The present invention relates to an enriched or purified population of dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells and an enriched or purified population of dopaminergic neurons. These enriched or purified populations are derived from a population of embryonic stem cells by inducing production of dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells. A promoter or enhancer which functions only in dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells is selected and a nucleic acid molecule encoding a marker protein under control of said promoter or enhancer is introduced into the induced population of embryonic stem cells. The dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells are allowed to express the marker protein, and the cells expressing the marker protein are separated from the induced population of embryonic stem cells. As a result, an enriched or purified population of dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells is isolated. Alternatively, the nucleic acid molecule encoding the marker protein under control of the promoter or enhancer is introduced into the population of human embryonic stem cells followed by induction of the population of embryonic stem cells.
Induction and high-yield preparative purification of mesencephalic dopaminergic neuronal progenitor cells and dopaminergic neurons from human embryonic stem cells