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Theo D Palmer

Publications and source records attributed to Theo D Palmer.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Exploring the regulation of human neural precursor cell differentiation using arrays of signaling microenvironments.

Cells of a developing embryo integrate a complex array of local and long-range signals that act in concert with cell-intrinsic determinants to influence developmental decisions. To systematically investigate the effects of molecular microenvironments on cell fate decisions, we developed an experimental method based on parallel exposure of cells to diverse combinations of extracellular signals followed by quantitative, multi-parameter analysis of cellular responses. Primary human neural precursor cells were captured and cultured on printed microenvironment arrays composed of mixtures of extracellular matrix components, morphogens, and other signaling proteins. Quantitative single cell analysis revealed striking effects of some of these signals on the extent and direction of differentiation. We found that Wnt and Notch co-stimulation could maintain the cells in an undifferentiated-like, proliferative state, whereas bone morphogenetic protein 4 induced an 'indeterminate' differentiation phenotype characterized by simultaneous expression of glial and neuronal markers. Multi-parameter analysis of responses to conflicting signals revealed interactions more complex than previously envisaged including dominance relations that may reflect a cell-intrinsic system for robust specification of responses in complex microenvironments.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Neurogenesis in rats after focal cerebral ischemia is enhanced by indomethacin.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Newborn cells may participate in repair following ischemic brain injury, but their survival and function may be influenced by inflammation. METHODS: We investigated the effects of indomethacin, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, on the fate of newborn cells following transient focal ischemia. RESULTS: Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-labeled cells, including migrating neuroblasts, were observed in the neighboring striatum and overlying cortex 1 day poststroke. The density of BrdU+ cells labeled with doublecortin, nestin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, or NG2 was increased at 14 and 28 days. Indomethacin increased BrdU+ cells of all lineages and reduced microglial/monocyte activation. CONCLUSIONS: Indomethacin enhanced the accumulation of newborn cells following stroke.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Sleep restriction suppresses neurogenesis induced by hippocampus-dependent learning.

Sleep deprivation impairs hippocampal-dependent learning, which, in turn, is associated with increased survival of newborn cells in the hippocampus. We tested whether the deleterious effects of sleep restriction on hippocampus-dependent memory were associated with reduced cell survival in the hippocampus. We show that sleep restriction impaired hippocampus-dependent learning and abolished learning-induced neurogenesis. Animals were trained in a water maze on either a spatial learning (hippocampus-dependent) task or a nonspatial (hippocampus-independent) task for 4 days. Sleep-restricted animals were kept awake for one-half of their rest phase on each of the training days. Consistent with previous reports, animals trained on the hippocampus-dependent task expressed increased survival of newborn cells in comparison with animals trained on the hippocampus-independent task. This increase was abolished by sleep restriction that caused overall reduced cell survival in all animals. Sleep restriction also selectively impaired spatial learning while performance in the nonspatial task was, surprisingly, improved. Further analysis showed that in both training groups fully rested animals applied a spatial strategy irrespective of task requirements; this strategy interfered with performance in the nonspatial task. Conversely, in sleep-restricted animals, this preferred spatial strategy was eliminated, favoring the use of nonspatial information, and hence improving performance in the nonspatial task. These findings suggest that sleep loss altered behavioral strategies to those that do not depend on the hippocampus, concomitantly reversing the neurogenic effects of hippocampus-dependent learning.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Excitation-neurogenesis coupling in adult neural stem/progenitor cells.

A wide variety of in vivo manipulations influence neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. It is not known, however, if adult neural stem/progenitor cells (NPCs) can intrinsically sense excitatory neural activity and thereby implement a direct coupling between excitation and neurogenesis. Moreover, the theoretical significance of activity-dependent neurogenesis in hippocampal-type memory processing networks has not been explored. Here we demonstrate that excitatory stimuli act directly on adult hippocampal NPCs to favor neuron production. The excitation is sensed via Ca(v)1.2/1.3 (L-type) Ca(2+) channels and NMDA receptors on the proliferating precursors. Excitation through this pathway acts to inhibit expression of the glial fate genes Hes1 and Id2 and increase expression of NeuroD, a positive regulator of neuronal differentiation. These activity-sensing properties of the adult NPCs, when applied as an "excitation-neurogenesis coupling rule" within a Hebbian neural network, predict significant advantages for both the temporary storage and the clearance of memories.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Novel neuronal phenotypes from neural progenitor cells.

