Isolation and culture of neural stem cells from adult mouse subventricular zone for genetic and pharmacological treatments with proliferation analysis

Neural stem cells (NSCs) from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the mouse brain can be expanded in vitro and grown as neurospheres, which can be stored long-term in liquid nitrogen. Here, we present a protocol for isolation and culture of NSCs from the adult mouse SVZ. We describe how to grow and expand primary NSCs to neurospheres, followed by differentiation and nucleofection/pharmacological treatments. Finally, we describe RNA extraction, EdU labeling of the cells, and immunofluorescent analysis to examine their proliferation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Radecki et al. (2020).