Neurosphere

Neurosphere

Neurospheres in culture

A neurosphere is a culture system composed of free-floating clusters of neural stem cells. Neurospheres are used in neuroscience research to study the properties of neural stem cells and their potential for neurogenesis and neural differentiation.

History

File:Reynolds and Weiss Neurosphere 1992.jpg

Reynolds and Weiss, 1992

The concept of the neurosphere was first introduced by Brent A. Reynolds and Samuel Weiss in 1992. They demonstrated that neural stem cells could be isolated from the adult mammalian brain and cultured in vitro to form neurospheres. This discovery was pivotal in the field of neural stem cell research, providing a method to study the self-renewal and differentiation capabilities of these cells.

Formation

Neurospheres are formed by culturing neural stem cells in a medium that lacks adhesion substrates, allowing the cells to remain in suspension. The medium is typically supplemented with growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF), which promote the proliferation of neural stem cells. Over time, these cells proliferate and aggregate to form spherical clusters known as neurospheres.

Applications

Neurospheres are used extensively in research to:

• Study the properties of neural stem cells, including their ability to self-renew and differentiate into various neural lineages.
• Investigate the effects of genetic and environmental factors on neural stem cell behavior.
• Screen for potential therapeutic agents that can influence neurogenesis and neural repair.

Limitations

While neurospheres are a valuable tool in neuroscience research, they have certain limitations:

• The heterogeneity of cells within a neurosphere can complicate the interpretation of experimental results.
• The culture conditions may not fully replicate the in vivo environment of neural stem cells, potentially affecting their behavior.

Neurospheres and Disease

Neurospheres with ZIKV infection

Neurospheres have been used to study the effects of various diseases on neural stem cells. For example, they have been employed to investigate the impact of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection on neural development. Studies have shown that ZIKV can infect neural progenitor cells within neurospheres, leading to impaired neurogenesis and potential developmental abnormalities.

Related pages

• Neural stem cell
• Neurogenesis
• Stem cell
• Zika virus