ReviewThe interaction between microglia and neural stem/precursor cells

- Microglia can influence the property of neural precursor cells.
- NPCs can also regulate the function and activity of microglia.
- Many factors involve in mediating the interaction between microglia and NPCs.
- Our review shed novel information on the crosstalk between NPCs and glia.

In the adult mammalian brain, neurogenesis from neural stem/precursor cell occurs within two regions, the subgranular zone (SGZ) in the dentate gyrus (DG) and the subventricular zone (SVZ) lining the lateral ventricles. The function of neural stem cell is enhanced by external stimuli, such as injury and inflammation. Microglia, as the main immune modulating cells, play important roles in the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, select discoveries reported that microglia might influence the proliferation, differentiation and survival of neural precursor cells (NPCs). Other studies revealed that NPCs might reversibly regulate the function of microglia. Accordingly, in this review we focus on the interaction between microglia and NPCs.