Postnatal development of the dentate gyrus vascular niche

Lifelong neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus supports cognitive and emotional functions in most adult mammals. The subgranular zone (SGZ) of the DG contains dense vasculature where neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) reside in close proximity to local capillaries. This arrangement likely supports NSPCs by providing access to oxygen, circulating molecules, and endothelial-derived factors. While SGZ vessel density and NSPC association with vessels are well established in adulthood, when these niche attributes emerge in development remains unclear. Here, we show that while blood vessel density in the SGZ remained stable from initial layer formation (2 weeks of age) into young adulthood (9 weeks of age) in male and female mice, the average distance from NSPC somas to the nearest blood vessel decreased progressively over postnatal development. This finding was accompanied by a symmetrical compression of proliferating cells within the SGZ, and a gradual shift of quiescent neural stem cell somas towards the granule cell layer of the DG. Our findings imply that the DG neurogenic vascular niche continues to refine postnatally, suggesting that the NSPC vascular niche has a unique functional role in supporting mature adult neurogenesis.