Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells and Postnatal Neurogenesis in the Leopard Gecko Brain

Abstract

Endogenous neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) residing within neurogenic niches have been identified across vertebrate species. Here we explore neurogenesis in an emerging amniote model of central nervous system regeneration, the leopard gecko. We have identified a population of NSPCs in the ventricular zone along the entire neuraxis of the brain, and determined these NSPCs to be radial glia on the basis of their morphology and protein expression profile. Moreover, we found mitotically active populations both within, and independent of, the ventricular zone across the rostrocaudal extent of the brain. Using bromodeoxyuridine pulse-chase experiments, we found proliferation to directly contribute to neurogenesis in the medial cortex, generating new neurons which persist long-term. Further, we established that neurogenesis is resilient to a distal central nervous system injury, as it is unaltered by spinal cord rupture (as a result of tail loss).