Proliferative Markers and Neural Stem Cells Markers in Tanycytes of the Third Cerebral Ventricle in Rats.

The proliferative properties of tanycyte subpopulations during postnatal development and aging were studied. Using immunohistochemical markers, we described the distribution of proliferative markers and markers of neural stem cells (NSC) in 4 tanycyte subpopulations (α1-, α2-, β1-, and β2-tanycytes). During the first postnatal week, all tanycyte subpopulations exhibit proliferative activity. During aging, β-tanycytes lose their proliferative activity and retain a limited set of NSC markers, whereas α-tanycytes maintain both the ability to proliferate and the properties of NSC throughout the entire postnatal development including aging. The data obtained significantly improve modern understanding of the proliferative potential of tanycytes and their subpopulation differences in early postnatal period and during aging.