HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 2007-0122v1 25/10/2619    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints/Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Widestrand, A. Articles by Pekny, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Widestrand, A. Articles by Pekny, M.

THE STEM CELL NICHE

Increased Neurogenesis and Astrogenesis from Neural Progenitor Cells Grafted in the Hippocampus of GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– Mice

Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

Key Words. Glial fibrillary acidic protein • Vimentin • Intermediate filaments • Astrocytes • Reactive gliosis

Correspondence: Milos Pekny, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Medicinaregatan 9A, SE-413 90 Göteborg, Sweden. Telephone: 46-31-786-32-69; Fax: 46-31-416108; e-mail: milos.pekny{at}medkem.gu.se

Received February 12, 2007; accepted for publication June 27, 2007.
First published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS   July 12, 2007.



After neurotrauma, ischemia, or neurodegenerative disease, astrocytes upregulate their expression of the intermediate filament proteins glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), vimentin (Vim), and nestin. This response, reactive gliosis, is attenuated in GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– mice, resulting in the promotion of synaptic regeneration after neurotrauma and improved integration of retinal grafts. Here we assessed whether GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– astrocytes affect the differentiation of neural progenitor cells. In coculture with GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– astrocytes, neural progenitor cells increased neurogenesis by 65% and astrogenesis by 124%. At 35 days after transplantation of neural progenitor cells into the hippocampus, adult GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– mice had more transplant-derived neurons and astrocytes than wild-type controls, as well as increased branching of neurite-like processes on transplanted cells. Wnt3 immunoreactivity was readily detected in hippocampal astrocytes in wild-type but not in GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– mice. These findings suggest that GFAP^–/–Vim^–/– astrocytes allow more neural progenitor cell-derived neurons and astrocytes to survive weeks after transplantation. Thus, reactive gliosis may adversely affect the integration of transplanted neural progenitor cells in the brain.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. R. Verardo, G. P. Lewis, M. Takeda, K. A. Linberg, J. Byun, G. Luna, U. Wilhelmsson, M. Pekny, D.-F. Chen, and S. K. Fisher Abnormal Reactivity of Muller Cells after Retinal Detachment in Mice Deficient in GFAP and Vimentin Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., August 1, 2008; 49(8): 3659 - 3665. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]