Neural stem cell phenotype of tanycyte-like ependymal cells in the circumventricular organs and central canal of adult mouse brain

Eriko Furube,Seiji Miyata,Sumiharu Nagaoka,Mitsuhiro Morita,Yuri Nambu,Haruna Ishii,Erkin Kurganov

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-59629-5

Eriko Furube, Seiji Miyata + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59629-5

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Abstract

Tanycyte is a subtype of ependymal cells which extend long radial processes to brain parenchyma. The present study showed that tanycyte-like ependymal cells in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis, subfornical organ and central canal (CC) expressed neural stem cell (NSC) marker nestin, glial fibrillar acidic protein and sex determining region Y. Proliferation of these tanycyte-like ependymal cells was promoted by continuous intracerebroventricular infusion of fibroblast growth factor-2 and epidermal growth factor. Tanycytes-like ependymal cells in the CC are able to form self-renewing neurospheres and give rise mostly to new astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Collagenase-induced small medullary hemorrhage increased proliferation of tanycyte-like ependymal cells in the CC. These results demonstrate that these tanycyte-like ependymal cells of the adult mouse brain are NSCs and suggest that they serve as a source for providing new neuronal lineage cells upon brain damage in the medulla oblongata.

Highlights

Tanycyte is a subtype of ependymal cells which extend long radial processes to brain parenchyma
It has been reported that tanycytes are present in the median eminence (ME) and arcuate nucleus (Arc)[15,27] and tanycyte-like ependymal cells exist in the OVLT, SFO24–26 and central canal (CC) of the medulla oblongata[22] of adult mouse brain
The expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was induced in tanycyte-like ependymal cells of the OVLT (Fig. 1a), subfornical organ (SFO) (Fig. 1b) and CC (Fig. 1d) and tanycytes of the Arc (Fig. 1c) at 1 day after a single administration of tamoxifen, while astrocyte-like neural stem cell (NSC) did not show a prominent EGFP expression in the OVLT and SFO and area postrema (AP)

Summary

Introduction

Tanycyte is a subtype of ependymal cells which extend long radial processes to brain parenchyma. Collagenase-induced small medullary hemorrhage increased proliferation of tanycyte-like ependymal cells in the CC These results demonstrate that these tanycyte-like ependymal cells of the adult mouse brain are NSCs and suggest that they serve as a source for providing new neuronal lineage cells upon brain damage in the medulla oblongata. Neurosphere assay showed that tanycyte-like ependymal cells in the CC of the medulla oblongata had capability for self-renewing and could differentiation into astrocytes and oligodendrocytes These result demonstrates that tanycyte-like ependymal cells existing in the CVOs and CC of the medulla oblongata are NSCs and suggests that NSCs in the CC are able to supply new neuronal lineage cells to broad regions of the medulla oblongata after injury

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