Upregulated and prolonged differentiation potential of the ependymal cells lining the ventriculus terminalis in human fetuses
Autor: | Byung Pil Cho, Byoung Young Choi, Chang Kyo Lim, Young Chul Yang, Bonghee Lee, Ho Suck Kang, Dae Yong Song |
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Rok vydání: | 2005 |
Předmět: |
Pathology
medicine.medical_specialty Ependymal Cell Cell division Pregnancy Ependyma Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein medicine Humans Cell Proliferation Fetus Neuronal Plasticity Glial fibrillary acidic protein biology General Neuroscience Stem Cells Cell Differentiation Epithelial Cells Anatomy Spinal cord Slit Proliferating cell nuclear antigen Up-Regulation Conus medullaris medicine.anatomical_structure Spinal Cord Aborted Fetus biology.protein Female Biomarkers |
Zdroj: | Neuroscience letters. 386(1) |
ISSN: | 0304-3940 |
Popis: | The ventriculus terminalis (VT) is a dilated cavity within the conus medullaris of the spinal cord. Although the VT was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century, little is known about its characteristics during development in human fetuses. Ependymal cells lining the cavities within the CNS retain high differentiation potential, and are believed to be responsible for the postnatal neurogenesis. To evaluate the differentiation capacity of the ependymal cells lining the VT during development, we examined glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in the spinal cord of 18-24-week-old human fetuses. GFAP is a marker for the degree of ependymal cell differentiation in the human fetus, and PCNA is a well-known marker for cell division. Morphological characteristics of the VT were also examined. At the lower portion of the conus medullaris, the central canal abruptly expands dorsally to become the VT. Then the VT widens bilaterally while its anteroposterior diameter reduces gradually in a caudal direction. Finally, the VT becomes a narrow, transverse slit at the level of the lowermost conus medullaris. Compared with those lining the central canal, more numerous ependymal cells lining the VT showed more intensive GFAP and PCNA expression throughout all gestational ages examined. This suggests that, in the developing human spinal cord, ependymal cells lining the VT retain their differentiation potential, including a higher proliferative capacity, until a later stage of development than those lining the central canal. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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