Figure 1.

Differentiation of functional motoneurons from human iPSCs. I. Scheme illustrating the major differentiation stages of the protocol for generating motoneurons from iPSCs. II. Immunocytochemical and electrophysiological characterization of hMNs differentiated from hiPSCs. A). Phase micrographs of the iPSC-derived hMNs. B-D). The neurons expressed motoneuron markers Islet1 (B), HB9 (C) and SMI32 (D) as well as the pan-neuronal markers MAP2 or β III Tubulin. E). Patch-clamp recordings from the differentiated neurons at Day 27 demonstrated repetitive firing during current clamp, indicating their excitability. F). Application of glutamate (500 µM) to the patched neurons elicited active firings, confirming their responsiveness to Glutamate.