Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 7, 1-9, Copyright © 1987 by Society for Neuroscience
Selective growth of rat Schwann cells in neuron- and serum-free primary culture
LK Needham, GI Tennekoon and GM McKhann
A serum-free medium, designated S4 [consisting of Eagle's Minimum Essential
Medium supplemented with the following components (mg/liter): endothelial
mitogen, 100; vitamin C, 1; insulin, 5; cholera toxin, 0.01; putrescine, 8;
sodium selenite, 0.0043; MgCl2 X 6H2O, 40; and albumin, fatty acids, amino
acids, vitamins, and trace elements], has been established to select for
the growth of Schwann cells from primary cultures of dissociated neonatal
rat sciatic nerve in the absence of neurons and without exposure of the
cells to serum or antimitotic agents. By immunological criteria, confluent
primary cultures, grown on a substrate of extracellular matrix derived from
cultured bovine aorta endothelial cells, consist of approximately 90%
Schwann cells after maintenance in this serum-free medium. Secondary
cultures of at least 99% purity may be established after treatment of
primary cultures maintained in S4 with antiserum against a fibroblast
surface antigen, Thy 1.1, in conjunction with complement. Such secondary
Schwann cells continue to proliferate in S4, with no decrease in purity,
through at least 4 passages.