Novel Factors in Neural Stem Cell Differentiation

描述(由申请人提供)：该项目的长期目标旨在描述目前未知的信号机制，这些机制用于在发育中的中枢神经系统(CNS)内调节神经干细胞(NSC)从神经干细胞到胶质干细胞(NSC)的命运转换。我们已经开发了一种体外培养系统，它概括了在体内观察到的事件：神经干细胞首先进入神经形成阶段，然后切换到星形胶质形成阶段。我们发现，细胞培养数天后收集的培养液具有星形胶质细胞诱导活性和神经源性抑制活性。我们假设，当神经干细胞达到其神经源性潜能的末端时，它们会分泌某种类型的因子，能够促进星形胶质细胞的发生，并积极地抑制神经源性命运。我们已经排除了收集的培养液中含有许多已知的星形胶质细胞诱导因子的可能性。我们未来的目标是表征CM的生物学功能，并破译其包含这些星形胶质诱导和神经元非抑制活性的确切时间和细胞年龄。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long term objectives of the project intend to characterize presently unknown signalling mechanisms that are used in mediating the neurogenic to gliogenic fate switch of neural stem cells (NSC) within the developing central nervous system (CNS). We have developed an in vitro culture system that recapitulates the events observed in vivo: NSC first enter a neurogenic phase and later switch to an astrogliogenic phase. We have discovered that media collected from cells after several days of culturing has astrogliogenic inducing and neurogenic inhibiting activity. We have hypothesized that as NSC reach the end of their neurogenic potential they secrete some type of factor that is able to promote astrogliogenesis and actively inhibit the neurogenic fate. We have ruled out the possibility that the collected media contains many of the known astrogliogenic inducing factors. Our future goals intend to characterize the biological function of the CM and decipher the exact times and cell ages during which it contains these astroglial inducing and neuronal non-inhibiting activities.