2026-10-13T13:03:08Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33276978 2026-09-21T09:18:17Z category_24742 category_24748 category_24877 portal_886 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Supporting Data for "Multipotent neural stem cells are found in the mouse periphery and contribute to early peripheral neural development" Wan Xu (9391988) Peripheral nervous system Neurosciences not elsewhere classified Foetal development and medicine neuroscience developmental biology neural stem cells neurodevelopment stem cell biology <p dir="ltr">Conventional models of mammalian development hold that neural stem cells (NSCs) are restricted to the central nervous system. In this thesis, we identify and characterize a population of peripheral NSCs (pNSCs) present in the neonatal mouse periphery and, to a limited extent, in adult tissues. These cells can be isolated from multiple peripheral tissues, express canonical NSC markers, and exhibit molecular and functional properties closely resembling those of brain-derived NSCs. Lineage-tracing analyses further demonstrate that pNSCs originate from Sox1-positive neuroepithelium, sharing the same developmental origin as conventional brain NSCs, rather than that of the neural crest. Single-cell RNA sequencing of pNSCs in situ resolves quiescent and active NSC clusters that show strong transcriptional similarity to brain NSCs. Furthermore, these cells exhibit low correlation with other tissue-resident stem cell populations in the corresponding tissues, indicating that they are indeed authentic endogenous NSCs.</p><p dir="ltr">We show that pNSCs emerge during early neurulation from the entire rostrocaudal neural tube and migrate broadly into embryonic peripheral tissues. Through extensive immunostaining and single-cell sequencing of near-term embryonic tissues, we demonstrate that pNSC progeny contribute to multiple peripheral cell populations, including neurons and a smaller fraction of glial cells, across diverse tissues. Postnatal mapping further revealed marked tissue- and region-specific differences in pNSC persistence. In most peripheral tissues, pNSCs were detected only transiently and declined rapidly after birth, whereas the lung retained Sox1-positive pNSC clusters from neonatal stages into adulthood, identifying it as a uniquely stable peripheral niche for long-term pNSC maintenance. Upon bronchial injury, lung pNSCs exhibited limited Ki67 expression and gave rise to Sox1-negative, non-neuronal progeny, suggesting a restricted regenerative response in the endogenous lung niche.</p><p dir="ltr">Functional analyses further showed that peripheral tissue-derived pNSCs can be expanded in vitro for extended periods and are capable of differentiation into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, confirming their multipotency.</p><p dir="ltr">Collectively, these findings establish pNSCs as a neuroepithelium-derived stem cell population with broad peripheral distribution during development, tissue-dependent postnatal persistence, and context-dependent responses to injury in the lung. Our findings expand current understanding of mammalian NSC development and offer a more accessible source of endogenous NSCs with potential relevance to regenerative medicine.</p> 2026-09-21T09:18:17Z Dataset Dataset 10.25442/hku.33276978.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Supporting_Data_for_Multipotent_neural_stem_cells_are_found_in_the_mouse_periphery_and_contribute_to_early_peripheral_neural_development_/33276978 CC BY-NC 4.0 Open Access after 2028-08-18