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. 2012 Apr 30;7(4):e35264. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035264

Figure 3. Differentiation of hippocampal NSCs is marked by rapid, transient proliferation and a spike in mitogens.

Figure 3

(a) BrdU incorporation was measured by non-overlapping 24-hr consecutive pulse labeling of differentiating and undifferentiated HPCs (see methods). Upon induction of differentiation, hippocampal NPCs (grey data points) significantly increase their proliferative rate for a period of 72 hours when compared to hippocampal NSCs maintained in medium containing EGF and bFGF (red data points). (b) RT-PCR on NPCs revealed a spike (p*<0.05) in expression of several mitogenic factors, including nerve growth factor β (Ngfb), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) and neurotrophin-3 (Ntf33) three days after differentiation was initiated. (c) Terminal differentiation of hippocampal NPCs is accompanied by decrease in the progenitor marker nestin and increases in the lineage markers GFAP and the early- and forebrain- specific neuronal markers Dcx and calmodulin-dependent kinase alpha (CaMKIIα).