Stem Cells
Programma
Definition and characteristics of stem cells
Mode of division and differentiation potential
Properties of the stem cell niche
Types of adult stem cells: hematopoietic, mesenchymal, neural.
Drosophila germinal niches: differences between male and female
Adult neural niche: structure and control signals
Radial glia and embryonic neurogenesis
Corticogenesis and radial migration: development of the cerebral cortex
Neurogenesis in invertebrates and vertebrates: molecular mechanisms and role of Notch
Pluripotent cells: embryonic and iPSCs
Yamanaka protocol: reprogramming of somatic cells
Mechanisms of pluripotency maintenance: ERK and Wnt signals
Role of SOX2 in pluripotency and neuralization
Organoids: study of brain development and disease
Human organoids: replication of human corticogenesis
SNO (Sliced Neocortical Organoid): modeling neuropsychiatric diseases
Neurogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases: species-specific differences
Role of proneural HLH genes in neurogenesis
Notch and cortical neurogenesis in primates: role of NOTCH2NL
Stem cells and Parkinson's therapy: dopaminergic neurons from embryonic stem cells
Obiettivi formativi
Acquisition of basic knowledge of molecular mechanisms of stem cell specification and differentiation, with emphasis on neural stem cells.
Acuisition of specific knowledge on methods of in vitro modeling of development and function of encephalic regions from reprogrammed cells.
Riferimenti bibliografici
Developmental Biology - Michael J.F. Barresi (Autore) Scott F. Gilbert (Autore) Oxford University Press Inc, 2020
Scientific papers in specialized journals