Embryonic cerebrospinal fluid regulates neuroepithelial survival, proliferation, and neurogenesis in chick embryos

• Published in: The anatomical record. Part A, Discoveries in molecular, cellular, and evolutionary biology Vol. 284A; no. 1; pp. 475 - 484
• Main Authors: Gato, Ángel, Moro, J.A., Alonso, M.I., Bueno, D., De La Mano, A., Martín, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2005
• Subjects: Animals; brain development; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cerebrospinal Fluid - chemistry; Cerebrospinal Fluid - physiology; Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins - pharmacology; Chick Embryo; Embryonic Development - drug effects; mesencephalon; Mesencephalon - drug effects; Mesencephalon - embryology; neural differentiation; neural stem cell; neural tube; Neuroepithelial Cells - drug effects; Neuroepithelial Cells - pathology; neuroepithelium tissue culture; Organ Culture Techniques
• ISSN: 1552-4884; 1552-4892
• DOI: 10.1002/ar.a.20185

Early in development, the behavior of neuroepithelial cells is controlled by several factors, which act in a developmentally regulated manner. Diffusible factors are secreted locally by the neuroepithelium itself, although other nearby structures may also be involved. Evidence suggests a physiological role for the cerebrospinal fluid in the development of the brain. Here, using organotypic cultures of chick embryo neuroepithelial explants from the mesencephalon, we show that the neuroepithelium in vitro is not able to self‐induce cell survival, replication, and neurogenesis. We also show that the embryonic cerebrospinal fluid (E‐CSF) promotes neuroepithelial stem cell survival and induces proliferation and neurogenesis in mesencephalic explants. These data strongly suggest that E‐CSF is involved in the regulation of neuroepithelial cells behavior, supporting the hypothesis that this fluid plays a key role during the early development of the central nervous system. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.