Abstract
Molecular and cellular interactions coordinating the origin and fate of neural stem cells (NSCs) in the adult brain are far from being understood. We present a protein complex that controls proliferation and migration of adult NSCs destined for the mouse olfactory bulb (OB). Combinatorial selection based on phage display technology revealed a previously unrecognized complex between the soluble protein netrin-4 and laminin γ1 subunit that in turn activates an α6β1 integrin-mediated signaling pathway in NSCs. Differentiation of NSCs is accompanied by a decrease in netrin-4 receptors, indicating that netrin-4 participates in the continual propagation of this stem cell population. Notably, the stem cells themselves do not synthesize netrin-4. Further, we show that netrin-4 is produced by selected GFAP-positive astrocytes positioned close to newborn neurons migrating in the anterior part of the rostral migratory stream (RMS) and within the OB. Our findings present a unique molecular mechanism mediating astrocytic/neuronal crosstalk that regulates ongoing neurogenesis in the adult olfactory system.