Acta Neuropharmacologica››2015,Vol. 5››Issue (3): 46-64.

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Neural Stem Cells, Adult Neurogenesis and Cell Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases

WANG Lun-zheng, XIE Wen-juan, TANG Tie-Shan

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Online:2015-06-26Published:2015-07-06
  • Contact:唐铁山,男,研究员,博士生导师;研究方向:分子神经生物学;Tel:+86-10-64807296,E-mail:tangtsh@ioz.ac.cn
  • About author:汪伦政,男,研究生;研究方向:分子神经生物学;E-mail:scodking@qq.com
  • Supported by:

    本研究受到科技部重大科学计划(2011CB965003, 2012CB944702)、国家自然科学基金 (81371415, 31570816, 31401151, 81300982)的资助

Abstract:Neurons in adult mammals are terminally differentiated cells,so the nervous system has long been considered lack of regeneration ability. However,since the adult neural stem cells( NSCs) and neurogenesis have been widely found and identified in many species,especially in mammals,the plasticity of central nervous system( CNS) and the mechanisms of the neurogenesis quickly become hotspots in neuroscience. Adult neurogenesis is a process that the neural stem cells express specific RNAs and proteins in specific time and space when their homogeneous genomes are regulated by diverse epigenetic factors and microenvironment,and the novel cells experience proliferation,differentiation,migration,integration and ultimately mature into specialized nerve cells. Adult neurogenesis of mammals has been proven in the subventricular zone( SVZ) of the lateral ventricle and the subgranular zone( SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus. Adult neurogenesis is regulated by a variety of physiological and pathological factors and plays a role in the functions of olfactory bulb,hippocampus and other regions of the brain. The approaches for the treatment of CNS diseases by transplanting the NSCs into the abnormal brains have been widely studied,and the preclinical studies show obvious therapeutic effects. Nevertheless,the molecular mechanisms of neurogenesis are not clear during the whole process,especially the therapeutic mechanisms how the new born cells interact with the immune cells,the molecular nets and the microenvironment of the CNS need to be studied deeply. In addition,there is still a long way to go to solve several key problems such as the source of NSCs,NSCs culture technology in vitro,immunological rejection,cell dosage,transplant location and the optimal therapeutic time window for each kind of disease. In short,the studies on the NSCs and neurogenesis will not only promote the development of neuroscience but also provide new therapeutic regimens for the CNS diseases,and thus,have a broad prospect for cell therapy applications.

Key words:neural stem cells,neurogenesis,epigenetic,central nervous system,cell transplantation

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