Neuronal and glial cells organizing the central nervous system (CNS) are generated from common neural precursor cells (NPCs) during neural development. However, the expression of cell-surface glycoconjugates that are crucial for determining the properties and biological function of these cells at different stages of development has not been clearly defined. In this study, we investigated the expression of several stagespecific glycoconjugate antigens, including several b-series gangliosides GD3, 9-O-acetyl GD3, GT1b and GQ1b, stagespecific embryonic antigen-1 (SSEA-1) and HNK-1, in mouse embryonic NPCs employing immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. In addition, several of these antigens were positively identified by chemical means for the first time. We further showed that the SSEA-1 immunoreactivity was contributed by both glycoprotein and glycolipid antigens, and that of HNK-1 was contributed only by glycoproteins. Functionally, SSEA-1 may participate in migration of the cells from neurospheres in an NPC cell culture system, and the effect could be repressed by anti-SSEA-1 antibody. Based on this observation, we identified b1 integrin as one of the SSEA-1 carrier glycoproteins. Our data thus provide insights into the functional role of certain glycoconjugate antigens in NPCs during neural development. The mammalian central nervous system (CNS) is organized by a variety of cells such as neurons, glial cells (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes), microglias and ependymal cells. Developmentally, these cells are generated from a common progenitor cell type, the neural stem cell (NSC). NSCs are undifferentiated neural cells that are characterized by their high proliferative potential while retaining the capacity for self-renewal and multipotency, and they are capable of differentiating into neuronal and glial cells (Temple 1989;Weiss et al. 1996;McKay 1997;Temple and Alvarez-Buylla 1999;Gage 2000;Okano 2002). NSCs appear during neural plate formation and contribute to the major cell types of early neuroectoderms and the neural tube. As development proceeds, NSCs become progressively less abundant and more restricted neural precursor cells (NPCs) emerge. In adult brain, NSCs are located primarily in two regions: the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular layer of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus (Doetsch et al. 1999;Seri et al. 2001). NSCs/NPCs have been shown to provide a cellular reservoir for the formation of the CNS and replacement of cells lost during normal cell turnover. The fate of NSCs/NPCs, such as proliferation, differentiation, survival and death, is regulated by multiple intrinsic