胚胎和成体神经干细胞分化机制的研究

神经干细胞的分化调控一直是发育神经生物学的重要研究课题。综述了调节胚胎和成体神经干细胞分化的细胞内在因素和外部环境因素,初步探讨了胚胎和成体神经干细胞分化机制的差异。     

雌激素对干细胞功能的调控及信号转导途径

心血管损伤、神经退行性变及骨代谢紊乱等病理过程存在明显的性别二态性．雌激素在缺血心肌功能恢复过程中发挥重要作用,其一方面调控骨髓问充质干细胞分泌生长激素及易化上皮前体细胞向缺血心肌部位迁移,另一方面还可抑制心肌成纤维细胞生长从而有效地提高了缺血部位血管新生并限制了病理性心肌重构．在神经发育过程中,雌激素能促进胚胎神经干细胞增殖及向特定类型神经元分化,提示雌激素在利用神经干细胞移植治疗某些神经退行性疾病中可能发挥作用．此外,雌激素通过调节成骨前体细胞及破骨细胞的活性来阻止骨质疏松的发生．可见,雌激素通过调控多种干／前体细胞的功能为上述疾病防治提供了新的策略,深入理解雌激素调控各种干／前体细胞功能的信号转导通路将为干细胞临床应用提供更坚实的理论依据．     

乳鼠海马神经干细胞的体外分离、扩增和分化研究

探讨海马神经干细胞（neuralstemcells,NSCs）在体外分离扩增和诱导分化的可行性。无菌条件下分离新生（24h）SD大鼠海马神经干细胞,采用无血清培养和胎牛血清诱导分化。免疫荧光染色技术分别检测诱导前细胞巢蛋白（Nestin）的表达,以及分化细胞的神经元特异性烯醇化酶（neuron specific enolase,NSE）、胶质纤维酸性蛋白（glialfibrillaryacidicprotein,GFAP）的表达,以鉴定细胞类型。流式细胞仪检测神经干细胞分化前后增殖能力的变化。结果显示：从乳鼠海马分离培养的细胞生长状态良好,具有克隆增殖能力,并呈Nestin表达阳性,分化后可出现NSE及GFAP表达阳性的细胞。流式细胞仪检测显示：诱导前,细胞增殖活跃,S＋G2／M期细胞为（36．27±1．99）％,而分化各阶段（3,7,10d）S＋G2／M期细胞比例与诱导前（Ctrl）相比则明显下降（尸〈0．05）,分别为（26．39±1．10）％、（26．33±1．33）％和（24．54±1．12）％。这些结果表明乳鼠海马存在神经干细胞,并具有自我更新和多向分化的潜能,可用于基础和临床的相关研究。     

LincRNA1230抑制小鼠胚胎干细胞向神经前体细胞分化

胚胎干细胞是一类具有多向分化潜能的细胞.胚胎干细胞可以模拟体内发育过程,在无外界信号分子刺激的情况下,自发向神经前体细胞分化.有研究表明,这一体外发育过程受神经分化相关转录因子和表观遗传修饰的共同调控,然而该过程中的分子机制尚不清楚.本研究发现长链非编码RNA1230(LincRNA1230)参与了小鼠(Mus musculus)胚胎干细胞向神经前体细胞的分化过程.在小鼠的胚胎干细胞中过表达LincRNA1230可以显著抑制其神经分化效率;反之,干扰LincRNA1230可以提高分化效率.进一步研究表明,LincRNA1230通过结合Wdr5,降低神经分化相关基因启动子区H3K4me3的修饰水平,从而抑制相关基因的表达活性.这些发现揭示了LincRNA1230在小鼠胚胎干细胞神经分化过程中的重要作用.     

