First-generation neuronal precursors in the crayfish brain are not self-renewing

Adult-born neurons in crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are the progeny of 1st-generation precursor cells (functionally analogous to neuronal stem cells in vertebrates) that are located in a neurogenic niche on the ventral surface of the brain. The daughters of these precursor cells migrate along the processes of bipolar niche cells to proliferation zones in the cell clusters where the somata of the olfactory interneurons reside. Here they divide again, producing offspring that differentiate into olfactory local and projection neurons. The features of this neuronal assembly line, and the fact that it continues to function when the brain is isolated and perfused or maintained in organotypic culture, provide opportunities unavailable in other organisms to explore the sequence of cellular and molecular events leading to the production of new neurons in adult brains. Further, we have determined that the 1st-generation precursor cells are not a self-renewing population, and that the niche is, nevertheless, not depleted as the animals grow and age. We conclude, therefore, that the niche is not a closed system and that there must be an extrinsic source of neuronal stem cells. Based on in vitro studies demonstrating that cells extracted from the hemolymph are attracted to the niche, as well as the intimate relationship between the niche and vasculature, we hypothesize that the hematopoietic system is a likely source of these cells.