A team of scientists at Stanford University published a paper in the journal ‘Cell’ examining the different steps involved in stem cell differentiation and their role in brain development. Researchers aimed to outline the role of ten different types of neural stem cells in brain development using cell surface markers.
What does the human brain consist of?
The human brain is a complex organ. It consists of multiple types of neural cells formed by stem cell differentiation. The brain cells perform a variety of functions in different brain regions.
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What are the three major cell lineages in the brain?
Three major cell lineages in the human brain are astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. These cells perform many functions in the human brain, and their loss can result in life-impairing medical conditions. For instance, once oligodendrocytes, involved in providing a protective covering on the connections between neurons, are damaged (seen in multiple sclerosis), neuronal communications get impaired. Similarly, the loss of function of astrocytes (the cells involved in supporting neuronal metabolism) results in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
What did the scientists aim at in this study?
In this study, the researchers aimed to chart out the developmental pathways of individual stem cells, hoping to find clues about their functions. They hoped these clues might help understand the pathogenesis pathways of different diseases.
What kind of technology did the researchers use?
Scientists at Stanford University developed new technology to study the pathway of the individual stem cells taken from the human brain. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), researchers isolated neural stems and progenitor stem cell subsets.
They took these isolated individual brain cells from human fetuses aged between weeks 17 and 19 and tested them for 11 cell surface proteins. Six of those proteins are involved in the development of neural cells.
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How did RNA analysis help?
Using RNA analysis as an indicator for genetic activity, they purified ten types of cells involved in the development of oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and neurons. They injected these ten types of cells into the brains of the mice.
Researchers studied the development patterns of these cells six months after the initial injection and traced their transition into different brain cell structures.
What did the researchers find out?
The new technique used by researchers enabled them to identify a new type of stem cell that gives rise to astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. They also found that Thy1 proteins, present in high levels in mice brains, are linked to oligodendrocyte lineage. It was a new finding considering the previous understanding was that Thy1 proteins were markers for neurons.
How do the scientists interpret the findings?
Scientists emphasize that these discoveries are significant for understanding different cell lineages in the brain. They also note these cell lineages may not follow similar differentiating patterns in human brain cell studies.
Furthermore, researchers are concerned that these lineage pathways may not reflect neural cell development as other studies have indicated that a cell may start to develop in one lineage and may cross to another during its development. They also mention that other factors may also impact the commitment of a neural stem cell to a particular pathway.
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How will future research help?
However, they are hopeful about further research. Learning more about the diversified lineage pathways will reveal more knowledge about brain development. Moreover, analyzing the precious findings with the current one to develop more robust studies may shed further light on these issues.
How can this study help study brain development?
The current study builds on the evidence about the development of different brain regions. It also provides insights into the role of different cell lineages in brain development. These findings, if reciprocated in other studies, can help enhance the functional understanding of stem cell lineages in the brain and provide clues about the management and prevention of diseases.
References
Purification and characterization of human neural stem and progenitor cells (Accessed on March 26, 2023)
How stem cells make a human brain (Accessed on March 26, 2023)
