Directing neural stem cell fate with biomaterial parameters for injured brain regeneration

The discovery of neural stem cells (NSCs), which have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into all types of neural lineages, offers promising prospect for the treatment of brain neurological disorders such as stroke/cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders. However, only limited number of NSCs could survive or propagate due to tissue inflammation or blood-brain barrier. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an appropriate culture system that highly mimics the natural NSCs niche to direct stem cell fate and behavior for nerve regeneration. Both biophysical and biochemical properties of the NSC niche, including topology, mechanical properties, bioactive molecules, and their spatial and temporal presentations should be considered for the design of functionalized scaffolds, which could not only serve as the delivery vehicles of NSCs but also stimulate specific cellular responses at the molecular level, such as support endogenous or exogenous cells proliferation, migration and homing, even promote the growth of axon at the injured brain site. This review attempts to outline the varieties of biomaterial     

Cell fusion-independent differentiation of neural stem cells to the endothelial lineage

Somatic stem cells have been claimed to possess an unexpectedly broad differentiation potential (referred to here as plasticity) that could be induced by exposing stem cells to the extracellular developmental signals of other lineages in mixed-cell cultures. Recently, this and other experimental evidence supporting the existence of stem-cell plasticity have been refuted because stem cells have been shown to adopt the functional features of other lineages by means of cell-fusion-mediated acquisition of lineage-specific determinants (chromosomal DNA) rather than by signal-mediated differentiation. In this study we co-cultured mouse neural stem cells (NSCs), which are committed to become neurons and glial cells, with human endothelial cells, which form the lining of blood vessels. We show that in the presence of endothelial cells six per cent of the NSC population converted to cells that did not express neuronal or glial markers, but instead showed the stable expression of multiple endothelial markers and the capacity to form capillary networks. This was surprising because NSCs and endothelial cells are believed to develop from the ectoderm and mesoderm, respectively. Experiments in which endothelial cells were killed by fixation before co-culture with live NSCs (to prevent cell fusion) and karyotyping analyses, revealed that NSCs had differentiated into endothelial-like cells independently of cell fusion. We conclude that stem-cell plasticity is a true characteristic of NSCs and that the conversion of NSCs to unanticipated cell types can be accomplished without cell fusion.     

GDNF提高端粒酶活性并且促进神经干细胞生长和分裂

对于多种神经细胞，胶质细胞源性神经营养因子（GDNF）具有维持生长、存活、促进分化和成熟的作用，初次在神经干细胞中发现了GDNF的这一营养效应，但这种作用并不对神经干细胞的分化方向产生影响，进而通过测定神经干细胞的端粒酶活性和端粒酶活性的抑制实验，表明端粒酶活性的增高与GDNF对神经干细胞生长和分裂的促进作用有关，因此完善了GDNF在神经细胞中的信号传导和功能实现途径的理解。     

Differential Notch signalling distinguishes neural stem cells from intermediate progenitors

During brain development, neurons and glia are generated from a germinal zone containing both neural stem cells (NSCs) and more limited intermediate neural progenitors (INPs). The signalling events that distinguish between these two proliferative neural cell types remain poorly understood. The Notch signalling pathway is known to maintain NSC character and to inhibit neurogenesis, although little is known about the role of Notch signalling in INPs. Here we show that both NSCs and INPs respond to Notch receptor activation, but that NSCs signal through the canonical Notch effector C-promoter binding factor 1 (CBF1), whereas INPs have attenuated CBF1 signalling. Furthermore, whereas knockdown of CBF1 promotes the conversion of NSCs to INPs, activation of CBF1 is insufficient to convert INPs back to NSCs. Using both transgenic and transient in vivo reporter assays we show that NSCs and INPs coexist in the telencephalic ventricular zone and that they can be prospectively separated on the basis of CBF1 activity. Furthermore, using in vivo transplantation we show that whereas NSCs generate neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes at similar frequencies, INPs are predominantly neurogenic. Together with previous work on haematopoietic stem cells, this study suggests that the use or blockade of the CBF1 cascade downstream of Notch is a general feature distinguishing stem cells from more limited progenitors in a variety of tissues.     

