Nestin- and Doublecortin-Positive Cells Reside in Adult Spinal Cord Meninges and Participate in Injury-Induced Parenchymal Reaction

Abstract

Adult spinal cord has little regenerative potential, thus limiting patient recovery following injury. In this study, we describe a new population of cells resident in the adult rat spinal cord meninges that express the neural stem/precursor markers nestin and doublecortin. Furthermore, from dissociated meningeal tissue a neural stem cell population was cultured in vitro and subsequently shown to differentiate into functional neurons or mature oligodendrocytes. Proliferation rate and number of nestin- and doublecortin-positive cells increased in vivo in meninges following spinal cord injury. By using a lentivirus-labeling approach, we show that meningeal cells, including nestin- and doublecortin-positive cells, migrate in the spinal cord parenchyma and contribute to the glial scar formation. Our data emphasize the multiple roles of meninges in the reaction of the parenchyma to trauma and indicate for the first time that spinal cord meninges are potential niches harboring stem/precursor cells that can be activated by injury. Meninges may be considered as a new source of adult stem/precursor cells to be further tested for use in regenerative medicine applied to neurological disorders, including repair from spinal cord injury. Stem Cells 2011;29:2062–2076.

Stem Cell Therapy: A Promising Therapeutic Approach for Multiple Sclerosis

“…Our previous study also showed that progenitor cells in the third ventricle surroundings could be reactivated by local demyelination in the optic chiasm (128,171). Also nestin and DCX-positive cells have been found in the meninges of the brain and spinal cord (138,173). We concluded that there are widespread sources of stem cells in the CNS that can be activated in different pathological situations, especially in MS.…”

Exploring the Recent Advances in Stem Cell Research

“…High concentrations of stem cells are required for the tissue repair technology, such as reconstructed skin. For this purpose, stem cells can be cultured in media [53]. Stem cell therapy holds a great promise for the repair of injured organs, including kidney [54].…”

Leptomeninges: a novel stem cell niche with neurogenic potential

“…O f n o t e , u s i n g s i n g l e -c e l l transcriptomics, they also showed that leptomeningeal PDGFRβ + cells generate various types of clusters that exhibited features of pericytic/fibroblastic, endothelial, and microglial lineages in addition to radial glia-like lineages. However, we recently showed that PDGFRβ + pericytes isolated from post-stroke areas, including the leptomeninges, exhibited multipotent stem cell activity and that they give rise to not only neural (e.g., neurons) but also vascular lineages (e.g., endothelial cells and microglia) (11,12 (5,6,19,20). Thus, the leptomeninges should become a new target for treating CNS developmental disorders and diseases.…”