Expression data from region-specific postnatal astrocytes

Astroglial cells in the adult brain constitute a heterogeneous population endowed with region-specific properties. Recently, they have acquired greater relevance as active components of the adult neural stem cell (aNSC) niches. Astrocytes located in the vicinity of aNSC reservoirs are thought to regulate aNSC behaviour. We have compared the function of glial cells isolated from the postnatal and adult subventricular zone and hippocampus (two stem cell niches, where aNSCs self-renew and give rise to immature neurons), from the olfactory bulb (a neurogenic region where the immature neurons cease to proliferate and terminally differentiate) and from a non-stem and non-neurogenic area such as the ventral mesencephalon. Co-culture experiments demonstrate that subventricular zone glial cells secrete soluble signals that promote NSC self-renewing divisions.

4