Ischemia/hypoxia (I/H) causes severe perinatal brain disorders such as cerebral palsy. The neonatal brain possesses much plasticity, and to enhance new cell production would be an innovative means of therapy for such disorders. In order to elucidate the dynamic changes of neural progenitor cells in the neonatal brain after ischemia, ...

The birth and differentiation of neurons have been extensively studied in the olfactory epithelium (OE) of rodents but not in humans. The goal of this study was to characterize cellular composition and molecular expression of human OE in vivo and in vitro. In rodent OE, there are horizontal basal cells ...

The cellular diversity of neurons located in the marginal zone (MZ) of the cortex has a crucial role in cortical development. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in how these different neuronal cell types are specified. Here, we show that in the MZ, the nuclear receptor COUP-TFI ...

Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has been shown to be a potent regulator of retinal cell differentiation. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of CNTF on in vitro differentiation of expanded late retinal progenitor cells. Retinal progenitor cells used in these studies were isolated from the neural retina ...

Recent evidence has shown that cell proliferation in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus occurs in tight clusters located near the vasculature. Also, changes in neurogenesis often appear parallel to changes in angiogenesis. Moreover, both these processes share similar modulating factors, like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor Flk-1. ...

We previously showed that deletion of the cell surface molecule mCD24 resulted in an increased proliferation in adult subventricular zone (SVZ). Here, we report an increased PSA-NCAM+/TuJ1- population in the mCD24-/- in vivo SVZ as well as in vitro neurospheres. Isolated in vitro, these cells were able to generate neurospheres. ...

Primary neural cells derived from human xenografts migrate extensively following transplantation into the adult rat CNS. However, it is unknown whether cells from allografts have the same capability to migrate within the adult rat brain. Moreover, it is unclear whether human-derived cells migrate to this extent as an inherent property ...

Terminally differentiated, mature neurons are essential cells that are not easily regenerated. Neurotropic viruses, such as Sindbis virus (SV), cause encephalomyelitis through their ability to replicate in neurons. SV causes the death of immature neurons, while mature neurons can often survive infection. The lack of a reproducible and convenient neuronal ...

GADD34, a stress response protein associated with cell rescue, DNA repair and apoptosis, is expressed in the ischaemic brain. The C-terminal region of GADD34 has homology with the Herpes Simplex Virus protein, ICP34.5, which overcomes the protein synthesis block after viral infection by actively dephosphorylating eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2alpha ...

We analyzed motile behavior of neuronal precursor cells in the intact olfactory bulbs (OBs) using transgenic mice expressing GFP under the control of T alpha 1 tubulin promoter. In the olfactory bulbs at the embryonic days 12.5-14.5, a large number of immature neurons expressed GFP in this transgenic line. Embryonic ...

Neurogenesis after brain injury not only leads to the replacement of damaged cells but might also contribute to functional recovery, suggesting the possibility of endogenous neural repair. We investigated the extent of hippocampal neural regeneration in a rat model of hypoglycemia. Two weeks after 30 min of insulin-induced isoelectric electroencephalogram, ...

Impaired tau catabolism may contribute to tau accumulation and aggregation in Alzheimer's disease and neurofibrillary tangle formation. This study examined the effects of proteasome and calpain inhibition on tau levels and turnover in primary rat hippocampal neurons and differentiated SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Administration of proteasome (MG-115, lactacystin) or calpain ...

Cells with radial morphology in the developing brain were first identified more than 100 years ago. These cells, later termed radial glia, have been studied primarily as migratory scaffolds and glial progenitors. However, it has become increasingly clear, on the basis of in vitro studies and more recent in vivo ...

Cell therapy is a rapidly moving field with new cells, cell lines, and tissue-engineered constructs being developed globally. As these novel cells are further developed for transplantation studies, it is important to understand their safety profiles both prior to and posttransplantation in animals and humans. Embryonic carcinoma-derived cells are considered ...

BACKGROUND: Replacement of neurons and glia by transplantation has been proposed as a therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This strategy requires using human motor neuronal progenitor cells or xenografts of animal cells, but there is little evidence that xenografted neuronal cells can survive in spinal cord despite ...

Developmental structuring of brain is the result of a strictly coordinated process that involves controlled cell division, neuronal migration and terminal differentiation. Neurogenesis occurs generally during embryonic and early postnatal stages and will be finished in the mature brain. Once differentiated, neurons are incapable of further division but retain the ...

