查看文章

Ca²⁺ influx through voltage‐gated Ca²⁺ channels, especially the L‐type (Ca_v1), activates downstream signaling to the nucleus that affects gene expression and, consequently, cell fate. We hypothesized that these Ca²⁺ signals may also influence the neuronal differentiation of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) derived from the brain cortex of postnatal mice. We first studied Ca²⁺ transients induced by membrane depolarization in Fluo 4‐AM‐loaded NSCs using confocal microscopy. Undifferentiated cells (nestin⁺) exhibited no detectable Ca²⁺ signals whereas, during 12 days of fetal bovine serum‐induced differentiation, neurons (β‐III‐tubulin⁺/MAP2⁺) displayed time‐dependent increases in intracellular Ca²⁺ transients, with ΔF/F ratios ranging from 0.4 on day 3 to 3.3 on day 12. Patch‐clamp experiments revealed similar correlation between NSC differentiation and macroscopic Ba²⁺ current density. These …