神经干细胞及其临床应用潜能

近年来神经干细胞已在成年哺乳动物中的中枢神经系统中分离成功。神经干细胞的最基本特征是具有分化为神经元、星状胶质细胞和少突胶质细胞的潜能，具有自我更新能力，并足以维持整个大脑所需。神经干细胞在修复受伤神经组织及治疗神经系统退行性疾病，如帕金森病、阿尔茨海默病、和亨庭顿病等方面有很好的应用前景。但在达到临床实际应用之前仍有一系列问题需要解决，最首要的是搞清神经干细胞的分化机制。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> induced dopaminergic differentiation of expanded rat mesencephalic neural stem cell

Recent progress in stem cell biology and recognition of the unique biological properties of stem cell have made it possible to treat the neurodegenerative diseases includ- ing Parkinson抯 disease (PD) by the approach of cell-re- placement and nutritional support with NSCs. Tissue re-construction based on the stem cells endowed us some unpredicted application and market opportunities. Studies in a variety of systems have highlighted perfect prospects for the application of stem cells in the t…     

马钱子苷对神经干细胞的增殖、存活和分化的调节作用

为探讨不同浓度的马钱子苷对神经干细胞的增殖、存活和分化的调节作用及其相关分子机制，本实验从成年小鼠大脑中分离培养了神经干细胞，用不同浓度的马钱子苷进行干预，观察马钱子苷对神经干细胞增殖、存活和分化的影响。结果显示：成年小鼠神经干细胞在含有中、高浓度马钱子苷的增殖培养基中培养5 d和7 d后，神经球数量和直径与对照相比显著增加（P<0.05）；中、高剂量的马钱子苷能够促进神经干细胞的有丝分裂，低剂量马钱子苷处理显著促进神经干细胞发生分化（P<0.01），并增加神经元和星形胶质细胞的数量及比例（P<0.01）；中、高剂量马钱子苷抑制神经干细胞分化（P<0.05），高剂量的马钱子苷使得神经元的数量减少（P<0.05）。研究结果表明，高浓度的马钱子苷能够促进神经干细胞存活，并通过促进神经干细胞有丝分裂来提高其增殖能力；低浓度的马钱子苷促进神经干细胞分化，有利于神经再生和少突胶质细胞再生。研究结果为神经干细胞治疗中枢神经系统疾病的研究奠定了理论和实验基础。     

神经干细胞的诱导分化

目的：探讨神经干细胞（NSCs）的诱导分化机制。方法：本文就Nscs的来源、分布、诱导分化的调控机制和因素以及其应用前景作一综述。结果：神经干细胞可从鼠、人的胚胎和成年中枢神经系统（CNS）成功分离并培养，具有自我更新和多分化潜能，经体外诱导或植入体内后均能分化为成熟神经元和神经胶质细胞。结论：神经干细胞的发现和研究的深入为神经发育研究及中枢神经功能重建提供了新的思路。     

Adult neural stem cells-Functional potential and therapeutic applications

The adult brain has been thought traditionally as a structure with a very limited regenerative capacity. It is now evident that neurogenesis in adult mammalian brain is a prevailing phenomenon. Neural stem cells with the ability to self-renew, differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes reside in some regions of the adult brain. Adult neurogenesis can be stimulated by many physiological factors including pregnancy. More strikingly, newborn neurons in hippocampus integrally function with local neurons, thus neural stem cells might play important roles in memory and learning function. It seems that neural stem cells could transdifferentiate into other tissues, such as blood cells and muscles. Although there are some impediments in this field, some attempts have been made to employ adult neural stem cells in the cell replacement therapy for traumatic and ischemic brain injuries.     

Changing potency by spontaneous fusion

Recent reports have suggested that mammalian stem cells residing in one tissue may have the capacity to produce differentiated cell types for other tissues and organs 1-9. Here we define a mechanism by which progenitor cells of the central nervous system can give rise to non-neural derivatives. Cells taken from mouse brain were co-cultured with pluripotent embryonic stem cells. Following selection for a transgenic marker carried only by the brain cells, undifferentiated stem cells are recovered in which the brain cell genome has undergone epigenetic reprogramming. However, these cells also carry a transgenic marker and chromosomes derived from the embryonic stem cells. Therefore the altered phenotype does not arise by direct conversion of brain to embryonic stem cell but rather through spontaneous generation of hybrid cells. The tetraploid hybrids exhibit full pluripotent character, including multilineage contribution to chimaeras. We propose that transdetermination consequent to cell fusion 10 could underlie many observations otherwise attributed to an intrinsic plasticity of tissue stem cells 9.     

A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour

Neurogenesis persists in the adult brain and can be regulated by a plethora of external stimuli, such as learning, memory, exercise, environment and stress. Although newly generated neurons are able to migrate and preferentially incorporate into the neural network, how these cells are molecularly regulated and whether they are required for any normal brain function are unresolved questions. The adult neural stem cell pool is composed of orphan nuclear receptor TLX-positive cells. Here, using genetic approaches in mice, we demonstrate that TLX (also called NR2E1) regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner by controlling a defined genetic network implicated in cell proliferation and growth. Consequently, specific removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain through inducible recombination results in a significant reduction of stem cell proliferation and a marked decrement in spatial learning. In contrast, the resulting suppression of adult neurogenesis does not affect contextual fear conditioning, locomotion or diurnal rhythmic activities, indicating a more selective contribution of newly generated neurons to specific cognitive functions.     

