Open AccessProliferating subventricular zone cells in the adult mammalian forebrain can differentiate into neurons and glia.
Author(s) -
Carlos Lois,
Arturo Alvarez-Buylla
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.90.5.2074
Subject(s) - subventricular zone , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , precursor cell , explant culture , mitosis , forebrain , neuroscience , neuroglia , cell division , in vivo , in vitro , neural stem cell , stem cell , cell , central nervous system , biochemistry , genetics
Subventricular zone (SVZ) cells proliferate spontaneously in vivo in the telencephalon of adult mammals. Several studies suggest that SVZ cells do not differentiate after mitosis into neurons or glia but die. In the present work, we show that SVZ cells labeled in the brains of adult mice with [3H]thymidine differentiate directly into neurons and glia in explant cultures. In vitro labeling with [3H]thymidine shows that 98% of the neurons that differentiate from the SVZ explants are derived from precursor cells that underwent their last division in vivo. This report identifies the SVZ cells as neuronal precursors in an adult mammalian brain.