title: SVCT2 Is Expressed by Cerebellar Precursor Cells, Which Differentiate into Neurons in Response to Ascorbic Acid.
abstract: Ascorbic acid (AA) is a known antioxidant that participates in a wide range of processes, including stem cell differentiation. It enters the cell through the sodium-ascorbate co-transporter SVCT2, which is mainly expressed by neurons in the adult brain. Here, we have characterized SVCT2 expression in the postnatal cerebellum in situ, a model used for studying neurogenesis, and have identified its expression in granular precursor cells and mature neurons. We have also detected SVCT2 expression in the cerebellar cell line C17.2 and in postnatal cerebellum-derived neurospheres in vitro and have identified a tight relationship between SVCT2 expression and that of the stem cell-like marker nestin. AA supplementation potentiates the neuronal phenotype in cerebellar neural stem cells by increasing the expression of the neuronal marker β III tubulin. Stable over-expression of SVCT2 in C17.2 cells enhances β III tubulin expression, but it also increases cell death, suggesting that AA transporter levels must be finely tuned during neural stem cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oyarce
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silva-Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrada
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
authors.forename: Katterine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Salazar
authors.affiliation: Centro de Microscopía Avanzada CMA-BIOBIO, Departamento de Biología Celular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología y Células Madres, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile. frnualart@udec.cl.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nualart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D060347:Sodium-Coupled Vitamin C Transporters / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C555165:Slc23a2 protein, mouse; D060347:Sodium-Coupled Vitamin C Transporters; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
keywords: Ascorbic acid (AA); Cerebellum; Neural stem cells; Neurogenesis; SVCT2; Stem cell differentiation