Betacellulin promotes cell proliferation in the neural stem cell niche and stimulates neurogenesis.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in specialized niches in the adult mammalian brain, including the subventricular zone and the dentate gyrus, which act to control NSC behavior. Among other cell types within these niches, NSCs are found in close proximity to blood vessels. We carried out an analysis of the interaction between endothelial cells and NSCs, and show that betacellulin (BTC), a member of the EGF family and one of several signaling molecules made by the former, induces NSC proliferation and prevents spontaneous differentiation in culture.

SOX9 induces and maintains neural stem cells.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are uncommitted cells of the CNS defined by their multipotentiality and ability to self renew. We found these cells to not be present in substantial numbers in the CNS until after embryonic day (E) 10.5 in mouse and E5 in chick.