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Overview: Some all-purpose cells inside our brains basically sit on the sidelines until called into action. How these all-purpose cells inside our brains develop into specialized cells that we need has been a mystery. These scientists were able to take a series of pictures of certain all-purpose cells and caught these cells in the act of developing into specialized cells.

A unique monolayer cell-culture system was developed to induce, expose, and recapitulate the entire developmental series of events of subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenesis.

The scientists gave all-purpose cells from mice a nice environment to grow up in that seems to be enough like the environment inside the brain to coax the all-purpose cells into developing into specialized cells.

We show here, using immunophentoypic, ultrastructural, electrophysiological, and time-lapse analyses, that SVZ-derived glial fibrillary acidic proteinlow/A2B5+/nestin+ candidate founder cells undergo metamorphosis to eventually generate large numbers of fully differentiated interneuron phenotypes.

The scientists used different types of evidence, not just the time-lapse photographs, to show that they were observing the development of the specialized cells. Although seeing is believing, the scientists also used other ways --molecular fingerprinting, if you will -- (a) to define some of the distinctive characteristics of the all-purpose cells and (b) to show that the specialized cells were indeed quite different from the all-purpose cells that they came from.

I won't dwell on the implications of the research other than to say that it doesn't look like only embryos have identifiable cells that can grow into specialized nerve cells. This principle may have been established before this research came out, but certainly this research strengthens the case.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask follow-up.

---The brain continues to produce a small number of brain cells in adulthood, with stem cells developing into fully-fledged cells in a process similar to the natural production of blood cells.---

I knew from some science I read that cells from the olfactory area can assist in spinal cord injury. That was in the Australian news recently and was featured on Lifesite. That article said that the cells could assist in the growth of nerve cells. Does this research now mean that the stem cells going to nerves can divide? The only way to get more cells is for them to divide, I thought. I thought this is what was holding up the process and why more primitive cells were needed. Also, are the cells in the article the ones damaged in Parkinson's disease? Don't know that but that seems to be the big deal with Michael J. Fox, for example.

Thanks for the nice explanation, apo!

Frank