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Building brains: Mammalian-like neurogenesis in fruit flies
February 19, 2008A new way of generating brain cells has been uncovered in Drosophila. The findings, published this week in the online open access journal Neural Development, reveal that this novel mode of neurogenesis is very similar to that seen in mammalian brains, suggesting that key aspects of neural development could be shared by insects and mammals.
In the widely accepted model of neurogenesis in Drosophila, neuroblasts divide asymmetrically both to self renew and to produce a smaller progenitor cell. This cell then divides into two daughter cells, which receive cell fate determinants, causing them to exit the cell cycle and differentiate.
In mammals, neural stem cells may also divide asymmetrically but can then amplify the number of cells they produce through intermediate progenitors, which divide symmetrically. A research team from the University of Basel, Switzerland set out to study whether specific Drosophila neural stem cells, neuroblasts, might increase the number of cells generated in the larval brain via a similar mechanism.
The team used cell lineage tracing and genetic marker analysis to show that surprisingly large neuroblast lineages are present in the dorsomedial larval brain - a result, they say, of amplified neuroblast proliferation mediated through intermediate progenitors.
In the novel mechanism postulated by the researchers, there are intermediate progenitors present that divide symmetrically in terms of morphology, but asymmetrically in molecular terms. This latter feature means that cell fate determinants are segregated into only one daughter cell, leaving the other free to divide several more times, thus amplifying the number of cells generated.
The authors write: "The surprising similarities in the patterns of neural stem and intermediate progenitor cell division in Drosophila and mammals, suggest that amplification of brain neurogenesis in both groups of animals may rely on evolutionarily conserved cellular and molecular mechanisms."
BioMed Central
The team used cell lineage tracing and genetic marker analysis to show that surprisingly large neuroblast lineages are present in the dorsomedial larval brain - a result, they say, of amplified neuroblast proliferation mediated through intermediate progenitors.
In the novel mechanism postulated by the researchers, there are intermediate progenitors present that divide symmetrically in terms of morphology, but asymmetrically in molecular terms. This latter feature means that cell fate determinants are segregated into only one daughter cell, leaving the other free to divide several more times, thus amplifying the number of cells generated.
The authors write: "The surprising similarities in the patterns of neural stem and intermediate progenitor cell division in Drosophila and mammals, suggest that amplification of brain neurogenesis in both groups of animals may rely on evolutionarily conserved cellular and molecular mechanisms."
BioMed Central
Neurogenesis Current Events and Neurogenesis News RSSPotential new targets for antidepressant medications
The news about antidepressant medications over the past several years has been mixed. The bad news from large multicenter studies such as STAR*D is that current antidepressant medications are effective, but not as effective as one might hope. Thus, there is a significant need for new treatment mechanisms for depression.
Sensitivity to antidepressants linked with TrkB-mediated neural proliferation
Scientists have unveiled a functional link between production of new neurons and the effectiveness of antidepressants (ADs) in an animal model. The study, published by Cell Press in the August 14 issue of the journal Neuron, provides exciting insight into a mechanism that might underlie a poor response to antidepressive medications for anxiety or depression.
Exercise Pill is No Replacement for Exercise
Recently, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a research organization focused on biology and its relation to health, published a study in the journal Cell on the results of a substance that increased exercise endurance without daily exertion when tested in mice.
UNC study ties ending moderate drinking to depression
Scientific evidence has long suggested that moderate drinking offers some protection against heart disease, certain types of stroke and some forms of cancer.
Mammalian neurogenesis breaks into the most static brain region
ifteen years ago, the discovery of adult neurogenesis (the production of new neurons) in the highly static, non-renewable mammalian brain was a breakthrough in neuroscience.
Blueberry and green tea containing supplement protects against stroke damage
A unique dietary supplement called NutraStem ® has been shown to have beneficial effects following experimental stroke. A nutritional supplement product, NutraStem also known as NT-020, is a proprietary formulation of blueberry, green tea, vitamin D3 and carnosine extracts- a combination of nutritional ingredients thought to be potent in protecting against brain damage.
Trainor Lab characterizes gene essential for prenatal development of nervous system
The Stowers Institute's Trainor Lab has demonstrated the role of a gene important to the embryonic development of the nervous system, a process that requires coordination of differentiation of immature neural cells with the cycle of cell division that increases their numbers. Until now, the mechanisms regulating these distinct cellular activities have been poorly understood.
Brain cell growth diminishes long before old age strikes, animal study shows
Even early in adulthood, aging begins to slow the mind's growth -- but it does not have to stop it altogether, suggests a Princeton University study on the brains of adult monkeys.
Stem cells show promise for treating Huntington's disease
Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease - a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or even a treatment to slow the disease.
Schizophrenia-linked gene keeps new adult brain cells under control
A gene with reported links to schizophrenia and other mood disorders plays a broader role in the brain than scientists had previously suspected.
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