FIG. 5.

Effects of TnC and TnR coating on hMSCs without NBR induction. (A) The mRNA levels of neuronal markers, MAP2 and NFM; (B) glial cell markers, GFAP and MBP; and (C) the synapse marker, synapsin (SYN) were quantified after 7 days of cultivation on Tn-coated surfaces (20 μg/mL) in hMSCs. Levels were normalized to levels observed in DMEM 10% FBS-only treatment (set to 1.0) (presented as a dotted line). The hMSCs on TCR-coated dishes promoted neuronal and synaptic gene expression; however, they inhibited GFAP gene expression. TnC and TnR individually inhibited neuronal and glial marker gene expression. The data are presented as the mean±SD of one experiment that was derived from three independent experiments. *p<0.05, **p<0.01 (all vs. DMEM 1% FBS). (D) Summary of Tn coating on hMSCs. In neuronal differentiation, TnC triggers SYN expression with NBR treatment. TnR shows promotion for neuronal differentiation with or without NBR, but totally inhibits neurite formation. The combination of TnC and TnR not only promotes neuronal differentiation but also induces SYN expression and neurite outgrowth. Either TnC or TnR alone inhibits astrocyte or oligodendrocyte differentiation when incorporated with NBR. When TnC is combined with TnR, it significantly promotes oligodendrocyte differentiation, although it blocks astrocyte differentiation.