Embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitors transplanted to the hippocampus migrate on host vasculature

•ESNPs migrate on host vasculature long distances from their initial site of deposition.•Initial binding of ESNPs to laminin-coated endothelial cells use the integrin α6β1.•ESNPs migrate towards endothelial cells via CXCL12.

This study describes the migration of transplanted ESNPs either injected directly into the hippocampus of a mouse, seeded onto hippocampal slices, or under in vitro culture conditions. We show that transplanted mouse ESNPs associate with, and appear to migrate on the surface of the vasculature, and that human ESNPs also associate with blood vessels when seeded on hippocampal slices, and migrate towards BECs in vitro using a Boyden chamber assay. This initial adhesion to vessels is mediated, at least in part, via the integrin α6β1, as observed for SVZ neural progenitor cells. Our data are consistent with CXCL12, expressed by the astroglial-vasculature niche, playing an important role in the migration of transplanted neural progenitors within and outside of the hippocampus.