Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the subgranular zone (SGZ) throughout the lifespan and hold immense potential for the repair and regeneration of the central nervous system, including hippocampal-related diseases. Several studies have demonstrated that cellular communication network protein 3 (CCN3) regulates multiple types of stem cells. However, the role of CCN3 in NSCs remains unknown. In this study, we identified CCN3 expression in mouse hippocampal NSCs and observed that supplementing CCN3 improved cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, in vivo results showed that the injection of CCN3 in the dentate gyrus (DG) increased Ki-67- and SOX2-positive cells while decreasing neuron-specific class III beta-tubulin (Tuj1) and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells. Consistently with the in vivo results, supplementing CCN3 in the medium increased the number of BrdU and Ki-67 cells and the proliferation index but decreased the number of Tuj1 and DCX cells. Conversely, both the in vivo and in vitro knockdown of the Ccn3 gene in NSCs had opposite effects. Further investigations revealed that CCN3 promoted cleaved Notch1 (NICD) expression, leading to the suppression of PTEN expression and eventual promotion of AKT activation. In contrast, Ccn3 knockdown inhibited the activation of the Notch/PTEN/AKT pathway. Finally, the effects of changes in CCN3 protein expression on NSC proliferation and differentiation were eliminated by FLI-06 (a Notch inhibitor) and VO-OH (a PTEN inhibitor). Our findings imply that while promoting proliferation, CCN3 inhibits the neuronal differentiation of mouse hippocampal NSCs and that the Notch/PTEN/AKT pathway may be a potential intracellular target of CCN3. Our findings may help develop strategies to enhance the intrinsic potential for brain regeneration after injuries, particularly stem cell treatment for hippocampal-related diseases.
Keywords: CCN3; Notch/PTEN/AKT pathway; differentiation; hippocampal neural stem cells; proliferation.