Striatal carotid body graft promotes differentiation of neural
progenitor cells into neurons in the olfactory bulb of adult
Silvia Belzunegui, Amaya Izal-Azcárate, Waldy San Sebastián,
Pablo Garrido-Gil, Marianne Vázquez-Claverie, Berta López,
Irene Marcilla, M
Laboratory of Regenerative Therapy, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Division, Center for Applied Medical Research, University of
Navarra, Avda. Pio XII 55, 31008, Pamplona, Spain
ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT
Accepted 2 April 2008
Available online 16 April 2008
Progenitor cells generated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) migrate toward the olfactory bulb
(OB), where they differentiate into neurons. Growth factors have been shown to promote
neurogenesis in the SVZ/OB-system while dopaminergic lesion exerts an opposite effect. As
carotid body (CB) cells express growth factors here we study the impact of intrastriatal CB graft
on migration and differentiation of neural progenitor cells in the hemiparkinsonian rat SVZ/
OB-system. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was given to intact, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-
lesionedand 6-OHDA-lesioned animals transplantedwithvehicleor rat CB cells. The migration
of progenitor cells was assessed by the quantification of BrdU-labeled cells in the SVZ/OB-
system and the neuronal differentiation by the proportion of newborn neurons in the OB. The
graft survival was confirmed by CB cell morphology and their tyrosine hydroxylase expression.
Some of these CB cells were stained with BrdU, thus indicating their ability for self-renewal.
Grafted glomus cells also expressed brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial derived
neurotrophic factor (GDNF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth
factor (VEGF). The migration of neural progenitor cells was significantly decreased in 6-OHDA-
lesioned respect to intact animals. We found a similar number of BrdU-labeled cells in sham-
operated than in CB-grafted animals, suggesting that CB graft has no effect on progenitor cell
migration. CB-grafted animals exhibited a significantly larger percentage of newborn cells
(BrdU/Neuronal Nuclei-labeled cells) respect to 6-OHDA-lesioned and sham-operated animals.
This study suggests that striatal CB graft might promote differentiation of SVZ progenitor cells
into neurons, probably by the growth factors contained in CB cells.
© 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Carotid body cells
Rostral migratory stream
BRAIN RESEARCH 1217 (2008) 213– 220
⁎ Corresponding author. Laboratory of Regenerative Therapy, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience Division, Center for Applied Medical
Research, University of Navarra, Avenida Pio XII 55, 31008, Pamplona, Spain.
E-mail address: email@example.com (M.R. Luquin).
0006-8993/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
available at www.sciencedirect.com