Browsing by Author "Shoko, Aubrey Themba"

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    The OP27 cell line as a model system to study the effects of FGF-2 in olfactory neuronal development
    (2004) Shoko, Aubrey Themba
    Due to its unique capacity to regenerate continously, the olfactory neuroepithelium serves as an excellent model system for investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in neurogenesis. The OP27 cell line (generated by infecting embryonic mouse olfactory placodes with a retrovirus carrying the temperature-sensitive alleles of the SV 40 large T antigen) was used as an in vitro system to test the effects of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) in directing olfactory neurogenesis. The OP27 cells proliferate under the control of the retrovirus at the permissive temperature (33°C). When shifted to the non-permissive temperature (39°C) the SV40 large T antigen is inactivated and the cells stop dividing, thereby allowing one to study the effects of growth factors on these cells. Although FGF-2 also plays an important role in regulating the proliferation of neural progenitors, the main focus in this study was its effect on neuronal differentiation.