Our genetic ablation of endothelial capillaries in the neurogenic subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult brain demonstrated the importance of the vascular niche in NSC maintenance. We utilize a systematic multi-faceted approach to identify and validate the vascular niche signals involved in maintenance, self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (Lee et al. PLoS One, 2012). We are now evaluating the physiological relevance of the candidate niche signals in vitro and in vivo. Understanding the mechanisms by which vascular niche signals maintain NSCs is an essential prerequisite for the manipulation of NSCs for transplantation therapy of neurological diseases. We have also pursued studies in the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying blood vessel and lymphatic vessel development in the central nervous system (CNS). We are interested in what signals control the CNS-specific vascular architecture and immune privileged microenvironment.