The transplantation of a variety of naturally occurring and genetically modified cell types has been shown to be an effective experimental method to achieve sustained delivery of therapeutic molecules to specific target areas in the brain. To acquire a better understanding of dosing, implant mechanism of action, and how certain ...

ONO-1714 is a newly developed specific inhibitor for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). We have shown that ONO-1714 has some neuroprotective effects. In this report, we investigated the effects of ONO-1714 in injured spinal cords, and analyzed the expression of glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) after injury. Male Sprague-Dawley rats ...

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells are the most versatile cells, with the potential to differentiate into all types of cell lineages including neural precursor cells (NPCs), which can be expanded in large numbers for significant periods of time to provide a reliable cell source for transplantation in neurodegenerative disorders such ...

Ependymal cells on the walls of brain ventricles play essential roles in the transport of CSF and in brain homeostasis. It has been suggested that ependymal cells also function as stem cells. However, the proliferative capacity of mature ependymal cells remains controversial, and the developmental origin of these cells is ...

Studies of central neurones and other cellular components of the brain, such as glial and vascular cells, can be greatly advanced by the use of the modern optical techniques such as confocal live cell imaging. Fluorescent proteins have allowed imaging of particular cell types or intracellular elements to be visualised ...

Neural stem cells (NSC) have been shown to migrate towards damaged areas, produce trophic factors, and replace lost cells in ways that might be therapeutic for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there is very little information on the effects of NSC on endogenous cell populations. In the current study, effects of ...

Persistent neuron production in the adult CNS (adult neurogenesis) has been implicated in various brain functions such as learning/memory and mood control. Despite the widespread occurrence of neural stem/progenitor cells, active adult neurogenesis has been established only in two restricted regions. We explored in this study a previously overlooked neurogenic ...

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of midbrain dopaminergic (DA) neurons. ES cells are currently the most promising donor cell source for cell-replacement therapy in PD. We previously described a strong neuralizing activity present on the surface of stromal cells, named stromal cell-derived inducing activity (SDIA). ...

In this experiment, the bone marrow stroma cells (BMSCs) were harvested and then cultured in "neural stem cells (NSCs) medium" which was modulated by our lab with P. R. of China patent number as ZL 02134314.4 in vitro. The proliferation of NSCs was confirmed by formation of cell's clones and ...

Recent studies have demonstrated increased neurogenesis in adult hippocampus in response to electroconvulsive seizure (ECS) or antidepressant drug treatment. Adult neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone is well established, whereas neuronal proliferation outside of these areas under unstimulated conditions is not observed. Since mood ...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common dementing illness and is pathologically characterized by deposition of the 40-42 amino acid peptide, amyloid-beta (Abeta), as senile plaques. It is well documented that brain inflammatory mechanisms mediated by reactive glia are activated in response to Abeta plaques. A number of reports further ...

Glial cells interact with neurons and play important roles in the development, differentiation, maintenance and repair of the nervous system. Human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) became dramatically resistant to neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), when co-cultured with mouse astrocytes. In order to further delineate the molecular mechanism involved in the neuroprotection in this ...

PURPOSE: Stem cells represent an attractive source for cell replacement therapy in neurological disorders due to their self-renewal and multi-potency. Genetic manipulation of these cells may allow controlled release of therapeutic proteins, suppress immune rejection, or produce essential neurotransmitters. Furthermore, when the expression cassette is incorporated into the host genome ...

It is well known that the cognitive functions of juveniles recover to a greater extent than adult patients following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The exact mechanisms underlying this age-related disparity are unknown; however, we speculate that this improved recovery in juveniles following TBI may be associated with an endogenous neurogenic ...

The rate of aromatization of 4-androstenedione (AD) and 7-hydroxylation of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by different neuronal cell lines from fetal rat and mouse brain was compared to that of embryonic rat hippocampal cells in primary culture. The (3)H-labeled steroids were incubated with the cells and the metabolites extracted and separated by ...

Oxygen free radicals and nitric oxide (NO) participate in the pathogenesis of acute central nervous system (CNS) injury by forming peroxynitrite, which promotes oxidative damage and tyrosine nitration. Neuronal nitration is associated with cell death, but little is known of the characteristics and cell fate of nitrated astrocytes. In this ...

Regenerative medicine constitutes a potentially promising therapy for blind people suffering from retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. For the realization of retinal regeneration, it is necessary to establish 1) a method to produce functional photoreceptor cells in vitro and 2) successful transplantation of the ...

The telencephalon develops from a seemingly homogeneous population of precursor cells that generates neurons with divergent properties and cell fates. An important question concerns the genetic control of cell states belonging to different generations. Mph2 was identified by serial analysis of gene expression as a differentially expressed gene during cortical ...

