Embryonic cerebrospinal fluid in brain development: neural progenitor control

Abstract

Due to the effort of several research teams across the world, today we have a solid base of knowledge on the liquid contained in the brain cavities, its composition, and biological roles. Although the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is among the most relevant parts of the central nervous system from the physiological point of view, it seems that it is not a permanent and stable entity because its composition and biological properties evolve across life. So, we can talk about different CSFs during the vertebrate life span. In this review, we focus on the CSF in an interesting period, early in vertebrate development before the formation of the choroid plexus. This specific entity is called “embryonic CSF.” Based on the structure of the compartment, CSF composition, origin and circulation, and its interaction with neuroepithelial precursor cells (the target cells) we can conclude that embryonic CSF is different from the CSF in later developmental stages and from the adult CSF. This article presents arguments that support the singularity of the embryonic CSF, mainly focusing on its influence on neural precursor behavior during development and in adult life.

Physiology and molecular biology of barrier mechanisms in the fetal and neonatal brain

“…, ; Gato et al . ) are opening a new era of understanding of blood–brain and blood–CSF barrier properties and how they relate to brain development.…”

A transcriptome‐based assessment of the astrocytic dystrophin‐associated complex in the developing human brain

“…The greatest differences from S100β expression are seen both in late prenatal development and in the aging brain. Elevated expression of these genes at the earliest stages of astrogliogenesis may reflect a role of astrocytes in distributing secreted factors critical to developmental processes such as BBB maintenance and neuronal maturation (Blanchette & Daneman, ; Chau et al, ; Gato et al, ; Lehtinen et al, ). In the aging brain, the decline in expression of these proteins may help explain age‐dependent changes seen in the localization of AQP4 to the endfoot domain (Zeppenfeld et al, ).…”

Fluid Mechanics as a Driver of Tissue-Scale Mechanical Signaling in Organogenesis

“…Indeed, increasing or decreasing the presence of these osmolytes dramatically changed neural tube swelling, confirming the role of an osmotic gradient [100]. The positive pressures generated in the neural tube are important for proper morphogenesis and neural tube closure as dysregulated pressures lead to a variety of neural tube defects (NTDs) [101]. …”