Relationship between differentiation and terminal mitosis: chick sensory and ciliary neurons differentiate after terminal mitosis of precursor cells, whereas sympathetic neurons continue to divide after differentiation.

A population of undifferentiated cells has been characterized during the early development of nodose and ciliary ganglia. This population is defined by the absence of surface markers specific for neurons (tetanus toxin receptor, Q211 antigen) and for glial cells (O4 antigen). These undifferentiated cell populations were isolated from the ganglia and were shown to contain neuronal precursor cells that were able to differentiate in vitro into neurons, as characterized by morphology and surface antigens. Undifferentiated cells were detected during the period of neuronal birth, indicating that dividing neuronal precursor cells do not express neuron-specific surface markers. This was directly shown by 3H-thymidine-labeling studies using nodose ganglia, ciliary ganglia, and dorsal root ganglia. In sympathetic ganglia, however, no undifferentiated neuronal precursor cells were detectable at developmental stages when sympathetic neurons are born. 3H-Thymidine injected during that stage at E7 was incorporated into cells expressing the neuronal markers tetanus toxin receptor and Q211 antigen. Quantitative fluorimetric determination of the DNA content of dissociated sympathetic ganglion cells demonstrated the presence of a population of Q211-positive sympathetic ganglion cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. E7 sympathetic ganglion cells expressing neuronal surface markers were also shown to be able to divide in vitro. We have concluded that the relationship between terminal mitosis and the onset of differentiation differs between ganglia of the chick peripheral nervous system: Sympathetic ganglion cells continue to divide after the acquisition of neuronal properties, whereas neuronal precursor cells from other autonomic and sensory ganglia start to differentiate after a terminal mitosis.