Ts. Jacques et al., NEURAL PRECURSOR CELL CHAIN MIGRATION AND DIVISION ARE REGULATED THROUGH DIFFERENT BETA-1 INTEGRINS, Development, 125(16), 1998, pp. 3167-3177
Proliferation and tangential migration of neural precursor cells are e
ssential determinants of CNS development. We Rave established cell cul
ture models of both these processes using neural precursor cells grown
as neurospheres. The pattern of migration that we observe in these ce
lls is homotypic and occurs in the absence of a glial or neuronal scaf
fold, and is therefore equivalent to that previously described as chai
n migration. To determine the role of integrins in proliferation and m
igration, we have analysed the expression pattern of integrins on neur
osphere cells and then performed blocking peptide and antibody experim
ents. Neurosphere cells express five major integrins, alpha 5 beta 1,
alpha 6A beta 1, alpha v beta 1, alpha v beta 5 and alpha v beta 8 and
, in addition, express low levels of alpha 6B beta 1. Chain migration
is inhibited by blocking the alpha 6 beta 1 integrin, Proliferation, b
y contrast, is inhibited by blocking the other beta 1 integrins, alpha
v beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1, These results show that integrins are im
portant regulators of neural precursor cell behaviour, with distinct b
eta 1 integrins regulating proliferation and migration. They also demo
nstrate a novel role for the alpha 6 beta 1 integrin in the cell-cell
interactions underlying homotypic chain migration.