Department of Neuroscience, Waisman Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
Waisman Center and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
Cell Tissue Res. 2018 Jan;371(1):1-6. doi: 10.1007/s00441-017-2738-1.
The astonishing progress in the field of stem cell biology during the past 40 years has transformed both science and medicine. Neural stem cells (NSCs) are the stem cells of the nervous system. During development they give rise to the entire nervous system. In adults, a small number of NSCs remain and are mostly quiescent; however, ample evidence supports their important roles in plasticity, aging, disease, and regeneration of the nervous system. Because NSCs are regulated by both intrinsic genetic and epigenetic programs and extrinsic stimuli transduced through the stem cell niche, dysregulation of NSCs due to either genetic causes or environmental impacts may lead to disease. Therefore, extensive investigations in the past decades have been devoted to understanding how NSCs are regulated. On the other hand, ever since their discovery, NSCs have been a focal point for cell-based therapeutic strategies in the brain and spinal cord. The limited number of NSCs residing in the tissue has been a limiting factor for their clinical applications. Although recent advancements in embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells have provided novel sources for NSCs, several challenges remain. In this special issue, leaders and experts in NSCs summarize our current understanding of NSC molecular regulation and the importance of NSCs for disease modeling and translational applications.
在过去的 40 年中，干细胞生物学领域取得了惊人的进展，这不仅改变了科学，也改变了医学。神经干细胞（NSC）是神经系统的干细胞。在发育过程中，它们产生整个神经系统。在成人中，少量的 NSC 仍然存在，并且大多处于静止状态；然而，大量证据支持它们在神经可塑性、衰老、疾病和神经系统再生中的重要作用。由于 NSC 受到内在遗传和表观遗传程序以及通过干细胞龛传递的外在刺激的调节，由于遗传原因或环境影响导致 NSC 失调可能导致疾病。因此，过去几十年来进行了广泛的研究，以了解 NSC 是如何被调节的。另一方面，自从发现 NSC 以来，它们一直是大脑和脊髓基于细胞的治疗策略的焦点。驻留在组织中的 NSC 数量有限一直是其临床应用的限制因素。尽管胚胎和诱导多能干细胞的最新进展为 NSC 提供了新的来源，但仍存在一些挑战。在本期特刊中，NSC 的领导者和专家总结了我们目前对 NSC 分子调节的认识，以及 NSC 对疾病建模和转化应用的重要性。
