How are interactions between neural cells established and maintained?

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How are interactions between neural cells established and maintained?

The human embryo is a collection of clusters of non-specific cells, which then develop into the tissues of the adult human. In particular immature, non-specific neuroblasts must be differentiated into the highly specialised cells of the nervous system, each with a unique structure, function and synaptic interactions (Whatson 2004).

The whole function of the nervous system relies on the synaptic and other interactions between neural cells being developed appropriately and maintained throughout life. This account covers the initial development of specific neural cells from immature precursor stem cells and also the methods by which the growing specialised neurons grow along the correct routes to form their interactions with other cells, both neuronal and non neuronal.

Establishing neural cells from stem cells

Progenitor or stem cells are non-specific immature cells that are able to differentiate and form specialised cells in the adult organism. There are relatively few types of neural stem cells, with the potential to differentiate into many different types of specialised neural cells, depending on specific, localised requirements. Multipotent (able to form many types of daughter cells) neural stem cells were first identified in the early 1990s (Imitola et al. 2004) and subsequent research has focussed on specific examples of these immature progenitor cells.

Neural stem cells can give rise both to different types of mature cell, as a result of asymmetric cell division, as well as identical daughter cells via simple symmetric cell replication (Gage 2000). The exact form of the adult cell is controlled by the location of progenitors during differentiation, as well as by diffusible factors acting from a more distant site, usually the final location to which the differentiated cells will migrate.

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Signalling molecules influence the differentiation of neural stem cells. For instance valproic acid (VPA) actively suppresses glial differentiation, instead encouraging the development of adult neurons, via upregulation of the neurogenic basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (Hsieh, Gage 2004).
The mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is derived from bone marrow and able to self regenerate and differentiate into several different types of cells in vivo (Kondo et al. 2005). MSCs are able to form both neuronal and glial cells; the difference relating to the presence or absence or voltage gated ion channels; indicative of the potential to develop into a full neuronal cell. Furthermore ...

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