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Nestin regulates neural stem cell migration via controlling the cell contractility
Sunxing Yan1, Panlong Li2, Yong Wang3
1Center for Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering, Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology
|August 2, 2016
Summary
Nestin protein is crucial for neural stem cell (NSC) migration and contraction, impacting brain repair. Its down-regulation hinders NSC motility by affecting myosin light chain kinase activity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Neural stem cell (NSC) migration is vital for brain development and repair after injury.
- Nestin, a marker for NSCs, is also found in cancers, suggesting a role in cell movement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of nestin in neural stem cell migration.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which nestin influences NSC motility.
Main Methods:
- Down-regulation of nestin in murine neural stem cells.
- Assessment of cell migration, contraction, proliferation, F-actin content, and focal adhesion assembly.
- Analysis of myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) phosphorylation and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activity.
- Co-immunoprecipitation to determine protein interactions.
Main Results:
- Nestin down-regulation significantly inhibited NSC migration and contraction.
- Nestin knockdown did not affect NSC proliferation, F-actin dynamics, or focal adhesion assembly.
- Nestin knockdown altered MRLC phosphorylation and MLCK activity.
- Nestin was found to interact with both MLCK and MRLC.
Conclusions:
- Nestin plays a significant role in promoting neural stem cell migration and motility.
- Nestin enhances NSC motility by increasing MLCK activity through direct binding to MLCK and MRLC.
- These findings offer new insights into nestin's function in NSC migration and potential therapeutic applications in neuroregeneration.
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