, 2002 and Liu et al., 2007). However, the molecular mechanism

underlying the differences between DG and SVZ neurogenesis is largely a mystery. The cytoarchitecture of the two adult neurogenic regions are quite different. There are four key cell types in the SVZ: ciliated ependymal cells that face the ventricle lumen, providing a barrier and filtration system for cerebrospinal fluid; slowly proliferating stem cells; actively proliferating progenitor cells; and proliferating neuroblasts (Doetsch et al., 1999 and Seri et al., 2004). Ependymal cells were proposed to be SVZ stem cells (Johansson et al., 1999), but mounting evidence indicates that ependymal cells are not proliferative and do not have the properties of NPCs (Capela

Docetaxel and Temple, 2002 and Doetsch et al., 1999). Since FXR2 expression is restricted to NPCs and Noggin expression is restricted to the Selleck SB431542 ependymal cells, this differential expression prevents the direct regulation of Noggin expression by FXR2. We detected very low levels of Noggin protein in the early passage SVZ-NPCs, which could be due to contamination of residual ependymal cells during SVZ dissection. The DG lies deep within the hippocampal parenchyma. Type 1 radial glia-like (GFAP+Nestin+) cells are found to have stem cell properties, which can generate type 2a (GFAP-Nestin+) transient amplifying NPCs that differentiate into type 3 (DCX+) neuroblasts in the DG (Kriegstein and Alvarez-Buylla, 2009, Ming and Song, 2005, Seri et al., 2004 and Zhao et al., 2008). We found that Noggin and FXR2 are colocalized in the DG type 1 cells and FXR2 deficiency leads to increased proliferation of these cells. An ependymal-equivalent cell type has not been found in the DG. However, the neurons in the DG are in much closer proximity to stem cells compared with those in the SVZ; therefore, granule neurons may create a plausible stem cell niche in the DG, and increased neuronal Noggin

expression in the DG neurons of Fxr2 KO mice may be partially responsible for the phenotypes of DG-NPCs in Fxr2 KO mice. In summary, our data support the notion that the differences both in the intrinsic properties of NPCs and in the stem cell niche may contribute to the differences in neurogenesis seen between the DG and the SVZ. Noggin SPTLC1 plays important roles in many types of stem cells and helps maintain pluripotency in cultured stem cells (Chambers et al., 2009 and Chaturvedi et al., 2009). With regard to adult neurogenesis, Noggin inhibits BMP signaling to promote NPC proliferation and neuronal differentiation, while inhibiting glial differentiation (Chmielnicki et al., 2004 and Lim et al., 2000). Our data, together with previous study (Bonaguidi et al., 2008), suggest that Noggin and BMP may be key components of the mechanism underlying the differential regulation of DG and SVZ neurogenesis. Bonaguidi et al.