Title: Intermediate filaments are differentially expressed during neural stem cell (NSC) quiescence
Legend: A) quiescent NSCs (qNSCs) and activated NSCs (aNSCs) were fixed and immunostained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP; red) and nestin (green) and stained with Hoechst (nucleus; blue). B) qNSCs (Q; orange) and aNSCs (A; white) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR for relative expression of vimentin, nestin and GFAP mRNA. Error bars represent standard error of the mean *p<0.05, ****p<0.0001. Nestin, GFAP and vimentin protein levels were also quantified via western blots with actin as the control.
Abstract: Intermediate filaments are commonly used markers of NSCs in the brain, yet the cell cycle status of a NSC can strongly influence expression of these markers. Thus, intermediate filaments should be used cautiously as markers to study NSCs.
About the Lab: The Moore Lab is interested in understanding the mechanisms that neural stem cells (NSCs) utilize to stay active during aging. More specifically, the Moore Lab is interested in understanding how NSCs utilize asymmetric cell division to maintain a pristine proteome and preserve cellular function.