Newly produced nerve cells (red) in the dentate gyrus with cell nuclei (blue) and a marker for immature neurons (green). Credit: Knobloch Lab– UNIL
A team of biologists has found how to awaken neural stem cells and reactivate them in adult mice.
Some areas of the adult brain contain quiescent, or dormant, neural stem cells that can potentially be reactivated to form brand-new nerve cells. A team led by scientists from the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Lausanne (UNIL) has discovered the significance of cell metabolic process in this process and recognized how to wake up these neural stem cells and reactivate them.
Stem cells have the special capability to continually produce copies of themselves and offer increase to distinguished cells with more specialized functions. Neural stem cells (NSCs) are accountable for building the brain during embryonic advancement, generating all the cells of the main worried system, including neurons.
Neurogenesis capability reduces with age
In the adult brain, these stem cells end up being more silent or “dormant” and decrease their capacity for renewal and distinction. We found that mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles within cells, are included in regulating the level of activation of adult NSCs,” describes Francesco Petrelli, research study fellow at UNIL and co-first author of the study with Valentina Scandella. By understanding the metabolic pathways that identify active cells from dormant cells, scientists can wake up inactive cells by modifying their mitochondrial metabolic process.
New viewpoints
Biologists have actually blocked MPC activity by using chemical inhibitors or by producing mutant mice for the Mpc1 gene. Utilizing these medicinal and hereditary techniques, the scientists were able to trigger dormant NSCs and therefore generate new neurons in the brains of even aged and adult mice. “With this work, we show that redirection of metabolic pathways can directly affect the activity state of adult NSCs and consequently the number of brand-new neurons generated,” sums up Professor Knobloch, co-lead author of the study. “These outcomes shed new light on the role of cell metabolism in the guideline of neurogenesis. In the long term, these results might cause potential treatments for conditions such as anxiety or neurodegenerative illness”, concludes Jean-Claude Martinou, co-lead author of the study.
Referral: “Mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism manages the activation of quiescent adult neural stem cells” by Francesco Petrelli, Valentina Scandella, Sylvie Montessuit, Nicola Zamboni, Jean-Claude Martinou and Marlen Knobloch, 1 March 2023, Science Advances.DOI: 10.1126/ sciadv.add5220.
Some areas of the adult brain include quiescent, or dormant, neural stem cells that can potentially be reactivated to form brand-new neurons. A group led by scientists from the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Lausanne (UNIL) has actually discovered the importance of cell metabolism in this procedure and determined how to wake up these neural stem cells and reactivate them. In the adult brain, these stem cells end up being more silent or “dormant” and decrease their capacity for renewal and distinction. We discovered that mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles within cells, are included in controling the level of activation of adult NSCs,” explains Francesco Petrelli, research study fellow at UNIL and co-first author of the research study with Valentina Scandella. By knowing the metabolic paths that identify active cells from inactive cells, scientists can wake up inactive cells by modifying their mitochondrial metabolic process.