Detection of skeletal metastases in Nigerian breast cancer patients: evaluation of radioisotope bone scan and radiography

Cerebellar granule cells isolated from postnatal day 7 mice, and cultured in minimal medium containing only insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), both survive and differentiate. This differentiation is marked by neurite growth and expression of genes associated with terminal differentiation, the myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) and the alpha 6 subunit of the gamma-aminobutyric acidA receptor (GABAA alpha 6). Percoll gradient purified granule cells maintained without IGF-I, in minimal medium alone or in medium containing the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC), also express MEF2A and GABAA alpha 6. Thus, cultured granule neurons can differentiate to some extent cell-autonomously and IGF-I may not be a critical factor for this process.