Neural Stem Cells

Soshana Behrstock, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Clive Svendsen, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Published online: January 2006

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0005765

Neural stem cells (NSCs) may teach us about how cell fate choices are made and which genes regulate these choices. In addition, NSCs might be a source of tissue for cell therapy. Studies focusing on the mechanisms of NSC growth and differentiation suggest they may be more plastic than had been anticipated.

Keywords: stem cell; progenitor cell; embryonic stem cell; transplantation; ex vivo gene therapy

Figure 1. Gene profiling of neural stem cells (NSCs). By taking (a) primary tissue, (b) neurospheres or (c) differentiated neurospheres, (d) it is possible to perform gene-comparison analysis using differential display or microarray chip analysis to ask questions about genes involved in neural development. The advantage of this method is that the time of differentiation can be used to select for fewer or more gene differences. After cloning of individual genes, they can be reintroduced into the stem cell pool in order to assess their effects on differentiation. cer: cerebellum; ctx: cortex; D: dorsal; EGF: epidermal growth factor; FGF-2: fibroblast growth factor-2; Mes: mesencephalon; Thal: thalamus; Oligo: oligodendrocytes; V: ventral.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Nervous System Development | Determination of Cell Fate | Cell Differentiation and Stem Cells | Techniques and Tools in Clinical Genetics | Gene Therapy
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Article Title: Neural Stem Cells
 
How to Cite close
Behrstock, Soshana, and Svendsen, Clive(Jan 2006) Neural Stem Cells. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0005765]