Substrate Dependent Galvanotaxis of Directly Reprogrammed Human Neural Precursor Cells

Adult neural precursor cells (NPC) show great promise for the repair of central nervous system tissue following injury or disease, however, their activation is not sufficient for neurorepair. Enhancing NPC mediated repair is a goal of regenerative medicine. Here, we examined the electric field (EF) induced migration of a clinically relevant human NPC population and the role of the extracellular matrix. Human NPCs were found to migrate in a substrate dependent manner, where the direction of migration differed according to substrate. We explored the responsiveness of EF induced human NPC migration to extracellular matrix (ECM) components, secreted factors of neighboring cells, extracellular pH, and substrate stiffness. Interestingly we found human NPCs migrate anodally on softer substrates (matrigel/cell monolayer) and cathodally on stiffer substrates(fibronectin). This study aims to provide a better understanding of human NPC migration to direct future in vivo studies focused on enhancing NPC migration to promote neural repair.M.H.Sc