Ortega Felipe, Costa Marcos R
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University Madrid, Spain.
Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte Natal, Brazil.
Front Neurosci. 2016 Mar 7;10:78. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00078. eCollection 2016.
The generation of cells of the neural lineage within the brain is not restricted to early development. New neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes are produced in the adult brain throughout the entire murine life. However, despite the extensive research performed in the field of adult neurogenesis during the past years, fundamental questions regarding the cell biology of adult neural stem cells (aNSCs) remain to be uncovered. For instance, it is crucial to elucidate whether a single aNSC is capable of differentiating into all three different macroglial cell types in vivo or these distinct progenies constitute entirely separate lineages. Similarly, the cell cycle length, the time and mode of division (symmetric vs. asymmetric) that these cells undergo within their lineage progression are interesting questions under current investigation. In this sense, live imaging constitutes a valuable ally in the search of reliable answers to the previous questions. In spite of the current limitations of technology new approaches are being developed and outstanding amount of knowledge is being piled up providing interesting insights in the behavior of aNSCs. Here, we will review the state of the art of live imaging as well as the alternative models that currently offer new answers to critical questions.
脑内神经谱系细胞的生成并不局限于早期发育阶段。在整个小鼠生命周期内，成年大脑中都会产生新的神经元、少突胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞。然而，尽管在过去几年中对成年神经发生领域进行了广泛研究，但关于成年神经干细胞（aNSC）细胞生物学的基本问题仍有待揭示。例如，阐明单个aNSC在体内是否能够分化为所有三种不同的大胶质细胞类型，或者这些不同的子代细胞是否构成完全独立的谱系，这一点至关重要。同样，这些细胞在其谱系进展过程中经历的细胞周期长度、分裂时间和方式（对称分裂与不对称分裂）也是当前研究中有趣的问题。从这个意义上讲，实时成像在寻找上述问题的可靠答案方面是一个有价值的辅助手段。尽管目前技术存在局限性，但新的方法正在不断开发，并且积累了大量的知识，为aNSC的行为提供了有趣的见解。在这里，我们将综述实时成像的技术现状以及目前为关键问题提供新答案的替代模型。
