Abstract
Since their initial description in 1992, neurospheres have appeared in some aspect of more than a thousand published studies. Despite their ubiquitous presence in the scientific literature, there is little consensus regarding the fundamental defining characteristics of neurospheres; thus, there is little agreement about what, if anything, the neurosphere assay can tell us about the relative abundance or behavior of neural stem cells in vivo. In this review we will examine some of the common features of neurospheres, and ask if these features should be interpreted as a proxy for neural stem cells. In addition, we will discuss ways in which the neurosphere assay has been used to evaluate in vivo treatment/manipulation, and will suggest appropriate ways in which neurosphere data should be interpreted, vis-a-vis the neural stem cell. Finally, we will discuss a relatively new in vitro approach, the Neural-Colony Forming Cell Assay, which provides a more meaningful method of quantifying bona fide neural stem cells without conflating them with more growth-restricted progenitor cells.
Keywords: Neurosphere, neural stem cell, stem cell assay
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
Title: Using the Neurosphere Assay to Quantify Neural Stem Cells In Vivo
Volume: 8 Issue: 3
Author(s): Gregory P. Marshall, Brent A. Reynolds and Eric D. Laywell
Affiliation:
Keywords: Neurosphere, neural stem cell, stem cell assay
Abstract: Since their initial description in 1992, neurospheres have appeared in some aspect of more than a thousand published studies. Despite their ubiquitous presence in the scientific literature, there is little consensus regarding the fundamental defining characteristics of neurospheres; thus, there is little agreement about what, if anything, the neurosphere assay can tell us about the relative abundance or behavior of neural stem cells in vivo. In this review we will examine some of the common features of neurospheres, and ask if these features should be interpreted as a proxy for neural stem cells. In addition, we will discuss ways in which the neurosphere assay has been used to evaluate in vivo treatment/manipulation, and will suggest appropriate ways in which neurosphere data should be interpreted, vis-a-vis the neural stem cell. Finally, we will discuss a relatively new in vitro approach, the Neural-Colony Forming Cell Assay, which provides a more meaningful method of quantifying bona fide neural stem cells without conflating them with more growth-restricted progenitor cells.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Gregory P. Marshall , Brent A. Reynolds and Eric D. Laywell , Using the Neurosphere Assay to Quantify Neural Stem Cells In Vivo, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2007; 8 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920107780906559
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920107780906559 |
Print ISSN 1389-2010 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-4316 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
A Systemic Approach to Cancer Treatment: Tumor Cell Reprogramming Focused on Endocrine-Related Cancers
Current Medicinal Chemistry Membrane Interacting Peptides: A Review
Current Protein & Peptide Science A Rationale for the Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors as Antineoplastic Agents
Current Pharmaceutical Design Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors as Prospective Agents for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular and Neoplastic Diseases
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Altering the Tropism of Lentiviral Vectors through Pseudotyping
Current Gene Therapy Erythropoietin in Stroke Therapy: Friend or Foe
Current Medicinal Chemistry Oncolytic Viruses: Programmable Tumour Hunters
Current Gene Therapy Pro-apoptotic Activity of BH3-only Proteins and BH3 Mimetics: from Theory to Potential Cancer Therapy
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Cancer Cell Reprogramming: Stem Cell Differentiation Stage Factors and An Agent Based Model to Optimize Cancer Treatment
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Drug Targeting to the Brain - A Review
Current Nanoscience Endothelial Colony Forming Capacity is Related to C-Reactive Protein Levels in Healthy Subjects
Current Neurovascular Research Multifunctional Radiolabeled Nanoparticles for Targeted Therapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry Fluorescence Imaging of Human Cells with a Novel Conjugate of the Antifungal Nystatin
Medicinal Chemistry Assessing Activation States in Microglia
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets PET and SPECT Imaging for the Acceleration of Anti-Cancer Drug Development
Current Drug Targets Class II Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases as Potential Novel Drug Targets
Current Signal Transduction Therapy A Fatal Case of Acute Interstitial Pneumonia (AIP) in a Woman Affected by Glioblastoma
Current Drug Safety Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Ligands as Potential Therapeutics for Addiction
Current Drug Abuse Reviews MtDNA As a Cancer Marker: A Finally Closed Chapter?
Current Genomics Cardiovascular-Active Venom Toxins: An Overview
Current Medicinal Chemistry