title: Elimination of the geomagnetic field stimulates the proliferation of mouse neural progenitor and stem cells.
abstract: Living organisms are exposed to the geomagnetic field (GMF) throughout their lifespan. Elimination of the GMF, resulting in a hypogeomagnetic field (HMF), leads to central nervous system dysfunction and abnormal development in animals. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying these effects have not been identified so far. Here, we show that exposure to an HMF (<200 nT), produced by a magnetic field shielding chamber, promotes the proliferation of neural progenitor/stem cells (NPCs/NSCs) from C57BL/6 mice. Following seven-day HMF-exposure, the primary neurospheres (NSs) were significantly larger in size, and twice more NPCs/NSCs were harvested from neonatal NSs, when compared to the GMF controls. The self-renewal capacity and multipotency of the NSs were maintained, as HMF-exposed NSs were positive for NSC markers (Nestin and Sox2), and could differentiate into neurons and astrocyte/glial cells and be passaged continuously. In addition, adult mice exposed to the HMF for one month were observed to have a greater number of proliferative cells in the subventricular zone. These findings indicate that continuous HMF-exposure increases the proliferation of NPCs/NSCs, in vitro and in vivo. HMF-disturbed NPCs/NSCs production probably affects brain development and function, which provides a novel clue for elucidating the cellular mechanisms of the bio-HMF response.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Peng
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1616-6916
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.|Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Wei-Chuan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. yingliu@ibp.ac.cn.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. yingliu@ibp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0802-3832
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Perry F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China. herq@sun5.ibp.ac.cn.|University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China. herq@sun5.ibp.ac.cn.|Alzheimer's Disease Center, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China. herq@sun5.ibp.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Rong-Qiao
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D064231:Nestin / Q000378:metabolism*; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C577485:Nes protein, mouse; D064231:Nestin; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; C527783:Sox2 protein, mouse
keywords: hypomagnetic field; multipotency; neural progenitor/stem cells; neurosphere; proliferation; stemness