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Characterization of the ventricular-subventricular stem cell niche during human brain development
Amanda M Coletti1, Deepinder Singh1, Saurabh Kumar1
1Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|September 22, 2018
Summary
Human brain development involves stem cells in the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) and ependymal cells. This study reveals a unique human pattern of stem cell reduction as ependymal cells form an occipital-to-frontal wave.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Human brain development relies on the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) stem cell niche.
- The ependymal epithelium is crucial for V-SVZ health but its role in human development is understudied.
- The interplay between V-SVZ stem cell niche reorganization and ependymogenesis in humans remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the spatiotemporal reorganization of the human V-SVZ stem cell niche during development.
- To investigate the relationship between ependymogenesis and V-SVZ stem cell dynamics in the human brain.
- To establish a baseline for normal human V-SVZ development for comparison with pathologies.
Main Methods:
- Comparative spatiotemporal analysis of cytoarchitectural changes along the mouse and human ventricle surface.
- Detailed examination of stem cell distribution and ependymal cell coverage during human brain development.
- Correlation of ventricular morphology changes with stem cell reduction and ependymogenesis.
Main Results:
- A distinctive human stem cell retention pattern was identified, with ependymal cells migrating in an occipital-to-frontal wave.
- Ventricle-contacting stem cells decrease during perinatal development, with few remaining by 7 months, coinciding with reduced neurogenesis.
- Stem cells and neurogenesis are absent in the lateral wall of adolescent and adult human brains.
- Lateral ventricle volume, surface area, and curvature change significantly during fetal development and stabilize after 1 year, correlating with ependymogenesis and stem cell reduction.
Conclusions:
- This study elucidates the normal developmental trajectory of the human V-SVZ stem cell niche.
- The findings highlight a specific sequence of ependymogenesis and stem cell reduction in human brain development.
- Understanding this process is critical for interpreting disease pathologies like congenital hydrocephalus.
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