Progenitors from the postnatal forebrain subventricular zone differentiate into cerebellar-like interneurons and cerebellar-specific astrocytes upon transplantation

Forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) progenitor cells give rise to glia and olfactory bulb interneurons during early postnatal life in rats. We investigated the potential of SVZ cells to alter their fate by transplanting them into a heterotypic neurogenic and gliogenic environment—the cerebellum. Transplanted cells were examined 1 to 7 weeks and 6 months post transplantation. Forebrain progenitors populated the cerebellum and differentiated into oligodendrocytes, cerebellar-specific Bergmann glia and velate astrocytes, and neurons. The transplanted cells that differentiated into neurons maintained an interneuronal fate: they were GABA-positive, expressed interneuronal markers, such as calretinin, and exhibited membrane properties that are characteristic of interneurons. However, the transplanted interneurons lost the expression of the olfactory bulb transcription factors Tbr2 and Dlx1, and acquired a cerebellar-like morphology. Forebrain SVZ progenitors thus have the potential to adapt to a new environment and integrate into diverse regions, and may be a useful tool in transplantation strategies.