Mimicking Neural Stem Cell Niche by Biocompatible Substrates

Figure 2

Neural stem cell niche in the adult dentate gyrus and subventricular zone. (a) Sagittal section view of an adult rodent brain showing the two main restricted regions where active adult neurogenesis is present, the dentate gyrus in the hippocampal formation and the lateral ventricle, from which type A cells migrate to form the rostral migratory stream (RMS) toward the olfactory bulb. (b) Neural stem cell niche in the subventricular zone (SVZ). Three types of progenitor cells are found close to the ependymal cell layer in the SVZ: a population of radial glia-like cells (type B cells) have the potential to serve as adult neural stem cells (NSCs) and generate transit-amplifying nonradial NSCs (type C cells), which later give rise to neuroblasts (type A cells). The SVZ includes several ECM components (yellow), called fractones (inset), which make contact with all the cell types, including the blood vessels and astrocytes in this region. (c) In the adult subgranular zone (SGZ), a population of radial glia-like cells (type 1 cells), along with nonradial glia-like cells (type 2 cells), generate neuroblasts. These neuroblasts then migrate into the granule cell layer and mature into neurons. CSPG, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan; FGF2, fibroblast growth factor 2; GCL, granular cell layer; ML, molecular layer.

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