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PEDF: bridging neurovascular interactions in the stem cell niche

Nature Neuroscience volume 9, pages 299–300 (2006)Cite this article

Stem cells are defined by their ability to self-renew. Adult brain stem cells divide slowly, and it is unclear how their division is regulated. A new study identifies PEDF as a growth factor that promotes adult stem cell self-renewal.

Neural and vascular tissues are delicately intertwined in functional neurovascular units. This dependence emerges early in development with the coordinated growth and tissue modeling of both cellular elements1. Stem and progenitor cells in the developing CNS and in neurogenic regions of the adult brain are stimulated to self-renew and generate more neurons by factors released from endothelial and perhaps other vascular cells2,3,4. Identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying neurovascular interactions is an important step in understanding how stem cells can be maintained and manipulated. In this issue, Ramírez-Castillejo and colleagues5 identify the growth factor pigment epithelium–derived factor (PEDF) as critical for the communication between vascular and neural cells in an adult neural stem cell niche, the subventricular zone (SVZ).

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of identified functional domains of PEDF, including major phosphorylation sites and domains known to be critical for interactions with extracellular matrix.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Cell Biology and Cancer,

    Kevin Pumiglia & Sally Temple

  2. Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College, Albany, 12208, New York, USA

    Kevin Pumiglia & Sally Temple

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  1. Kevin Pumiglia
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Pumiglia, K., Temple, S. PEDF: bridging neurovascular interactions in the stem cell niche. Nat Neurosci 9, 299–300 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0306-299

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