MULTIPOTENT CNS STEM-CELLS ARE PRESENT IN THE ADULT MAMMALIAN SPINAL-CORD AND VENTRICULAR NEUROAXIS

Citation
S. Weiss et al., MULTIPOTENT CNS STEM-CELLS ARE PRESENT IN THE ADULT MAMMALIAN SPINAL-CORD AND VENTRICULAR NEUROAXIS, The Journal of neuroscience, 16(23), 1996, pp. 7599-7609
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
02706474
Volume
16
Issue
23
Year of publication
1996
Pages
7599 - 7609
Database
ISI
SICI code
0270-6474(1996)16:23<7599:MCSAPI>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
Neural stem cells in the lateral ventricles of the adult mouse CNS par ticipate in repopulation of forebrain structures in vivo and are amena ble to in vitro expansion by epidermal growth factor (EGF). There have been no reports of stem cells in more caudal brain regions or in the spinal cord of adult mammals. In this study we found that although ine ffective alone, EGF and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) cooperat ed to induce the proliferation, self-renewal, and expansion of neural stem cells isolated from the adult mouse thoracic spinal cord. The pro liferating stem cells, in both primary culture and secondary expanded clones, formed spheres of undifferentiated cells that were induced to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes Neural st em cells, whose proliferation was dependenton EGF+bFGF, were also isol ated from the lumbar/sacral segment of the spinal cord as well as the third and fourth ventricles (but not adjacent brain parenchyma). Altho ugh all of the stem cells examined were similarly multipotent and expa ndable, quantitative analyses demonstrated that the lateral ventricles (EGF-dependent) and lumbar/sacral spinal cord (EGF+bFGF-dependent) yi elded the greatest number of these cells. Thus, the spinal cord and th e entire ventricular neuroaxis of the adult mammalian CNS contain mult ipotent stem cells, present at variable frequency and with unique in v itro activation requirements.