Unique astrocyte ribbon in adult human brain contains neural stem cells but lacks chain migration

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a principal source of adult neural stem cells in the rodent brain, generating thousands of olfactory bulb neurons every day. If the adult human brain contains a comparable germinal region, this could have considerable implications for future neuroregenerative therapy. Stem cells have been isolated from the human brain, but the identity, organization and function of adult neural stem cells in the human SVZ are unknown. Here we describe a ribbon of SVZ astrocytes lining the lateral ventricles of the adult human brain that proliferate in vivo and behave as multipotent progenitor cells in vitro. This astrocytic ribbon has not been observed in other vertebrates studied. Unexpectedly, we find no evidence of chains of migrating neuroblasts in the SVZ or in the pathway to the olfactory bulb. Our work identifies SVZ astrocytes as neural stem cells in a niche of unique organization in the adult human brain.     

In vivo analysis of quiescent adult neural stem cells responding to Sonic hedgehog

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) has been implicated in the ongoing neurogenesis in postnatal rodent brains. Here we adopted an in vivo genetic fate-mapping strategy, using Gli1 (GLI-Kruppel family member) as a sensitive readout of Shh activity, to systematically mark and follow the fate of Shh-responding cells in the adult mouse forebrain. We show that initially, only a small population of cells (including both quiescent neural stem cells and transit-amplifying cells) responds to Shh in regions undergoing neurogenesis. This population subsequently expands markedly to continuously provide new neurons in the forebrain. Our study of the behaviour of quiescent neural stem cells provides in vivo evidence that they can self-renew for over a year and generate multiple cell types. Furthermore, we show that the neural stem cell niches in the subventricular zone and dentate gyrus are established sequentially and not until late embryonic stages.     

Neural Stem Cell Affinity of Chitosan and Feasibility of ChitosanBased Porous Conduits as Scaffolds for Nerve Tissue Engineering

Introduction Neural stem cells (NSCs) are known to have both self- proliferation potential and multiple differentiation po- tential[1]. Previous studies have shown that NSCs can differentiate into various cell types such as neurons, as- trocytes, oligoden…     

新生小鼠神经干细胞的分离、培养和鉴定

目的：探讨新生小鼠神经干细胞(NSCs)分离、培养以及鉴定的方法。方法：分离新生昆明种小鼠(出生24h内)的大脑组织,经胰酶消化加机械吹打后,利用无血清培养基悬浮培养细胞,获得具有自我增殖能力的细胞克隆,并将细胞克隆贴壁培养测其分化能力。应用抗Ncstin、Musashi、SSEA-1、NSE免疫细胞化学方法及BrdU标记方法鉴定细胞克隆。结果：从新生昆明种小鼠大脑组织分离的细胞悬液,经悬浮培养,生成大量具有增殖能力的细胞,可形成神经球(neurosphercs),抗Nestin、Musashi、SSEA-1阳性,BrdU标记也呈阳性。细胞克隆贴壁培养后神经球分化为神经细胞,抗NSE阳性。结论：上述方法分离的细胞具有自我更新、自我复制及分化为神经细胞的能力,属于中枢神经系统干细胞。     

Injection of adult neurospheres induces recovery in a chronic model of multiple sclerosis

Widespread demyelination and axonal loss are the pathological hallmarks of multiple sclerosis. The multifocal nature of this chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system complicates cellular therapy and puts emphasis on both the donor cell origin and the route of cell transplantation. We established syngenic adult neural stem cell cultures and injected them into an animal model of multiple sclerosis--experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the mouse--either intravenously or intracerebroventricularly. In both cases, significant numbers of donor cells entered into demyelinating areas of the central nervous system and differentiated into mature brain cells. Within these areas, oligodendrocyte progenitors markedly increased, with many of them being of donor origin and actively remyelinating axons. Furthermore, a significant reduction of astrogliosis and a marked decrease in the extent of demyelination and axonal loss were observed in transplanted animals. The functional impairment caused by EAE was almost abolished in transplanted mice, both clinically and neurophysiologically. Thus, adult neural precursor cells promote multifocal remyelination and functional recovery after intravenous or intrathecal injection in a chronic model of multiple sclerosis.     

人骨髓间充质干细胞对小鼠神经干细胞增殖与分化培养的影响

通过在体外培养、鉴定人的骨髓间充质干细胞与小鼠神经干细胞,用骨髓间充质干细胞条件培养基分别在增殖与分化条件下对神经干细胞进行培养.发现,间充质干细胞条件培养基在增殖条件下能加快神经球内神经干细胞的迁移,使神经球解聚,对神经干细胞增殖没有影响;而间充质干细胞条件培养基在分化条件下,能增加神经干细胞向少突胶质细胞分化的能力,降低向星型胶质细胞的分化能力,对向神经元分化能力没有影响,间充质干细胞可能是通过促进神经干细胞迁移、分化而加快神经损伤的修复的.