Figure 3.
Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) targets slowly dividing cells in the adult stem cell niche (SCN). To assess the proliferative capacity of putative neural stem cells targeted by EIAV, Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered thrice per day, for 7 days, in 1-month post EIAV-injected mice. Mice were allowed to survive a 2-week ‘chase’ period after the last BrdU injection so as to dilute out BrdU from TAPs and migrating neuroblasts. (a) In the subventricular zone (SVZ), some EIAV-CMV-EGFP-transduced cells (arrows) retained BrdU (blue) and co-labeled with the mitotic (M)-phase marker phosphohistone-3 (PH3) (red). (b) Likewise, some EGFP(+)/BrdU(+) cells expressed the cell cycle marker Ki67 (red, arrows), indicating that EIAV-transduced cells in the SVZ included slowly dividing stem cells. (c and d) EGFP(+)/BrdU(+) cells included S100β(+) ependymal cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)(+) astrocytes in the SVZ (both markers are red in their respective panels). CMV, cytomegalovirus; EGFP, enhanced green fluorescent protein.