Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology
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J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol. · May 1999
Cell proliferation and nestin expression in the ependyma of the adult rat spinal cord after injury.
A population of precursor cells is known to exist in the subependyma of the lateral ventricles in adult rodents. However, the source of the precursor cells in the adult mammalian spinal cord has not been identified in vivo, although the adult spinal cord was recently reported to contain neural stem cells in vitro. In this study we found active cell proliferation and nestin expression in the adult ependyma of the central canal after spinal cord injury. ⋯ After injury, nestin positive, GFAP negative cell populations were found in areas surrounding the ependymal layer, which suggests migration of the ependymal cells. These results indicate the precursor cell qualities of the adult ependyma after injury. Thus, we propose the ependyma of the central canal, which is normally latent but activates locally and temporally in response to spinal cord injury, as the in vivo source for precursor cells in the adult mammalian spinal cord.