We report the first isolation of progenitor cells from the hypothalamus, a derivative of the embryonic basal plate that does not exhibit neurogenesis postnatally. Neurons derived from hypothalamic progenitor cells were compared with those derived from progenitor cultures of hippocampus, an embryonic alar plate derivative that continues to support neurogenesis in vivo into adulthood. Aside from their different embryonic origins and their different neurogenic potential in vivo, these brain regions were chosen because they are populated with cells of three different categories: Category I cells are generated in both hippocampus and hypothalamus, Category II cells are generated in the hypothalamus but are absent from the hippocampus, and Category III is a cell type generated in the olfactory placode that migrates into the hypothalamus during development. Stem-like cells isolated from other brain regions, with the ability to generate neurons and glia, produce neurons of several phenotypes including gabaergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic lineages. In the present study, we extended our observations into neuroendocrine phenotypes. The cultured neural precursors from 7-week-old rat hypothalamus readily generated neuropeptide-expressing neurons. Hippocampal and hypothalamic progenitor cultures converged to indistinguishable populations and produced neurons of all three categories, confirming that even short-term culture confers or selects for immature progenitors with enough plasticity to elaborate neuronal phenotypes usually inhibited in vivo by the local microenvironment. The range of phenotypes generated from neuronal precursors in vitro now includes the peptides found in the neuroendocrine system: corticotropin-releasing hormone, growth hormone-releasing hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, oxytocin, somatostatin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and vasopressin.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Radiation response of neural precursor cells: linking cellular sensitivity to cell cycle checkpoints, apoptosis and oxidative stress.

Therapeutic irradiation of the brain can cause a progressive cognitive dysfunction that may involve defects in neurogenesis. In an effort to understand the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced stem cell dysfunction, neural precursor cells isolated from the adult rat hippocampus were analyzed for acute (0-24 h) and chronic (3-33 days) changes in apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) after exposure to X rays. Irradiated neural precursor cells exhibited an acute dose-dependent apoptosis accompanied by an increase in ROS that persisted over a 3-4-week period. The radiation effects included the activation of cell cycle checkpoints that were associated with increased Trp53 phosphorylation and Trp53 and p21 (Cdkn1a) protein levels. In vivo, neural precursor cells within the hippocampal dentate subgranular zone exhibited significant sensitivity to radiation. Proliferating precursor cells and their progeny (i.e. immature neurons) exhibited dose-dependent reductions in cell number. These reductions were less severe in Trp53-null mice, possibly due to the disruption of apoptosis. These data suggest that the apoptotic and ROS responses may be tied to Trp53-dependent regulation of cell cycle control and stress-activated pathways. The temporal coincidence between in vitro and in vivo measurements of apoptosis suggests that oxidative stress may provide a mechanistic explanation for radiation-induced inhibition of neurogenesis in the development of cognitive impairment.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2003

Inflammatory blockade restores adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Cranial radiation therapy causes a progressive decline in cognitive function that is linked to impaired neurogenesis. Chronic inflammation accompanies radiation injury, suggesting that inflammatory processes may contribute to neural stem cell dysfunction. Here, we show that neuroinflammation alone inhibits neurogenesis and that inflammatory blockade with indomethacin, a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, restores neurogenesis after endotoxin-induced inflammation and augments neurogenesis after cranial irradiation.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Extreme sensitivity of adult neurogenesis to low doses of X-irradiation.

