Neuronal stem cells

Neuronal stem cells, are a type of stem cell found mainly in the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. They play a crucial role in the development, regeneration and repair of the nervous system.

Neural stem cells reside mainly in certain areas of the brain known as neurogenic niches. These regions are responsible for the continuous production of new neurons and glial cells throughout life. They have the capacity to differentiate into neurons, which are the basic cells of the nervous system responsible for transmitting information, as well as into glial cells, that support and protect neurons.

During embryonic development, neural stem cells are essential for the formation of the different regions of the brain and spinal cord. They divide and differentiate to give rise to the different populations of neurons and glial cells required for the nervous system to function

Neural stem cells remain active in the adult brain and are involved in regeneration and repair after injury or damage. They can generate new neurons and glial cells to replace those lost through injury or disease.

Neural stem cells have great potential in regenerative medicine. They are being studied for the treatment of maladies neurodégénératives such as Parkinson, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the spinal cord injuries. Researchers are also exploring the possibility of growing neurons in the laboratory for use in transplants and cellular therapies. In order to identify and characterise these specific cells in a tissue or in culture, biomarkers provide essential information on the state, differentiation and functions of neuronal stem cells:

1. Nestine : Nestin is a protein associated with neural stem cells and progenitor cells. It plays a role in maintaining the structure of stem cells and regulating cell division.

2. Sox2 : Sox2 is an important transcription factor that maintains pluripotency and self-renewal in neural stem cells. It is often used as a marker to identify these cells.

3. Nestin : Nestin is a protein expressed during neuronal development and is used as a marker for neural stem cells undergoing differentiation.

4. Musashi-1 : Musashi-1 is a protein associated with the regulation of self-renewal of neural stem cells and determining their cellular fate.

5. Doublecortin (DCX) : DCX is a protein associated with neuronal migration and differentiation during development. It can be used as a marker of stem cell differentiation into neurons.

6. GFAP (Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein) : GFAP is a protein generally associated with glial cells, but it can also be used as a marker to distinguish neural stem cells from differentiated cells.

7. Beta-III tubulin : but it can also be used as a marker to distinguish neural stem cells from differentiated cells.

8. Ki-67 : The Ki-67 protein is a marker of the cell proliferation and can be used to assess the activity of stem cell division.