Abstract
The birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) has been observed in all adult mammalian brains examined to date. Adult neural stem cells are located close to blood vessels in each of the two neurogenic regions observed in all mammals. A regulatory role for blood vessels has recently been suggested as a mechanism to regulate neurogenesis. Postnatal neurogenesis has been reported in several regions of the fish brain including the olfactory bulb, dorsal zones of the telencephalon, hypothalamus, and divisions of the cerebellum; however, little else is known about neurogenesis in the adult fish brain. Using thymidine analog incorporation assays, cell death assays, and immunofluorescence, our preliminary observations suggest that neural stem cells in the adult Mayan Cichlid brain proliferate in vascular niches and migrate along blood vessels prior to maturing. The focus of this independent study was to better understand the cell cycle kinetics in the different neurogenic brain regions. We have found neural stem cells migrate away from the vascular niches in Edu+ cells on day 14 compared to those cells which are clustered in close proximity to those same vascular niches at day 1. We have found the most dense neural stem cell regions in the intermediate cerebellum and cerebellum and will quantify cell distances from vascular niches over time versus how many of those cells are proliferative versus migrating or maturing stem cells. We expect to find significant migration from day 14 to day 28 when the neural stem cells migrate away from the vasculature as they mature.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. James R. Munoz
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-4-2014 1:00 PM
End Date
4-4-2014 5:30 PM
Neural Stem Cells Proliferate in Vascular Niches in the Adult Mayan Cichlid Brain
Alvin Sherman Library
The birth of new neurons (neurogenesis) has been observed in all adult mammalian brains examined to date. Adult neural stem cells are located close to blood vessels in each of the two neurogenic regions observed in all mammals. A regulatory role for blood vessels has recently been suggested as a mechanism to regulate neurogenesis. Postnatal neurogenesis has been reported in several regions of the fish brain including the olfactory bulb, dorsal zones of the telencephalon, hypothalamus, and divisions of the cerebellum; however, little else is known about neurogenesis in the adult fish brain. Using thymidine analog incorporation assays, cell death assays, and immunofluorescence, our preliminary observations suggest that neural stem cells in the adult Mayan Cichlid brain proliferate in vascular niches and migrate along blood vessels prior to maturing. The focus of this independent study was to better understand the cell cycle kinetics in the different neurogenic brain regions. We have found neural stem cells migrate away from the vascular niches in Edu+ cells on day 14 compared to those cells which are clustered in close proximity to those same vascular niches at day 1. We have found the most dense neural stem cell regions in the intermediate cerebellum and cerebellum and will quantify cell distances from vascular niches over time versus how many of those cells are proliferative versus migrating or maturing stem cells. We expect to find significant migration from day 14 to day 28 when the neural stem cells migrate away from the vasculature as they mature.
