# Non-apoptotic neural stem cell loss

> **NIH NIH R21** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $462,000

## Abstract

Stem cells can proliferate, amplifying the number of stem cells or producing more differentiated
progeny, or end proliferation by entering quiescence, dying, or otherwise exiting the stem cell
pool. How these diverse behaviors are regulated at the level of individual stem cells is poorly
understood. In the developing nervous system, the precise control of neural stem cell behavior
is important for proper neurogenesis and homeostasis. Neural stem cells end proliferation
through a variety of mechanisms, but it is not clear how these terminal cell fate choices are
regulated. The Drosophila nervous system provides an ideal model to study the regulation and
execution of these terminal events in stem cells due to the extensive mapping of stem cell
identity, description of genes required for stem cell behavior, and the powerful tools available to
manipulate gene expression. We have identified a previously undescribed non-apoptotic loss of
neural stem cells in the embryonic ventral nerve cord. We propose to test the hypothesis that
the terminal fate of embryonic neural stem cells is set early in development by spatial and
temporal factors. We will identify markers for cells that undergo non-apoptotic loss, and
describe the mechanisms of this loss. Building on our previous studies on the regulation of the
apoptotic death of neural stem cells, we will identify regulators of non-apoptotic loss, and
examine the relationship between the regulators of these stem cell behaviors. At the conclusion
of this work, we will have developed an understanding of non-apoptotic stem cell loss, and set
the groundwork for examining the regulatory relationships between varied forms of stem cell
loss and survival. Learning how neural stem cells are lost in the context of normal development
will be critical in understanding how to preserve stem cells to treat diseases such as
neurodegeneration.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10110458
- **Project number:** 1R21NS120141-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** KRISTIN WHITE
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $462,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10110458

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10110458, Non-apoptotic neural stem cell loss (1R21NS120141-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10110458. Licensed CC0.

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