高浓度RA诱导小鼠胚胎干细胞分化为神经细胞

目的：高浓度RA诱导小鼠ESC体外向神经细胞分化。方法：通过5μMRA刺激拟胚体向神经前体细胞分化,在不同基质上进一步诱导神经前体细胞分化为神经细胞,通过免疫荧光鉴定。结果：5μM RA诱导神经前体细胞分化;神经前体细胞分化为β-tubulinⅢ阳性神经细胞,β-tubulinⅢ阳性细胞中有55%为GABA阳性,4%为CHAT阳性细胞。结论：高浓度RA诱导并结合细胞外基质成分优化了ESC向神经细胞分化。     

神经干细胞和祖细胞

近年来利用细胞培养技术分离的神经干细胞和祖细胞为研究神经发育提供了一条新的途径,研究神经干细胞和祖细胞的增殖、迁移和分化将为阐明神经发育机制提供有力的证据。同时,神经干细胞还为治疗中枢退行性疾病带来了希望。无论是作为脑组织移植的供体,还是作为在体诱导的靶细胞,神经干细胞都为中枢神经系统功能重建和神经再生提供了新的思路。     

人类多能干细胞向脊髓前角运动神经元定向分化方法研究进展:从发育生物学到临床转化

人类多能干细胞(human pluripotent stem cell,hPSC)包括人胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cell,ESC)及人诱导多能干细胞(induced pluripotent stem cell,iPSC),它们具有向人体多种类型细胞分化的潜能。近年来,其体外定向分化为脊髓前角运动神经元的研究取得了一定进展。该文基于对神经发育的理解,回顾总结了hPSC向脊髓前角运动神经元定向分化的研究进展,并介绍了它们在研究人类神经发育、对疾病进行体外建模和细胞替代疗法方面的应用。     

小鼠胚胎干细胞移植入成体大鼠脑内的区域特异性存活与分化

全能区域非特异性的胚胎干细胞是研究成体不同脑区控制干细胞分化能力的十分有力的工具。胚胎干细胞源性神经前体细胞移植入成体脑后可分化为功能性神经元,但是未分化的胚胎干细胞在成体脑内各个部位的存活、生长与分化的潜能差异尚不清楚。本文旨在探讨成体脑组织对胚胎干细胞的影响及胚胎干细胞在成体脑内的一系列行为。将少量转绿色荧光蛋白未分化的小鼠胚胎干细胞移植入成体大鼠脑内不同部位,分别于移植5、14和28d后处死大鼠,进行形态学观察及免疫组化定性,以了解未分化的小鼠胚胎干细胞在大鼠脑内不同区域的存活、生长与分化。结果发现未分化的小鼠胚胎干细胞可逐步整合入受体组织并向nestin阳性神经前体细胞分化。移植细胞及其后裔在海马生长最为旺盛,而在隔区最差（P〈0．01）;移植细胞分化为神经干细胞的效率也是在海马最高,而在隔区最低（P〈0．01）。提示只有部分脑区适合胚胎干细胞及其后裔生存,并提供促进其分化的有益环境。因此,由于位置特异的微环境因子及环境因素的存在,宿主组织特性对决定中枢神经系统疾病的细胞替代疗法策略是相当重要的。     

山西医科大学生理学教研室举办“膜片钳技术培训班”

由山西医科大学生理学教研室和东乐科技有限公司／美国Axon（MDC）公司联合组织的“膜片钳技术培训班”于2007年1月26日-29日成功举办。本次活动共有50余名学员参与,除生理教研室的教师和研究生外,还有相关学科的教师和研究生。培训班的主讲人是军事医学科学院副教授、东乐科技有限公司技术总监刘振伟博士。刘博士多年来一直从事神经生理学和神经药理毒理学研究,对膜片钳的理论及技术操作有较深的造诣,并著有《实用膜片钳技术》（军事医学科学出版社出版）一书。在此以前他曾在北京主讲过两期“膜片钳技术培训班”。     

