BACKGROUND: The characterisation of dividing brain cells is fundamental for studies ranging from developmental and stem cell biology, to brain cancers. Whilst there is extensive anatomical data on these dividing cells, limited gene transcription data is available due to technical constraints. NEW METHOD: We focally isolated dividing cells whilst conserving RNA, from culture, primary neural tissue and xenografted glioma tumours, using a thymidine analogue that enables gene transcription analysis. RESULTS: 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine labels the replicating DNA of dividing cells. Once labelled, cultured cells and tissues were dissociated, fluorescently tagged with a revised click chemistry technique and the dividing cells isolated using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting. RNA was extracted and analysed using real time PCR. Proliferation and maturation related gene expression in neurogenic tissues was demonstrated in acutely and 3 day old labelled cells, respectively. An elevated expression of marker and pathway genes was demonstrated in the dividing cells of xenografted brain tumours, with the non-dividing cells showing relatively low levels of expression. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: BrdU "immune-labelling", the most frequently used protocol for detecting cell proliferation, causes complete denaturation of RNA, precluding gene transcription analysis. This EdU labelling technique, maintained cell integrity during dissociation, minimized copper exposure during labelling and used a cell isolation protocol that avoided cell lysis, thus conserving RNA. CONCLUSIONS: The technique conserves RNA, enabling the definition of cell proliferation-related changes in gene transcription of neural and pathological brain cells in cells harvested immediately after division, or following a period of maturation.

• MeSH
• analýza jednotlivých buněk metody   MeSH
• čichová sliznice fyziologie   MeSH
• click chemie MeSH
• deoxyuridin analogy a deriváty   MeSH
• embryonální kmenové buňky fyziologie   MeSH
• gliom patofyziologie   MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mozek * fyziologie   patofyziologie   MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši inbrední NOD MeSH
• myši SCID MeSH
• nádory mozku * patofyziologie   MeSH
• nervové kmenové buňky fyziologie   MeSH
• neurogeneze * fyziologie   MeSH
• neurony * fyziologie   MeSH
• RNA metabolismus   MeSH
• stanovení celkové genové exprese metody   MeSH
• transplantace nádorů MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH