Role of connexin 30 in directing adult neural progenitor cell fate

Abstract

This thesis tested the hypothesis that the gap junction protein connexin 30 (Cx30) plays a role in regulating adult neural progenitor cell (NPC) fate. Cx30, previously shown to be expressed by postnatal astrocytes, was localized, for the first time, to adult NPCs specifically to a subset of multipotential nestin+/glial fibrillary acidic protein + (GFAP)+ NPCs in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult mice. When bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling was performed in Cx30 (-/-) mice, the transition of early NPCs to a neuronal lineage was reduced. Increased BrdU cell number in the rostral migratory stream and the olfactory bulb was observed in Cx30(-/-) mice which suggested enhanced survival or migration of these immature progeny Enhanced neuronal specification, induced by co-culture with NPCs and astrocytes, was blocked by pharmacological inhibition of gap junction intercellular communication. Together, these results suggest a role for Cx30 in regulating adult NPC fate by promoting neurogenesis through direct cell-cell communication.