EGCG对猪前体脂肪细胞增殖和分化的作用

表没食子儿茶素没食子酸酯（Epigallocatechin-3-gallate,EGCG）是绿茶提取物EGCG的生物活性成分,为了探讨其对猪前体脂肪细胞增殖和分化的影响,以不同浓度EGCG处理猪前体脂肪细胞,MTT法测定EGCG对猪前体脂肪细胞生长的影响;油红O染色检测猪前体脂肪细胞的形态学变化;油红O染色提取法定量分析脂肪细胞充脂量的变化;半定量RT-PCR检测分化转录因子过氧化物酶体增生物激活受体佗（PPARγ2）和CCAAT／增强子结合蛋白α（C／EBPα）mRNA表达水平变化。结果显示：EGCG随着浓度的递增显著抑制猪前体脂肪细胞的增殖（P〈0．01）;低浓度的EGCG（5μmol／L）不影响脂肪细胞分化,而高浓度EGCG（200μmol／L）显著抑制猪前体脂肪细胞分化,同时下调PPARγ2和C／EBPαmRNA表达,本研究结果表明EGCG可抑制猪前体脂肪细胞的增殖和分化。     

Functional Analysis of Neuron-like Cells Differentiated from Neural Stem Cells Derived from Bone Marrow Stroma Cells in vitro

The transversal differentiation of bone marrow stroma cell (BMSCs) into neural stem cells (NSCs) has attracted much attention in recent years because of their therapeutic potential. However, the problem in therapeutic application of NSCs was how to confirm whether neuron-like cells differentiated from bone marrow stroma cell-derived neural stem cells (BMSCs-D-NSCs) possess corresponding functions of neurochemistry and electrophysiology. In the present study, we tried to affirm the function of neuron-like cells differentiated from BMSCs-D-NSCs in vitro. The BMSCs were harvested by gradient centrifugation in Ficoll-Paque and cultured in “NSCs medium”. Immunocytochemistry was used to detect positive expression of neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) in neuron-like cells derived from the BMSCs-D-NSCs. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to identify neuron-like cells by detecting excitable amino acids [aspartic acid (Asp), glutamic acid (Glu)], inhibited amino acids [glycine (Gly), gamma (γ) -aminobutyric acid (GABA), alanine (Ala)] or monoamines [noradrenaline (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine (DA)]. Electrophysiological properties of the neuron-like cells were also examined using patch clamp analysis to verify their neuron-like functions. It was found that the neuron-like cells differentiated from the BMSCs-D-NSCs could express positive NeuN, synthesize and excrete amino acids, and show some typical electrophysiological properties including the typical Na⁺ and K⁺ ion channel membrane current under the voltage patch clamp condition, the typical static electrical membrane potential under the current patch clamp condition, and the differential membrane capacitance and resistance values in series between undifferentiated BMSCs-D-NSCs and differentiated neuron-like cells under the whole-cell patch clamp condition. The neuron-like cells differentiated from BMSCs-D-NSCs exhibit both neuron-like biochemical function and some corresponding electrophysiological properties.     

神经干细胞的分化影响其对肝细胞生长因子的趋化性迁移

神经干细胞（neural stem cells,NSCs）的定向迁移对神经系统发育和损伤后修复至关重要,但NSCs的定向迁移与NSCs的分化之间的关系鲜有研究。该研究以此为切入点,以肝细胞生长因子（hepatocyte growth factor,HGF）为趋化因子,神经干细胞系C17．2为研究对象,首先,建立了不同分化阶段的NSCs（分别分化0,12,24,72h）的分化模型;其次,运用Boyden chamber和Dunn chamber研究了不同分化状态下的NSCs对HGF的趋化性迁移。Boyden chamber结果显示：下室加入HGF后,分化12,24h的NSCs迁移至膜下方的细胞数目显著高于分化0,72h的NSCs;Dunn chamber结果显示：分化12,24h的NSCs迁移效率显著高于分化0,72h的NSCs。这些结果表明,NSCs的分化影响其对HGF的趋化性迁移,为在临床上更有效地利用NSCs治疗各种神经系统退行性疾病提供了理论依据。     

