Nestin-GFP transgenic reporter mouse line

Background

Understanding the intricate processes of neurogenesis and the behavior of neural stem and progenitor cells in both developing and adult nervous systems is crucial, yet it faces considerable obstacles. A primary challenge lies in the difficulty of rapidly identifying, directly visualizing, and efficiently isolating these specific cell populations with high purity. Existing methodologies often lack the precision and scale needed to adequately characterize their differentiation pathways, study their responses to aging, injury, or therapeutic interventions, or to obtain sufficient quantities for detailed molecular analysis, surface marker identification, and transplantation research, thereby impeding comprehensive investigation into their biology and therapeutic applications.

Technology

Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed a transgenic mouse line that expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the nestin gene's regulatory elements. This design specifically marks neural stem and progenitor cells in both embryonic and adult brains, enabling their direct visualization, rapid identification, and high-purity isolation, such as through fluorescent-activated cell sorting. The GFP-positive cells accurately reflect the distribution of nestin-positive cells and neurogenic areas, demonstrating a significantly higher efficiency in generating multipotential neurospheres compared to GFP-negative cells. These GFP-positive cells can be further divided into GFP-bright (GFAP-positive) and GFP-dim (III-tubulin-positive) populations, representing distinct classes of neuronal precursors.