title: Ependymal/subventricular zone cells migrate to the peri-infarct region and differentiate into neurons and astrocytes after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the migration and differentiation of ependymal/subventricular zone cells after focal cerebral ischemia in rats, and reveal the origin of the newly generated neural cells in the peri-infarct region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Normal adult male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 250-350 g were used in this study. Before middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), 10 microl of 0.2% DiI was injected into the lateral ventricle for prelabeling the ependymal/subventricular zone cells. After ischemia, cumulative BrdU labeling was employed to detect the newly generated cells and double immunofluorescent staining to identify cell differentiation. The labeled cells were observed with laser confocal microscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the non-ischemic control rats, DiI-labeled cells resided in the ependyma/subventricular zone. After focal cerebral ischemia, DiI-labeled cells were found in the corpus callosum, adjacent striatum and cortex, and some DiI/BrdU/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells or DiI/BrdU/ neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN)-positive cells were observed in the peri-infarct region in the striatum or cortex since day 14 after MCAO.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After focal cerebral ischemia, ependymal/subventricular zone cells migrate into the peri-infarct region where they differentiate into neurons and astrocytes. This finding may be important for understanding the source of adult neural stem cells and for developing new therapeutic intervention strategy through enhancing endogenous neurogenesis after brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Education Ministry, Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. zhpbo@163.com
authors.forename: Peng-bo
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qian-yan
authors.initials: QY
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Ying-fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Xin-lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jian-jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qin-dong
authors.initials: QD
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Tu-sheng
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Yi-hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology; D004805:Ependyma / Q000166:cytology*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley