Persistent CyFIP1 expression is required to maintain the adult subventricular zone neurogenic niche

Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist throughout life in the subventricular zone (SVZ) neurogenic niche of the lateral ventricles as Type B1 cells in adult mice. Maintaining this population of NSCs depends on the balance between quiescence and self-renewing or self-depleting cell divisions. Interactions between B1 cells and the surrounding niche are important in regulating this balance, but the mechanisms governing these processes have not been fully elucidated. The cytoplasmic FMRP-interacting protein (Cyfip1) regulates apical-basal polarity in the embryonic brain. Loss of Cyfip1 during embryonic development in mice disrupts the embryonic niche and affects cortical neurogenesis. However, a direct role for Cyfip1 in the regulation of adult NSCs has not been established. Here, we demonstrate that Cyfip1 expression is preferentially localized to B1 cells in the adult mouse SVZ. Loss of Cyfip1 in the embryonic mouse brain results in altered adult SVZ architecture and expansion of the adult B1 cell population at the ventricular surface. Furthermore, acute deletion of Cyfip1 in adult NSCs results in a rapid change in adherens junction proteins as well as increased proliferation and number of B1 cells at the ventricular surface. Together, these data indicate that Cyfip1 plays a critical role in the formation and maintenance of the adult SVZ niche; furthermore, deletion of Cyfip1 unleashes the capacity of adult B1 cells for symmetric renewal to increase the adult NSC pool.