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The identification of neural stem cells (NSCs) in situ has been prevented by the inability to identify a marker consistently expressed in all adult NSCs and is thus generally accomplished using the in vitro neurosphere-forming assay. The high-mobility group transcription factor Sox2 is expressed in embryonic neural epithelial stem cells; because these cells are thought to give rise to the adult NSC population, we hypothesized that Sox2 may continue to be expressed in adult NSCs. Using Sox2:EGFP transgenic mice, we show that Sox2 is expressed in neurogenic regions along the rostral-caudal axis of the central nervous system throughout life. Furthermore, all neurospheres derived from these neurogenic regions express Sox2, suggesting that Sox2 is indeed expressed in adult NSCs. We demonstrate that NSCs are heterogeneous within the adult brain, with differing capacities for cell production. In vitro, all neurospheres express Sox2, but the expression of markers common to early progenitor cells within individual neurospheres varies; this heterogeneity of NSCs is mirrored in vivo. For example, both glial fibrillary acidic protein and NG2 are expressed within individual neurospheres, but their expression is mutually exclusive; likewise, these two markers show distinct staining patterns within the Sox2+ regions of the brain's neurogenic regions. Thus, we propose that the expression of Sox2 is a unifying characteristic of NSCs in the adult brain, but that not all NSCs maintain the ability to form all neural cell types in vivo.

Stromal cell-derived factor (SDF1) and its cognate receptor CXCR4 have been shown to play a central role in the development of the cerebellum, hippocampus, and neocortex. However, little is known about the functions of SDF1/CXCR4 in early spinal cord progenitor cell differentiation. Here, we show that a functional SDF1alpha/CXCR4 signaling pathway is present in developing spinal cord cells (a spliced variant of SDF1). RT-PCR analysis of SDF1alpha and CXCR4 showed that they were present in E10.5 neural tube and their expression increased as neuroepithelial cells differentiated into more committed spinal cord progenitors. Stimulation of the more differentiated progenitors (E14.5) with SDF1alpha resulted in rapid activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. This SDF1alpha-induced ERK activity was dose dependent and could be inhibited by pre-treatment of the cells with either pertussis toxin, an inactivator of G-protein-coupled receptors, or PD98059, a MEK1 inhibitor. Concomitant with ERK activation, SDF1alpha also activated the downstream transcription factor Ets, a substrate for ERK phosphorylation. Further, downstream activation of genes associated with cell survival, differentiation and migration was assessed using a G-protein-coupled receptor pathway-focused microarray. We found that 23 genes, including PDK1, Egr-1, Grm5, and E-selectin, were up-regulated by SDF1alpha. Furthermore, SDF1alpha induced chemotaxis in both neural and glial progenitors in in vitro migration assays. Pre-treatment of the cells with either pertussis toxin or PD98059 completely inhibited SDF1alpha-induced chemotaxis. Thus, our data suggest that SDF1alpha may function through a CXCR4/ERK/Ets-linked signalling pathway in spinal cord neural development to modulate migration of progenitor cells.

Most mammalian cells when placed in culture will undergo a limited number of cell divisions before entering an unresponsive non-proliferating state termed senescence. However, several pathways that are activated singly or in concert can allow cells to bypass senescence at least for limited periods. These include the telomerase pathway required to maintain telomere ends, the p53 and Rb pathways required to direct senescence in response to DNA damage, telomere shortening and mitogenic signals, and the insulin-like growth factor--Akt pathway that may regulate lifespan and cell proliferation. In this review, we summarize recent findings related to these pathways in embryonic stem (ES) cells and suggest that ES cells are immortal because these pathways are tightly regulated.

Several laboratories have begun evaluating human ES (hES) cell lines; however, direct comparisons between different hES cell lines have not been performed. We have characterized the properties of four human cell lines maintained in feeder-free culture conditions. Quantitative assessment of surface markers, microarray analysis of gene expression patterns, expression of SOX-2, UTF-1, Rex-1, OCT3/4, CRIPTO, and telomerase activity demonstrated similar patterns in all hES cell lines examined. Undifferentiated hES cells do not respond to neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. In addition, the undifferentiated hES cells possess gap junctions. Although similarities in marker expression were observed, allotyping showed that all four lines have a distinct HLA profile, predicting differences in transplantation responses. These data provide the first detailed comparison of different hES cell lines and demonstrate remarkable similarities among lines maintained in identical culture conditions.

Six new secoiridoids, named isoligustrosidic acid (I), 6′-O-trans-cinnamoyl- 8-epikingisidic acid (IIa), 6′-O-cis-cinnamoyl-8-epikingisidic acid (IIb), oleopolynuzhenide A, nuzhenal A (III) and nuzhenal B (IV) are isolated and their structures are established.