Therapeutic irradiation of the brain is associated with a number of adverse effects, including cognitive impairment. Although the pathogenesis of radiation-induced cognitive injury is unknown, it may involve loss of neural precursor cells from the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and alterations in new cell production (neurogenesis). Young adult male C57BL mice received whole brain irradiation, and 6-48 h later, hippocampal tissue was assessed using immunohistochemistry for detection of apoptosis and numbers of proliferating cells and immature neurons. Apoptosis peaked 12 h after irradiation, and its extent was dose dependent. Forty-eight h after irradiation, proliferating SGZ cells were reduced by 93-96%; immature neurons were decreased from 40 to 60% in a dose-dependent fashion. To determine whether acute cell sensitivity translated into long-term changes, we quantified neurogenesis 2 months after irradiation with 0, 2, 5, or 10 Gy. Multiple injections of BrdUrd were given to label proliferating cells, and 3 weeks later, confocal microscopy was used to determine the percentage of BrdUrd-labeled cells that showed mature cell phenotypes. The production of new neurons was significantly reduced by X-rays; that change was dose dependent. In contrast, there were no apparent effects on the production of new astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. Measures of activated microglia indicated that changes in neurogenesis were associated with a significant inflammatory response. Given the known effects of radiation on cognitive function and the relationship between hippocampal neurogenesis and associated memory formation, our data suggest that precursor cell radiation response and altered neurogenesis may play a contributory if not causative role in radiation-induced cognitive impairment.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell supporting factor is an autocrine/paracrine survival factor for adult neural stem/progenitor cells.

Recent evidence suggests that adult neural stem/progenitor cells (ANSCs) secrete autocrine/paracrine factors and that these intrinsic factors are involved in the maintenance of adult neurogenesis. We identified a novel secretory molecule, stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell supporting factor (SDNSF), from adult hippocampal neural stem/progenitor cells by using the signal sequence trap method. The expression of SDNSF in adult central nervous system was localized to hippocampus including dentate gyrus, where the neurogenesis persists throughout life. In induced neurogenesis status seen in ischemically treated hippocampus, the expression of SDNSF was up-regulated. As functional aspects, SDNSF protein provided a dose-dependent survival effect for ANSC following basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) withdrawal. ANSCs treated by SDNSF also retain self-renewal potential and multipotency in the absence of FGF-2. However, SDNSF did not have mitogenic activity, nor was it a cofactor that promoted the mitogenic effects of FGF-2. These data suggested an important role of SDNSF as an autocrine/paracrine factor in maintaining stem cell potential and lifelong neurogenesis in adult central nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

New roles for astrocytes: the nightlife of an 'astrocyte'. La vida loca!

Like a newly popular nightspot, the biology of adult stem cells has emerged from obscurity to become one of the most lively new disciplines of the decade. The neurosciences have not escaped this trendy pastime and, from amid the noise and excitement, the astrocyte emerges as a beguiling companion to the adult neural stem cell. A once receding partner to neurons and oligodendrocytes, the astrocyte even takes on an alter ego of the stem cell itself (S. Goldman, this issue of TINS). Putting ego aside, the 'astrocyte' is also (and perhaps more importantly) an integral component of neural progenitor hotspots, where the craziness or 'la vida loca' of the nightlife might not be so wild when compared with our traditional understanding of the astrocyte. Here, astrocytes contribute to the instructive confluence of location, atmosphere and cellular neighbors that define the daily 'vida local' or everyday local life of an adult stem cell. This review discusses astrocytes as influential components in the local stem cell niche.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

IGF-I has a direct proliferative effect in adult hippocampal progenitor cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential direct effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on adult rat hippocampal stem/progenitor cells (AHPs). IGF-I-treated cultures showed a dose-dependent increase in thymidine incorporation, total number of cells, and number of cells entering the mitosis phase. Pretreatment with fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) increased the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) expression, and both FGF-2 and IGF-I were required for maximal proliferation. Time-lapse recordings showed that IGF-I at 100 ng/ml decreased differentiation and increased proliferation of single AHPs. Specific inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), or the downstream effector of the PI3-K pathway, serine/threonine p70 S6 kinase (p70(S6K)), showed that both the MAPK and the PI3-K pathways participate in IGF-I-induced proliferation but that the MAPK activation is obligatory. These results were confirmed with dominant-negative constructs for these pathways. Stimulation of differentiation was found at a low dose (1 ng/ml) of IGF-I, clonal analysis indicating an instructive component of IGF-I signaling.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

