Proliferation and differentiation of adult endogenous neural stem cells in response to neurodegenerative process within the striatum.

The ongoing process of neurogenesis in the adult mammalian forebrain suggests the possible capacity for limited self-repair after brain injury. Previously, we have demonstrated that in an animal model of Huntington's disease the neurodegenerative process initiates immediate intensive cell proliferation and differentiation resulting in characteristic enlargement of the subependymal zone (SEZ) of lateral brain ventricles. Now, our interest is focused on the architecture of the neurogenic niche of the SEZ in the identical model, particularly on characteristic features of astrocyte-like cells which are considered to be not only niche cells but also neural stem cells. Our findings prove higher activation of the lateral part of the SEZ (L-SEZ) adjacent to the degenerated striatum compared with the rostral part of the SEZ (R-SEZ). In the activated L-SEZ, niche cells which ensheathe clusters of neural progenitors are of immature astrocytic phenotype because of nestin and vimentin expression (except the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein). However, the coexpression of all three filaments is not always found. Intermediate filaments also enable us to distinguish the basic shape of astrocytic cells within the SEZ, majority of which resemble protoplasmic rather than fibrillary astrocytes. Furthermore, our results show a wide plasticity of these astrocyte-like cells in immediate response to an extensive pathological process in the brain. These observations are consistent with the fact that adult stem cells undergo different processes in an already mature environment, and therefore can exhibit some specific characteristics unlike the embryonic or fetal neural stem cells. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.