BACKGROUND: The forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ)-olfactory bulb pathway and hippocampal subgranular zone (SGZ) generate neurons into adulthood in the mammalian brain. Neurogenesis increases after injury to the adult brain, but few studies examine the effect of injury on neural and glial precursors in the postnatal brain. To characterize the spatio-temporal ...

Regarding regenerative strategies early post-ischemic therapeutic interventions might have a great impact on further pathophysiological cascades. To understand the early post-ischemic events we analyzed proliferation and neurogenesis as early as on day 3 after transient global ischemia in rats. Evaluations were performed not only in the dorsal hippocampus, where post-ischemic ...

The development of nervous systems involves reciprocal interactions between neurons and glia. In the Drosophila olfactory system, peripheral glial cells arise from sensory lineages specified by the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, Atonal. These glia wrap around the developing olfactory axons early during development and pattern the three distinct fascicles as ...

In vitro studies show that microglial cells kill neurons treated with the synthetic miniprion (sPrP106) or with amyloid-beta1-42 (a neurotoxic peptide found in Alzheimer's disease) by a process requiring the CD14 protein. The killing of treated primary cortical neurons by microglial cells was reduced by the addition of detoxified lipopolysaccharide ...

In the dentate gyrus (DG) of the adult mouse hippocampus, a substantial number of new cells are generated daily, but only a subset of these survive and differentiate into mature neurons, whereas the majority undergo programmed cell death (PCD). However, neither the intracellular machinery required for adult stem cell-derived neuronal ...

Ethanol-induced cell damage was investigated using human neuroblastomas SH-SY5Y cells, which can be differentiated by retinoic acid. With 100 mM or more of ethanol, cytotoxicity was significantly higher in undifferentiated cells than in differentiated cells. Thus, a severer effect of ethanol was observed in undifferentiated cells. In differentiated cells it ...

One of the major hallmarks in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is amyloid deposition in the brain of afflicted subjects. This tissue-specific deposition of the amyloid beta-protein (Abeta) is the major characteristic of AD. Abeta is proteolytically derived from a large Abeta precursor protein (APP). An apparent overexpression of the APP gene ...

Neural stem cells with the characteristics of astrocytes persist in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the juvenile and adult brain. These cells generate large numbers of new neurons that migrate through the rostral migratory stream to the olfactory bulb. The developmental origin of adult neural stem cells is not known. ...

In response to acute damage, M?ller glia in the chicken retina have been shown to be a source of proliferating progenitor-like cells. The secreted factors and signaling pathways that regulate this process remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to test whether secreted factors, which are known to promote ...

The South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) can regenerate the anterior half of the telencephalon only during larval life, but such regeneration is no longer possible after metamorphosis. In order to gain a better understanding of differences between larvae and adults that are potentially related to regeneration, several experiments were ...

The present study was designed to analyse whether continuous overexpression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the striatum by a recombinant lentiviral vector can provide improved cell survival and additional long-term functional benefits after transplantation of fetal ventral mesencephalic cells in Parkinsonian rats. A four-site intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine lesion ...

Transplantation of stem cells and immature cells has been reported to ameliorate tissue damage, induce axonal regeneration, and improve locomotion following spinal cord injury. However, unless these cells are pushed down a neuronal lineage, the majority of cells become glia, suggesting that the alterations observed may be potentially glially mediated. ...

The fate of exogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) in the environment of the adult nervous system continues to be a matter of debate. In the present study, we report that cells of the murine NSC clone C17.2, when grafted into the lumbar segments of the spinal cord of adult rats, ...

While the study of in vitro regulation of neural stem cell lineage from both embryonic and adult neurospheres is greatly advanced, much less is known about factors acting in situ for neural stem cell lineage in adult brain. We reported that neurotrophin low affinity receptor p75(NTR) is present in the ...

Progression of progenitor cells towards neuronal differentiation is tightly linked with cell cycle control and the switch from proliferative to neuron-generating divisions. We have previously shown that the neuronal protein BM88 drives neuroblastoma cells towards exit from the cell cycle and differentiation into a neuronal phenotype in vitro. Here, we ...

Vimentin-expressing astrocytes in the adult are commonly associated with the proximal, most reactive gliotic response ultimately leading to the formation of a new glial limitans. It was thought, since vimentin expression and astroglial proliferation are most prominent nearest the lesion site, that vimentin may be a characteristic of immature newly ...