Adult neural stem cells are a unique population of self-renewing cells that give rise to various brain cells types. A key competent of neurogenesis, neural stem cells (NSCs) are essential to the maintenance and growth of neural tissue. Their regenerative and multipotent properties make them key tools in understanding the development of the brain, as well as its degeneration due aging. This project seeks to test the hypothesis that the transcription factor FOXO3 regulates adult NSC quiescence. We also aim to identity additional factors involved in controlling the quiescent state. We are using an in vitro model of adult neural stem cell quiescence to test our hypothesis. We used an overexpression approach to determine if FOXO3 is sufficient to maintain neural stem cells in a quiescent state. We also used qPCR to identify potential cell cycle regulators of quiescence. We observed in elevated expression of p57 in quiescence conditions relative to actively cycling neural stem cells. Conversely, p53 expression was enriched in activated conditions. In summary, FOXO3 is a key regulator to quiescence and its presence is essential for cellular arrest to be maintained. \n\n
Secondo, Reid,
"Regulation of neural stem cell quiescence by the pro-longevity transcription factor FOXO3"
(2015).
Summer Research Symposium.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/j52w-2346
Each year, Brown University showcases the research of its undergraduates at the Summer Research Symposium. More than half of the student-researchers are UTRA recipients, while others receive funding from a variety of Brown-administered and national programs and fellowships and go …
