Abstract
Each organism consists of building blocks called cells. Different organs are made of various types of cells. The primary cell type in the neural system is neurons, which are highly specialised and represent a terminally differentiated cell population. Neurons appear at a certain stage of embryonic development. This stage is called neurogenesis. Neurons can be born from an asymmetric or symmetric cell division. Asymmetric divisions resolve into two daughter cells having different cell fates, while after symmetric divisions daughter cells are identical. To study how these division modes are regulated, we used zebrafish. Zebrafish share many similarities in neurogenesis with other vertebrates and allow to easily visualise the process. Specifically, we focused on neurogenesis in the forebrain, evolutionary related to the mammalian cortex.
According to our findings, the first neurons are already present in the zebrafish forebrain at about the age of 16 hours. At this point, the primary mode of the cell division is symmetric, with the mother cell giving rise to two neurons. After the age of 20 hours, the division mode switches to asymmetric, when only one of the daughter cells differentiates into a neuron, and its sibling maintains the same properties as the mother progenitor cell. The progenitors in the forebrain are also somewhat dissimilar, with some of them dividing faster while others stay more dormant. “Families” derived from single progenitor cells could also be described as varying from each other, with some containing more terminally differentiated cells compared to other clones with more stem-cell-like composition.
According to our findings, the first neurons are already present in the zebrafish forebrain at about the age of 16 hours. At this point, the primary mode of the cell division is symmetric, with the mother cell giving rise to two neurons. After the age of 20 hours, the division mode switches to asymmetric, when only one of the daughter cells differentiates into a neuron, and its sibling maintains the same properties as the mother progenitor cell. The progenitors in the forebrain are also somewhat dissimilar, with some of them dividing faster while others stay more dormant. “Families” derived from single progenitor cells could also be described as varying from each other, with some containing more terminally differentiated cells compared to other clones with more stem-cell-like composition.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
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Award date | 7-Jun-2024 |
Place of Publication | [Groningen] |
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Publication status | Published - 2024 |