The neurofilament derived-peptide NFL-TBS.40-63 enters in-vitro in human neural stem cells and increases their differentiation

PLoS One. 2018 Aug 9;13(8):e0201578. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201578. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Regenerative medicine is a promising approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases by replacing degenerating cells like neurons or oligodendrocytes. Targeting human neural stem cells directly in the brain is a big challenge in such a strategy. The neurofilament derived NFL-TBS.40-63 peptide has recently been introduced as a novel tool to target neural stem cells. Previous studies showed that this peptide can be internalized by rat neural stem cells in vitro and in vivo, which coincided with lower proliferation and self-renewal capacity and increase of differentiation. In this study, we analyzed the uptake and potential effects of the NFL-TBS.40-63 peptide on human neural stem cells isolated from human fetuses. We showed that the peptide inhibits proliferation and the ability to produce neurospheres in vitro, which is consistent with an increase in cell adhesion and differentiation. These results confirm that the peptide could be a promising molecule to target and manipulate human neural stem cells and thus could serve as a strategic tool for regenerative medicine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Cycle
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Fetus / cytology*
  • Fetus / drug effects
  • Fetus / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Microtubules / drug effects
  • Microtubules / metabolism
  • Neural Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Neural Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Neural Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Neurofilament Proteins / pharmacology*
  • Peptide Fragments / pharmacology*
  • Regenerative Medicine*

Substances

  • NFL-TBS.40-63 peptide
  • Neurofilament Proteins
  • Peptide Fragments

Grants and funding

This work was supported by AFM (Association Française contre les Myopathies), ARC (Association de Recherche contre le Cancer), Ligue contre le cancer 49 and 85, LUNAM (L’université Nantes, Angers, Le Mans) and « Région des Pays de la Loire » to EYER. J. BARREAU. K is supported by a grant from the University of Angers, in the framework of NanoFar ‘European Doctorate in Nanomedicine” Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates program funded by the education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency.