doi:10.1016/j.bios.2003.08.016

Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation of PC12 and embryonic stem cells on interdigitated microelectrode arrays: Contact structures for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST)

Erhard Bieberich, Anthony Guiseppi-Elie

Physiology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

61 Scopus citations

Abstract

The development of neuron-microelectrode interfaces (neurochips) is highly desirable for the non-invasive recording of the cellular response to neuroactive drugs as well as the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue by implantable electrodes. A prerequisite for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST) is the formation of synapse-like contacts between the neuronal cell and the conductive surface of a microelectrode array. We attempted synapse formation by neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) and blastocyst-derived murine embryonic stem cells (ES-J1) on interdigitated microelectrode arrays that were made of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), or indium tin oxide (ITO). PC12 or ES cells were in vitro differentiated by incubation with nerve growth factor (NGF) and forskolin, or by serum deprivation and treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), respectively. On top of ITO electrodes, the neuronal cells extended extremely long processes that terminated in pili-like contact structures, which is typical for growth cone formation. ES cells differentiated into neurons as verified by immunofluorescence staining of MAP-2 and developed synapse-like junctions with the ITO electrode surface as indicated by synaptophysin staining. Differentiated PC12 and ES cells showed bona fide morphological characteristics of synaptic growth cones that were unprecedented in tissue culture. Cones formed by PC12 cells could be stimulated with KCl and carbachol as shown by uptake of FM1-43, a fluorescent marker for synaptic vesicle formation. In contrast to Electrical Cell Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) recordings, AC impedance spectrometry with differentiated PC12 cells settled on interdigitated microelectrode arrays revealed lower AC impedance than that with undifferentiated cells, indicating that the complex impedance is dependent on ion fluxes at the neuron-to-electrode contact surface.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	923-931
Number of pages	9
Journal	Biosensors and Bioelectronics
Volume	19
Issue number	8
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2003.08.016
State	Published - Mar 15 2004

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank Drs. Boris Baibakov (Johns Hopkins University), Brian Condie (Medical College of Georgia), and Marin Gheorghe (Virginia Commonwealth University) for their assistance with confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, ES culture and culture-well fabrication, respectively. This work was funded by NIH grant MH61934-04 (to E. Bieberich) and by VCU Center for Biosensors, Bioelectronics and Biochips (CIT IO-99-010) (to A. Guiseppi-Elie).

Keywords

ECIS
ES cells
Interdigitated electrode
Microarray
Neurochip
PC 12 cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biotechnology
Biophysics
Biomedical Engineering
Electrochemistry

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10.1016/j.bios.2003.08.016

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title = "Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation of PC12 and embryonic stem cells on interdigitated microelectrode arrays: Contact structures for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST)",

abstract = "The development of neuron-microelectrode interfaces (neurochips) is highly desirable for the non-invasive recording of the cellular response to neuroactive drugs as well as the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue by implantable electrodes. A prerequisite for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST) is the formation of synapse-like contacts between the neuronal cell and the conductive surface of a microelectrode array. We attempted synapse formation by neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) and blastocyst-derived murine embryonic stem cells (ES-J1) on interdigitated microelectrode arrays that were made of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), or indium tin oxide (ITO). PC12 or ES cells were in vitro differentiated by incubation with nerve growth factor (NGF) and forskolin, or by serum deprivation and treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), respectively. On top of ITO electrodes, the neuronal cells extended extremely long processes that terminated in pili-like contact structures, which is typical for growth cone formation. ES cells differentiated into neurons as verified by immunofluorescence staining of MAP-2 and developed synapse-like junctions with the ITO electrode surface as indicated by synaptophysin staining. Differentiated PC12 and ES cells showed bona fide morphological characteristics of synaptic growth cones that were unprecedented in tissue culture. Cones formed by PC12 cells could be stimulated with KCl and carbachol as shown by uptake of FM1-43, a fluorescent marker for synaptic vesicle formation. In contrast to Electrical Cell Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) recordings, AC impedance spectrometry with differentiated PC12 cells settled on interdigitated microelectrode arrays revealed lower AC impedance than that with undifferentiated cells, indicating that the complex impedance is dependent on ion fluxes at the neuron-to-electrode contact surface.",

keywords = "ECIS, ES cells, Interdigitated electrode, Microarray, Neurochip, PC 12 cells",

author = "Erhard Bieberich and Anthony Guiseppi-Elie",

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Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation of PC12 and embryonic stem cells on interdigitated microelectrode arrays: Contact structures for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST). / Bieberich, Erhard; Guiseppi-Elie, Anthony.
In: Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Vol. 19, No. 8, 15.03.2004, p. 923-931.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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N1 - Funding Information: The authors wish to thank Drs. Boris Baibakov (Johns Hopkins University), Brian Condie (Medical College of Georgia), and Marin Gheorghe (Virginia Commonwealth University) for their assistance with confocal laser fluorescence microscopy, ES culture and culture-well fabrication, respectively. This work was funded by NIH grant MH61934-04 (to E. Bieberich) and by VCU Center for Biosensors, Bioelectronics and Biochips (CIT IO-99-010) (to A. Guiseppi-Elie).

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N2 - The development of neuron-microelectrode interfaces (neurochips) is highly desirable for the non-invasive recording of the cellular response to neuroactive drugs as well as the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue by implantable electrodes. A prerequisite for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST) is the formation of synapse-like contacts between the neuronal cell and the conductive surface of a microelectrode array. We attempted synapse formation by neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) and blastocyst-derived murine embryonic stem cells (ES-J1) on interdigitated microelectrode arrays that were made of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), or indium tin oxide (ITO). PC12 or ES cells were in vitro differentiated by incubation with nerve growth factor (NGF) and forskolin, or by serum deprivation and treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), respectively. On top of ITO electrodes, the neuronal cells extended extremely long processes that terminated in pili-like contact structures, which is typical for growth cone formation. ES cells differentiated into neurons as verified by immunofluorescence staining of MAP-2 and developed synapse-like junctions with the ITO electrode surface as indicated by synaptophysin staining. Differentiated PC12 and ES cells showed bona fide morphological characteristics of synaptic growth cones that were unprecedented in tissue culture. Cones formed by PC12 cells could be stimulated with KCl and carbachol as shown by uptake of FM1-43, a fluorescent marker for synaptic vesicle formation. In contrast to Electrical Cell Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) recordings, AC impedance spectrometry with differentiated PC12 cells settled on interdigitated microelectrode arrays revealed lower AC impedance than that with undifferentiated cells, indicating that the complex impedance is dependent on ion fluxes at the neuron-to-electrode contact surface.

AB - The development of neuron-microelectrode interfaces (neurochips) is highly desirable for the non-invasive recording of the cellular response to neuroactive drugs as well as the electrical stimulation of nervous tissue by implantable electrodes. A prerequisite for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST) is the formation of synapse-like contacts between the neuronal cell and the conductive surface of a microelectrode array. We attempted synapse formation by neuronal differentiation of rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) and blastocyst-derived murine embryonic stem cells (ES-J1) on interdigitated microelectrode arrays that were made of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), or indium tin oxide (ITO). PC12 or ES cells were in vitro differentiated by incubation with nerve growth factor (NGF) and forskolin, or by serum deprivation and treatment with basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), respectively. On top of ITO electrodes, the neuronal cells extended extremely long processes that terminated in pili-like contact structures, which is typical for growth cone formation. ES cells differentiated into neurons as verified by immunofluorescence staining of MAP-2 and developed synapse-like junctions with the ITO electrode surface as indicated by synaptophysin staining. Differentiated PC12 and ES cells showed bona fide morphological characteristics of synaptic growth cones that were unprecedented in tissue culture. Cones formed by PC12 cells could be stimulated with KCl and carbachol as shown by uptake of FM1-43, a fluorescent marker for synaptic vesicle formation. In contrast to Electrical Cell Impedance Spectroscopy (ECIS) recordings, AC impedance spectrometry with differentiated PC12 cells settled on interdigitated microelectrode arrays revealed lower AC impedance than that with undifferentiated cells, indicating that the complex impedance is dependent on ion fluxes at the neuron-to-electrode contact surface.

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Neuronal differentiation and synapse formation of PC12 and embryonic stem cells on interdigitated microelectrode arrays: Contact structures for neuron-to-electrode signal transmission (NEST)

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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