p38α controls self‐renewal and fate decision of neurosphere‐forming cells in adult hippocampus

Abstract

Neural stem cells (NSC) from the adult hippocampus easily lose their activityin vitro. Efficientin vitro expansion of adult hippocampus‐derived NSC is important for generation of tools for research and cell therapy. Here, we show that a single copy disruption or pharmacological inhibition of p38α enables successful long‐term neurosphere culture of adult mouse hippocampal cells. Expanded neurospheres with high proliferative activity differentiated into the three neuronal lineages under differentiating conditions. Thus, inhibition of p38α can maintain adult hippocampal NSC activityin vitro.

Keywords

• p38α
• Neurosphere
• Neural stem cell
• Adult hippocampus