Dose-dependent effect of EGF on migration and differentiation of adult subventricular zone astrocytes

Adult neural stem cells (NSCs) are located in the subventricular zone (SVZ), a specialized brain niche located on the walls of the lateral ventricle. Under physiological conditions, NSCs generate a large number of young neurons and some oligodendrocytes, however the mechanisms controlling cell proliferation and migration are unclear. In vitro, epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling has been shown to be an important mediator of cell proliferation and migration in the adult brain; however, the primary SVZ progenitors that respond to EGF are not well known. In this study, we isolated SVZ type-B astrocytes and cultured them under different EGF concentrations. We found a dose-dependent effect of EGF on proliferation rates and migration of SVZ type-B astrocytes. We found that GFAP+ type-B astrocytes gave rise to highly migratory and proliferating cells that expressed Olig2 and NG2. After EGF withdrawal, a significant number of EGF-stimulated cells differentiated into S100beta+/O4+ oligodendrocytes. This study provides new insights about the production of oligodendrocytes derived from the astrocyte NSCs residing in the adult SVZ. To be able to manipulate the endogenous adult progenitors, it is crucial to identify and isolate the responding primary precursors and determine the extracellular signals that regulate their cell division, migration, and fate.