VEGF is necessary for exercise-induced adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Declining learning and memory function is associated with the attenuation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. As in humans, chronic stress or depression in animals is accompanied by hippocampal dysfunction, and neurogenesis is correspondingly down regulated, in part, by the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as well as glutamatergic and serotonergic networks. Antidepressants can reverse this effect over time but one of the most clinically effective moderators of stress or depression and robust stimulators of neurogenesis is simple voluntary physical exercise such as running. Curiously, running also elevates circulating stress hormone levels yet neurogenesis is doubled in running animals. In evaluating the signalling that running provides to the central nervous system in mice, we have found that peripheral vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is necessary for the effects of running on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Peripheral blockade of VEGF abolished running-induced neurogenesis but had no detectable effect on baseline neurogenesis in non-running animals. These data suggest that VEGF is an important element of a 'somatic regulator' of adult neurogenesis and that these somatic signalling networks can function independently of the central regulatory networks that are typically considered in the context of hippocampal neurogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Irradiation induces neural precursor-cell dysfunction.

In both pediatric and adult patients, cranial radiation therapy causes a debilitating cognitive decline that is poorly understood and currently untreatable. This decline is characterized by hippocampal dysfunction, and seems to involve a radiation-induced decrease in postnatal hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we show that the deficit in neurogenesis reflects alterations in the microenvironment that regulates progenitor-cell fate, as well as a defect in the proliferative capacity of the neural progenitor-cell population. Not only is hippocampal neurogenesis ablated, but the remaining neural precursors adopt glial fates and transplants of non-irradiated neural precursor cells fail to differentiate into neurons in the irradiated hippocampus. The inhibition of neurogenesis is accompanied by marked alterations in the neurogenic microenvironment, including disruption of the microvascular angiogenesis associated with adult neurogenesis and a marked increase in the number and activation status of microglia within the neurogenic zone. These findings provide clear targets for future therapeutic interventions.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Adult neurogenesis and the vascular Nietzsche.

Adult neurogenesis is mediated by immature neural precursors that divide within the residual germinal matrices of the brain. In the paper by in this issue of Neuron, the "cause and effect" of adult neurogenesis takes a major step forward with the description of a vascular signaling network that influences neuronal precursor migration and fate.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Functional neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.

There is extensive evidence indicating that new neurons are generated in the dentate gyrus of the adult mammalian hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important for learning and memory. However, it is not known whether these new neurons become functional, as the methods used to study adult neurogenesis are limited to fixed tissue. We use here a retroviral vector expressing green fluorescent protein that only labels dividing cells, and that can be visualized in live hippocampal slices. We report that newly generated cells in the adult mouse hippocampus have neuronal morphology and can display passive membrane properties, action potentials and functional synaptic inputs similar to those found in mature dentate granule cells. Our findings demonstrate that newly generated cells mature into functional neurons in the adult mammalian brain.

Aging↗
PubMed2002

Expression of IL-17B in neurons and evaluation of its possible role in the chromosome 5q-linked form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

IL-17B is a recently identified homolog of IL-17. Northern analysis revealed that IL-17B mRNA is expressed at very high levels in spinal cord and at much lower and more variable levels in trachea, prostate, lung, small intestine, testes, adrenal, and pancreas. In developing mouse embryos IL-17B expression was first detected at day 11 and appeared to peak at day 15. In situ analysis of mouse spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, and brain demonstrated that IL-17B mRNA is primarily expressed by the neurons. Immunohistochemical analysis of human spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus demonstrated that IL-17B protein is primarily localized to the neuronal cell bodies and axons. Radiation hybrid mapping localized the IL-17B gene to a region on human chromosome 5q that is associated with a rare autosomal recessive form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth demyelinating disease. However, no changes were found in the coding regions, splice junctions, intron 1, or the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of IL-17B genes of patients affected with this disease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