Proliferation and Differentiation of Adult Endogenous Neural Stem Cells in Response to Neurodegenerative Process within the Striatum

Abstract

The ongoing process of neurogenesis in the adult mammalian forebrain suggests the possible capacity for limited self-repair after brain injury. Previously, we have demonstrated that in an animal model of Huntington’s disease the neurodegenerative process initiates immediate intensive cell proliferation and differentiation resulting in characteristic enlargement of the subependymal zone (SEZ) of lateral brain ventricles. Now, our interest is focused on the architecture of the neurogenic niche of the SEZ in the identical model, particularly on characteristic features of astrocyte-like cells which are considered to be not only niche cells but also neural stem cells. Our findings prove higher activation of the lateral part of the SEZ (L-SEZ) adjacent to the degenerated striatum compared with the rostral part of the SEZ (R-SEZ). In the activated L-SEZ, niche cells which ensheathe clusters of neural progenitors are of immature astrocytic phenotype because of nestin and vimentin expression (except the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein). However, the coexpression of all three filaments is not always found. Intermediate filaments also enable us to distinguish the basic shape of astrocytic cells within the SEZ, majority of which resemble protoplasmic rather than fibrillary astrocytes. Furthermore, our results show a wide plasticity of these astrocyte-like cells in immediate response to an extensive pathological process in the brain. These observations are consistent with the fact that adult stem cells undergo different processes in an already mature environment, and therefore can exhibit some specific characteristics unlike the embryonic or fetal neural stem cells.

Morphometric analysis of subcortical structures in progressive supranuclear palsy: In vivo evidence of neostriatal and mesencephalic atrophy

“…Some of these gradients may arise from specific loss of inputs, such as the anterior to posterior pattern, may specifically impact on the nucleus accumbens neurogenic centre (Heimer and van Hoesen, 2006), and have been observed in other neurodegenerative diseases (Douad et al, 2006; Looi et al, 2010; Looi et al, 2011; Madsen et al, 2010; Walterfang et al, 2011). There is neuropathological evidence of selective dendritic degeneration in the medium spiny neurons (MSN) of the head of the caudate in dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) (Zaja-Milatovic et al, 2006) and evidence that neurogenesis occurs in the lateral but not rostral portions of the subventricular zone in animal models of Huntington's disease (Mazurová et al, 2006). The lateral-medial gradient of atrophy we observed in PSP may thus represent an impaired neurogenesis response to disease (Looi et al, 2010) in the subventricular zone (Curtis et al, 2007).…”

4 Tubulin Identifies a Primitive Cell Source for Oligodendrocytes in the Mammalian Brain

“…One consistent observation in the adult CNS is that a variety of perturbations, including focal ischemia, contusion injuries, and demyelination, result in the mobilization of precursor or stem cells from localized origins (Mazurova et al, 2006; Leker, 2006; Iwai et al, 2006; Park et al, 2006; Nait-Oumesmar et al, 2007). When βT4 cell densities are increased in SVZs bordering MS lesions, they often appear as doublets or in clusters, suggesting proliferation and symmetrical division of βT4 cells.…”

Description of distributed features of the nestin‐containing cells in brains of adult mice: A potential source of neural precursor cells

“…Immunohistochemical technology confirmed that nestin dying in all NPCs showed a positive result. At present, nestin protein is generally used as a reliable biological marker of NPCs of CNS, to distinguish the ''ripe'' neural cells from NPCs in vitro and vivo (Lendahl, 1997;Yaworsky and Kappen, 1999;Aoki et al, 2000;Mitsuhashi et al, 2001;Englund et al, 2002;Schwartz et al, 2003;Takahashi et al, 2003;Pau and Wolf, 2004;Fujiwara et al, 2004;Wiese et al, 2004;Mazurová et al, 2006). However, nestin expression has also been reported outside of CNS, such as in the developing myotome (Zimmerman et al, 1994), skeletal muscle precursors (Lendahl et al, 1990;Zimmerman et al, 1994), mesenchymal pancreatic cells (Selander and Edlund, 2002), intestine (Rauch et al, 2006), and cranial ganglia (Elshamy and Ernfors, 1996).…”