Blum, R.* ; Heinrich, C.* ; Sánchez, R.* ; Lepier, A.* ; Gundelfinger, E.D.* ; Berninger, B.* ; Götz, M.
Neuronal network formation from reprogrammed early postnatal rat cortical glial cells.
Cereb. Cortex 21, 413-424 (2011)
In the subependymal zone and the dentate gyrus of the adult brain of rodents, neural stem cells with glial properties generate new neurons in a life-long process. The identification of glial progenitors outside the neurogenic niches, oligodendrocyte precursors in the healthy brain, and reactive astrocytes after cortical injury led to the idea of using these cells as endogenous cell source for neural repair in the cerebral cortex. Recently, our group showed that proliferating astroglia from the cerebral cortex can be reprogrammed into neurons capable of action potential firing by forced expression of neurogenic fate determinants but failed to develop synapses. Here, we describe a maturation profile of cultured reprogrammed NG2+ and glial fibrillary acidic protein+ glia cells of the postnatal rat cortex that ends with the establishment of a glutamatergic neuronal network. Within 3 weeks after viral expression of the transcription factor neurogenin 2 (Ngn2), glia-derived neurons exhibit network-driven, glutamate receptor-dependent oscillations in Ca(2+) and exhibit functional pre- and postsynaptic specialization. Interestingly, the Ngn2-instructed glutamatergic network also supports the maturation of a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic input via GABA(A) receptors in a non-cell autonomous manner. The "proof-of-principle" results imply that a single transcription factor may be sufficient to instruct a neuronal network from a glia-like cell source.
Impact Factor
Scopus SNIP
Web of Science
Times Cited
Scopus
Cited By
Altmetric
Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
Thesis type
Editors
Keywords
Gutamatergic neurons; Network activity; Neural repair; Reprogramming; Synapse formation
Keywords plus
Language
english
Publication Year
2011
Prepublished in Year
2010
HGF-reported in Year
2010
ISSN (print) / ISBN
1047-3211
e-ISSN
1460-2199
ISBN
Book Volume Title
Conference Title
Conference Date
Conference Location
Proceedings Title
Quellenangaben
Volume: 21,
Issue: 2,
Pages: 413-424
Article Number: ,
Supplement: ,
Series
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Publishing Place
Day of Oral Examination
0000-00-00
Advisor
Referee
Examiner
Topic
University
University place
Faculty
Publication date
0000-00-00
Application date
0000-00-00
Patent owner
Further owners
Application country
Patent priority
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed
POF-Topic(s)
30204 - Cell Programming and Repair
Research field(s)
Stem Cell and Neuroscience
PSP Element(s)
G-500800-001
Grants
Copyright
Erfassungsdatum
2010-09-02