TY - JOUR
T1 - Neurosphere and neurosphere-forming cells
T2 - Morphological and ultrastructural characterization
AU - Bez, Alessandra
AU - Corsini, Elena
AU - Curti, Daniela
AU - Biggiogera, Marco
AU - Colombo, Augusto
AU - Nicosia, Roberto Francesco
AU - Pagano, Stefano Filippo
AU - Parati, Eugenio Agostino
PY - 2003/12/12
Y1 - 2003/12/12
N2 - Despite recent advances in our understanding of neural stem cell (NSC) biology, the free-floating structures generated by these cells in vitro, the "neurospheres", have not been fully characterized. To fill this gap, we examined neurospheres and neurosphere-derived NSCs by confocal microscopy, electron microscopy (EM) and cytofluorimetry. Here, we show that neurospheres and neurosphere-forming cells are morphologically and functionally heterogeneous. Confocal microscopy reveals differences in cell size, viability, cytoplasmic content and in the presence and distribution of active mitochondria. By electron microscopy, neurospheres appear as complex structures in which biological events such as mitosis, apoptosis and even phagocytosis are influenced by NSCs localization within the architecture of the neurosphere. NSCs derived from neurospheres are not synchronized and are represented in all phases of the cell cycle. Cytofluorimetric studies demonstrate NSCs' heterogeneity in cell size by forward scatter (FSC) analysis, and in cytoplasmic granularity by side scatter (SSC) profiling. These findings may contribute to our understanding of the morphogenesis of the neurospheres, particularly as this process relates to the high environmental adaptability of the NSCs and the reported existence of different subpopulations of neural stem cells.
AB - Despite recent advances in our understanding of neural stem cell (NSC) biology, the free-floating structures generated by these cells in vitro, the "neurospheres", have not been fully characterized. To fill this gap, we examined neurospheres and neurosphere-derived NSCs by confocal microscopy, electron microscopy (EM) and cytofluorimetry. Here, we show that neurospheres and neurosphere-forming cells are morphologically and functionally heterogeneous. Confocal microscopy reveals differences in cell size, viability, cytoplasmic content and in the presence and distribution of active mitochondria. By electron microscopy, neurospheres appear as complex structures in which biological events such as mitosis, apoptosis and even phagocytosis are influenced by NSCs localization within the architecture of the neurosphere. NSCs derived from neurospheres are not synchronized and are represented in all phases of the cell cycle. Cytofluorimetric studies demonstrate NSCs' heterogeneity in cell size by forward scatter (FSC) analysis, and in cytoplasmic granularity by side scatter (SSC) profiling. These findings may contribute to our understanding of the morphogenesis of the neurospheres, particularly as this process relates to the high environmental adaptability of the NSCs and the reported existence of different subpopulations of neural stem cells.
KW - Characterization
KW - Neurosphere
KW - Neurosphere-forming cells
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0344420171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0344420171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.brainres.2003.08.061
DO - 10.1016/j.brainres.2003.08.061
M3 - Article
C2 - 14642827
AN - SCOPUS:0344420171
VL - 993
SP - 18
EP - 29
JO - Brain Research
JF - Brain Research
SN - 0006-8993
IS - 1-2
ER -