Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
10:32
Enumeration of Neural Stem Cells Using Clonal Assays
Published on: October 4, 2016
8.8K
Neural stem cell dynamics: the development of brain tumours
Anna E Hakes1, Andrea H Brand1
1The Gurdon Institute and Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK.
Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|July 23, 2019
Summary
Identifying brain tumour precursors is challenging. This review explores how neural stem cell heterogeneity and disrupted development, studied in fruit flies, contribute to brain tumour initiation and progression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Brain tumour development is complex, often involving blocked cell differentiation.
- Tumour initiation can arise from diverse neural stem cell populations.
- Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) models offer insights into brain tumourigenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on neural stem cell behavior in brain development.
- To explore the role of neural stem cell heterogeneity in brain tumour models.
- To enhance understanding of tumour initiation pathways.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent scientific literature.
- Analysis of studies using Drosophila melanogaster models.
- Examination of neural stem cell differentiation processes.
Main Results:
- Neural stem cell heterogeneity presents multiple routes for tumour initiation.
- Disrupted differentiation pathways are a hallmark of brain tumours.
- Drosophila models illuminate conserved mechanisms in brain tumourigenesis.
Conclusions:
- Understanding neural stem cell behavior is crucial for identifying brain tumour precursors.
- Targeting developmental pathways may offer therapeutic strategies.
- Further research in model organisms can advance brain tumour research.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
6.6K
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...
6.6K
00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
32.1K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
32.1K
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
4.7K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
4.7K
01:33Adult Stem Cells
33.4K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
33.4K
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
27.3K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
27.3K
01:37Neural Regulation
43.2K
Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
43.2K