Unraveling how Sparc regulates neural stem cell activity and adult neurogenesis in the post-natal mammalian central nervous system.

众所周知，由大脑和脊髓组成的成人中枢神经系统难以修复，患有中枢神经系统损伤或疾病的患者恢复有限。在成人中，有一群罕见的干细胞能够持续分裂并产生新的脑细胞。科学家们目前正试图了解身体如何控制大脑干细胞的行为，例如：干细胞的数量，它们产生的脑细胞的种类，以及新细胞在神经系统中的去向。这是因为脑干细胞提供了一种很有希望的细胞类型，可以被操纵来制造促进成人神经系统修复的新细胞。然而，在我们能够控制受伤或不健康的个体的这些细胞之前，我们必须首先了解这些细胞在健康的系统中是如何控制的。SPARC是一种在大脑干细胞群附近发现的蛋白质，但没有人知道SPARC在这里做什么。我们认为SPARC可能参与控制脑干细胞，因为已知它控制身体其他部位的干细胞。为了研究SPARC在中枢神经系统中的功能，并确定它是否影响脑干细胞的行为，我们将正常小鼠与缺乏SPARC蛋白的小鼠进行比较。如果Sparc对控制脑干细胞很重要，那么当Sparc缺失时，我们将看到这些细胞的变化。通过测量这些小鼠脑干细胞的数量、新脑细胞的种类以及新细胞的去向，我们将确定SPARC如何影响哺乳动物中枢神经系统中的干细胞行为。这有助于我们更好地了解人脑干细胞是如何被控制的，我们可能会发现，可以通过操纵SPARC来指导干细胞的行为，并在正确的地点和正确的时间产生新的、健康的脑细胞。这可以带来新的治疗方法，极大地改善脑部损伤或疾病患者的生活。

The adult central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord, is notoriously resistant to repair and there is limited recovery in patients with a central nervous system injury or disease. In the adult, there is a rare population of stem cells that are able to continually divide and produce new brain cells. Scientists are currently trying to learn how the body controls brain stem cell behaviour, such as: the number of stem cells, the kinds of brain cells they generate, and where the new cells go in the nervous system. This is because brain stem cells offer a promising cell type that can be manipulated to make new cells that promote repair in the adult nervous system. However, before we can control these cells in an injured or unhealthy individual, we must first understand how these cells are controlled in a healthy system. Sparc is a protein that is found in the brain near the stem cell population, but no one knows what Sparc is doing here. We believe that Sparc may be involved in controlling brain stem cells, since it is known to control stem cells in other parts of the body. To investigate Sparc's function in the central nervous system and determine if it influences brain stem cell behaviour we will compare normal mice to mice that lack the Sparc protein. If Sparc is important for controlling brain stem cells than we will see changes in these cells when Sparc is absent. By measuring the number of brain stem cells, the kinds of new brain cells made, and where the new cells go in these mice, we will determine how Sparc influences stem cell behaviour in the central nervous system of mammals. This can help us better understand how human brain stem cells are controlled, and we may discover that Sparc can be manipulated in order to direct stem cell behavior and generate new, healthy brain cells in the right place and at the right time. This can lead to new therapies that would greatly improve the lives of patients living with brain injuries or diseases.