Stem Cell News
August 06, 2010
Investigators at the Neural Stem Cell Institute show how
Contact: Cari Arena
June 10, 2010
Phone: 518-522-4226
Email: cariarena@nstemcell.org
Investigators at the Neural Stem Cell Institute show how
Neural Stem Cells integrate into tissue after transplantation
Study leads to published paper in Cell Stem Cell
Renssselaer, NY — A study led by Dr. Sally Temple and Dr. Erzsi Kokovay of the Neural Stem Cell Institute sheds light on how adult nervous system (neural) stem cells interact with their microenvironment or niche. The study shows that transplanted neural stem cells can move inside the tissue to find their way to specialized niches close to blood vessels.
The vascular cells release a secreted molecule called SDF1 that binds to a receptor CXCR4 on the stem cells. Interestingly, these are the same molecules that transplanted blood stem cells use to home to their niche in the bone marrow before helping to replenish the blood system. It was a surprise that the same molecules that direct blood cells to their home in the bone marrow are involved in neural stem cell homing in the brain. This knowledge can help us understand how to direct neural stem cells to sites where they are needed to help repair tissue loss in the central nervous system,” said Dr. Sally Temple.
These findings show how neural stem cells integrate into tissue after transplantation, which is important as we move towards stem cell replacement therapies for nervous system diseases and disorders.
The study, “Adult SVZ lineage cells home to and leave the vascular niche via differential responses to SDF1/CXCR4 signaling” was published in the online edition of Cell Stem Cell and will also appear in the journal’s print edition on April 6, 2010.
About NSCI: The Neural Stem Cell Institute is a unique organization that produces leading stem cell research to develop new therapies for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). As the only independent, non-profit neural stem cell research institute in the USA, NSCI aims to harness the power of stem cells to ease suffering caused by injury and disease of the brain, spinal cord and retina. NSCI is led by MacArthur Award winner Dr. Sally Temple who helped discover and define nervous system stem cells. Dr. Temple recruited leading researchers from around the world to help translate discovery research into new therapies for CNS repair including age-related macular degeneration, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
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