We developed a protocol to culture and expand primary cells from human and non-human primate adult brain biopsies. Our pilot single-cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing data revealed that the identity of these cells is similar to central nervous system (CNS) fibroblasts. The aim of this study was to characterize this cell culture with immunohistochemical and molecular biology methods.
The primary expanded cells isolated from human as well as non-humane primate brains co- expressed markers specific for CNS fibroblasts: type-I collagen, fibronectin (FN 1), platelet derived growth factor a (PDGFRA), platelet derived growth factor b (PDGFRB), nestin (NES) and insulin like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP2). The protein expression levels correlated with mRNA expression. Taken together our cell culture protocol is highly reproducible and robust, allowing us to produce CNS fibroblasts from adult primate brain. This will allow us to study their role in physiology and pathophysiology in vitro. In addition, expanded CNS fibroblasts might represent an alternative to mesenchymal stem cells for autologous cell therapies.