aDRG NSCs also expressed RNA binding protein Hu, but only a few were GFAP/RFP+ (Fig. 6G–I). Table 3 shows a summary of in vivo results. In examining sensory differentiation, we found a population of sensory neurons expressed pNF200, colocalized with RFP+ aDRG NSCs (Fig. 6J–L) in the dorsal columns rostral and caudal to injury. The pNF200/RFP+ aDRG NSCs accounted for 10% of RFP+ cells per section. A second population of aDRG NSCs expressed TrpV1 (Fig. 6M–O) in the dorsal columns and gray matter of the dorsal horn predominantly rostral to the injury site. One fourth of the RFP+ cells were TrpV1/RFP+ cells. The boxed area in Figure 6M, shown in detail in figure 6N, shows TrpV1 immunostaining of differentiated aDRG NSCs, indicating differentiation into capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurons.
