Institutions
We aim to understand how neural stem cell pools are formed, maintained and used for neuro- and gliogenesis in the vertebrate adult brain. We are using the model system zebrafish, where adult neural stem cells are abundant and, in the telencephalon, directly accessible for live imaging. We especially focus on Notch signaling, which we recently identified as a major component of the homeostasis of adult NSC pools through its positive regulation of NSC quiescence. Overall, we are combining large scale profiling approaches, genetic invalidations, lineage tracing and live imaging to identify the cellular hierarchies and the Notch-interacting cascades that control adult neural stem cell «stemness», quiescence and recruitment.