Notch信号通路对神经干细胞增殖分化的作用

神经干细胞作为一种具有自我更新能力和多向分化潜能的细胞,它的增殖和分化受到多种源于自身或外在、邻近或远程细胞信号通路的调控,各种细胞因子及胞间通讯在神经干细胞的增殖和分化中发挥着重要的作用。近年来的多种研究表明,Notch信号通路正是这样一种可以通过相邻细胞的配体与受体相互作用,从而传递信号,进一步发挥其生物学功能的重要信号通路。该通路参与了神经干细胞维持自我形态及向多种具有不同功能的神经细胞分化的过程．对于研究神经干细胞的增殖和分化具有巨大的意义。该文将就当前Notch信号通路对神经干细胞增殖分化影响的相关研究进行简要综述。     

Neural stem cells redefined

Using the generally accepted ontogenetic definition, neural stem cells (NSCs) are characterized as undifferentiated cells originating from the neuroectoderm that have the capacity both to perpetually self-renew without differentiating and to generate multiple types of lineage-restricted progenitors (LRP). LRPs can themselves undergo limited self-renewal, then ultimately differentiate into highly specialized cells that compose the nervous system. However, this physiologically delimited definition of NSCs has been increasingly blurred in the current state of the field, as the great majority of studies have retrospectively inferred the existence of NSCs based on their deferred functional capability rather than prospectively identifying the actual cells that created the outcome. Further complicating the matter is the use of a wide variety of neuroepithelial or neurosphere preparations as a source of putative NSCs, without due consideration that these preparations are themselves composed of heterogeneous populations of both NSCs and LRPs. This article focuses on recent attempts using FACS strategies to prospectively isolate NSCs from different types of LRPs as they appear in vivo and reveals the contrasting differences among these populations at molecular, phenotypic, and functional levels. Thus, the strategies presented here provide a framework for more precise studies of NSC and LRP cell biology in the future.     

未成熟钠通道调控大鼠胚胎神经干细胞分化

钠通道在各类神经元上高表达,参与细胞多种生理功能的调节,是神经元实现功能活动的基本单位．未成熟神经元上钠/钙通道所诱发和自发的电位活动对后期的发育成熟至关重要．然而,发育中的钠通道是否参与神经干细胞(neural stem cells, NSCs)分化的调控尚不清楚．本研究证明,未成熟的钠通道参与NSCs分化调控．Western印迹结果显示,在分化第1,3,5,7 d的NSCs上钠通道和胞外信号调节激酶（ERK）的蛋白表达与分化时间正相关.免疫组化结果发现,与对照组比较,加入电压门控钠通道阻断剂TTX可明显下调NeuN、GFAP和Gal-c在NSCs中的表达（P＜0.05）,提示钠通道参与NSCs分化的调控.当采用veratridine激动钠通道后,激光共聚焦检测到细胞内Ca2+浓度明显升高,免疫组化和Western印迹结果显示细胞内Ca2+浓度明显升高,p-ERK表达量明显上调;相反,TTX可明显阻断Veratridine所引起的细胞内Ca2+浓度上调,并使p-ERK峰值明显降低和延后（P＜0.05）．研究结果表明,未成熟钠通道可通过激活ERK信号途径促进NSCs的分化．钠通道的这种作用可能是由钙离子介导的,其详尽机制有待进一步研究．     

Regulation of neural stem cell by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling during brain development

Neurogenesis is the process in which neurons are generated from neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs). It involves the proliferation and neuronal fate specification/differentiation of NSCs, as well as migration, maturation and functional integration of the neuronal progeny into neuronal network. NSCs exhibit the two essential properties of stem cells: self-renewal and multipotency. Contrary to previous dogma that neurogenesis happens only during development, it is generally accepted now that neurogenesis can take place throughout life in mammalian brains. This raises a new therapeutic potential of applying stem cell therapy for stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and other diseases. However, the maintenance and differentiation of NSCs/NPCs are tightly controlled by the extremely intricate molecular networks. Uncovering the underlying mechanisms that drive the differentiation, migration and maturation of specific neuronal lineages for use in regenerative medicine is, therefore, crucial for the application of stem cell for clinical therapy as well as for providing insight into the mechanisms of human neurogenesis. Here, we focus on the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling in NSCs during mammalian brain development.     

HCMV感染抑制人海马神经干细胞分化

研究HCMV感染对体外培养的人海马源性神经干细胞(Neural stem cells,NSCs)分化的影响。体外分离、培养人海马NSCs,应用免疫荧光方法检测其NSCs标记物-巢蛋白(Nestin)的表达。10%胎牛血清诱导NSCs贴壁分化,同时用MOI为5的HCMV AD169株感染NSCs,7d后使用激光共聚焦显微镜免疫荧光方法检测Nestin、神经胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)和HCMV即刻早期蛋白(IE)的表达,计算阳性细胞比率。本实验所培养的细胞(4～6代)95±8%表达Nestin;分化诱导7d后,感染组86±12%细胞表达IE,未感染组和感染组Nestin阳性率分别为50±19%和93±10%(t=6.03,P<0.01),GFAP阳性细胞率分别为81±11%和55±17%(t=3.77,P<0.01)。以上结果表明分化过程中的NSCs是HCMV的容许细胞;HCMV感染可以抑制NSCs的分化。     

Neural stem cell-derived factors inhibit the growth and invasion of U87 stem-like cells in vitro

Glioma is one of the most common and aggressive tumors in the brain. Significant attention has been paid to the potential use of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs) as delivery vehicles to cure gliomas. However, whether the NSCs/NPCs or the factors they produced could make a contribution still remains to be seen. In this study, we focused on the inhibitory effects of the factors produced by NSCs/NPCs on the biological behavior of the glioma stem-like cell in vitro. The human glioma cell line U87 was selected and the U87 stem-like cells were addressed. After being cultured in the NSC condition medium (NSC-CM), the viability and proliferation of U87 stem-like cells were significantly reduced. The invasion of U87 stem-like cells and the migration of U87 cells were also significantly decreased. However, no significant change was observed in regard to the astrocytic differentiation of U87 stem-like cells. These indicated that NSCs/NPCs produced some factors and had an inhibitory effect on the growth and invasion but not the terminal differentiation of U87 stem-like cells. It is worth paying attention to NSCs/NPCs as a high-potential candidate for glioma treatment.     

The Effects of Co-Culture of Embryonic Stem Cells with Neural Stem Cells on Differentiation

Researching the technology for in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into neural lineages is very important in developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and cell therapy. Thus, studies on in vitro differentiation of ESCs into neural lineages by co-culture are expected to improve our understanding of this process. A co-culture system has long been used to study interactions between cell populations, improve culture efficiency, and establish synthetic interactions between populations. In this study, we investigated the effect of a co-culture of ESCs with neural stem cells (NSCs) in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions. Furthermore, we examined the effect of an NSC-derived conditioned medium (CM) on ESC differentiation. OG2-ESCs lost the specific morphology of colonies and Oct4-GFP when co-cultured with NSC. Additionally, real-time PCR analysis showed that ESCs co-cultured with NSCs expressed higher levels of ectoderm markers Pax6 and Sox1 under both co-culture conditions. However, the differentiation efficiency of CM was lower than that of the non-conditioned medium. Collectively, our results show that co-culture with NSCs promotes the differentiation of ESCs into the ectoderm.     

神经干细胞研究进展

神经干细胞(neural stem cells, NSCs)是中枢神经系统中保持分裂和分化潜能的细胞,对它的研究和应用已成为近年来脑科学研究的一个重要领域.神经干细胞体外培养技术的建立提供了对其进行研究的有力手段.目前的研究主要集中于神经干细胞在脑中的起源、分布及在中枢神经系统疾病治疗中的应用等方面.