The subventricular zone continues to generate corpus callosum and rostral migratory stream astroglia in normal adult mice.
Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the CNS, and have many essential functions, including maintenance of blood-brain barrier integrity, and CNS water, ion, and glutamate homeostasis. Mammalian astrogliogenesis has generally been considered to be completed soon after birth, and to be reactivated in later life only under pathological circumstances. Here, by using genetic fate-mapping, we demonstrate that new corpus callosum astrocytes are continuously generated from nestin(+) subventricular zone (SVZ) neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in normal adult mice. These nestin fate-mapped corpus callosum astrocytes are uniformly postmitotic, express glutamate receptors, and form aquaporin-4(+) perivascular endfeet. The entry of new astrocytes from the SVZ into the corpus callosum appears to be balanced by astroglial apoptosis, because overall numbers of corpus callosum astrocytes remain constant during normal adulthood. Nestin fate-mapped astrocytes also flow anteriorly from the SVZ in association with the rostral migratory stream, but do not penetrate into the deeper layers of the olfactory bulb. Production of new astrocytes from nestin(+) NPCs is absent in the normal adult cortex, striatum, and spinal cord. Our study is the first to demonstrate ongoing SVZ astrogliogenesis in the normal adult mammalian forebrain.
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Jiho
J
Sohn
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Lori
L
Orosco
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Fuzheng
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3410-8389
F
Guo
Department of Oral Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612.
Seung-Hyuk
SH
Chung
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Peter
P
Bannerman
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Emily
E
Mills Ko
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Kostas
K
Zarbalis
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and.
Wenbin
W
Deng
Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine, University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, Sacramento, California 95817, and david.pleasure@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
David
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9122-1268
D
Pleasure
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D002465:Cell Movement; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D064231:Nestin / Q000502:physiology; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D050496:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D064231:Nestin; D050496:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Proteins
astroglia; corpus callosum; genetic fate-mapping; neural progenitor cells; rostral migratory stream; subventricular zone