Influence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on neural stem cell differentiation

• Grant number: 13/24501-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Marimélia Aparecida Porcionatto
• Grantee: Taís Adelita Morais de Almeida
• Supervisor: Maria K. Lehtinen
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Farmacologia (INFAR). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Harvard University, Boston, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 11/11388-4 - CXCL12 chemokine effects on survival and differentiation of neural stem cell-derived neuroblasts, BP.DR

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSC) are a promising source for cell replacement therapies in the brain and can be extracted from fetal central nervous system (CNS) or generated by embryonic stem cells (ESC). In the adult brain, NSC can be isolated from different regions, such as hippocampus and subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles. As derivatives of the neuroectodermal tissue, NSC are able to generate all cell types that compose the nervous tissue, such as neurons, astroglia, and oligodendroglia. Stem cell behavior is heavily influenced by their surroundings. One source of extrinsic, environmental signals for NSC is the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is present from the earliest stages of neural tube development throughout adulthood. In cases where the flow of CSF is abnormal, for example through loss (e.g. spina bifida) or blockage (e.g. hydrocephalus), there is an associated abnormality in the development of the CNS, particularly of the cerebral cortex. The full range of CSF influence on neural stem or progenitors cells remains to be elucidated. CSF plays regulatory roles in cortical cell proliferation and maintenance but there are a few studies about the role of CSF on NSC differentiation. The aim of this study is investigate the participation of CSF on NSC fate determination during embryonic period. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

LUN, MELODY P.; JOHNSON, MATTHEW B.; BROADBELT, KEVIN G.; WATANABE, MOMOKO; KANG, YOUNG-JIN; CHAU, KEVIN F.; SPRINGEL, MARK W.; MALESZ, ALEXANDRA; SOUSA, ANDRE M. M.; PLETIKOS, MIHOVIL; et al. Spatially Heterogeneous Choroid Plexus Transcriptomes Encode Positional Identity and Contribute to Regional CSF Production. JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, v. 35, n. 12, p. 4903-4916, MAR 25 2015. (13/24501-9)