Perspectives of Stem Cells, 2010 From tools for studying mechanisms of neuronal differentiation towards therapy

Stem cells are fascinating cell types. They can replicate themselves forever while retaining the potential to generate progeny with speci?c functions. Because of these special properties, stem cells have been subjects of intensive investigation, from understanding basic mechanisms underlying tissue generation, to modeling human diseases, to application for cell replacement therapy. Stem cells come in different forms. For example, mouse embryonic stem cells can general all cell types in a body, either in a dish or when put back into mouse embryos. On the other hand, neural stem cells in the adult brain generate neurons and glia cells that contribute to the brain?s plasticity. Rapid progress has been made in the stem cell ?eld with discov- ies published in a record speed. A quick Pubmed search has returned 2789 hits for ?embryonic stem cells? and 815 hits for ?adult neural stem cells/neurogenesis? in the year 2008 alone. It remains a taunting task for all who are interested in stem cells to keep up with rapidly accumulating literatures. The ?Perspectives of Stem Cells? by a truly international team of experts provides a timely and invaluable highlight of the stem cell ?eld gearing toward future therapeutic applications in the nervous system. Stem cells with neural potentials have attracted a lot of attention because of their promise for cell replacement therapy, ranging from degenerative neurological dis- ders to spinal cord injuries.

Neural Induction.- Neurogenesis: A Change of Paradigms.- Neurogenesis in the Olfactory Epithelium.- Cell Diversification During Neural Crest Ontogeny: The Neural Crest Stem Cells.- Intermediate Filament Expression in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells and Early Embryos.- Aneuploidy in Embryonic Stem Cells.- Retrotransposition and Neuronal Diversity.- Directing Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells into Distinct Neuronal Subtypes.- Neurotransmitters as Main Players in the Neural Differentiation and Fate Determination Game.- Rhythmic Expression of Notch Signaling in Neural Progenitor Cells.- Neuron-Astroglial Interactions in Cell Fate Commitment in the Central Nervous System.- The Origin of Microglia and the Development of the Brain.- Tissue Biology of Proliferation and Cell Death Among Retinal Progenitor Cells.- Potential Application of Very Small Embryonic Like (VSEL) Stem Cells in Neural Regeneration.- Embryonic Stem Cell Transplantation for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease.- Functional Multipotency of Neural Stem Cells and Its Therapeutic Implications.- Dual Roles of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury: Cell Replacement Therapy and as a Model System to Understand Axonal Repair.

Up to date information and discussion on stem cell biology and neurogenesis Internationally recognized authors of the area write on mechanisms of neural differentiation, cell diversification and therapeutic application Compiled knowledge and discussion on therapeutic applications of stem cells in brain and spinal chord injury The discussed topics are fundamental for direction of future stem cell research in the Central Nervous System The book provides chapters on diverse areas of state-of-the-art research and applications in therapy