Neural progenitor cells and their role in the development and evolutionary expansion of the neocortex

作者：Namba Takashi; Huttner Wieland B

来源：Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Developmental Biology, 2017, 6(1): e256.

DOI：10.1002/wdev.256

<jats:p>The evolutionary expansion of the mammalian brain, notably the neocortex, provides a platform for the higher cognitive abilities that characterize humans. Cortical expansion is accompanied by increased folding of the pial surface, which gives rise to a gyrencephalic (folded) rather than lissencephalic (unfolded) neocortex. This expansion reflects the prolonged and increased proliferation of neural stem and progenitor cells (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPCs</jats:styled-content>). Distinct classes of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPCs</jats:styled-content> can be distinguished based on either cell biological criteria (apical progenitors [<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">APs</jats:styled-content>], basal progenitors [<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BPs</jats:styled-content>]) or lineage (primary progenitors and secondary progenitors). Cortical expansion in development and evolution is linked to an increased abundance and proliferative capacity of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BPs</jats:styled-content>, notably basal radial glial cells, a recently characterized type of secondary progenitor derived from apical radial glial cells, the primary progenitors. To gain insight into the molecular basis underlying the prolonged and increased proliferation of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPCs</jats:styled-content> and in particular <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">BPs</jats:styled-content>, comparative genomic and transcriptomic approaches, mostly for human versus mouse, have been employed and applied to specific <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">NPC</jats:styled-content> types and subpopulations. These have revealed two principal sets of molecular changes. One concerns differences in the expression of common genes between species with different degrees of cortical expansion. The other comprises human‐specific genes or genomic regulatory sequences. Various systems that allow functional testing of these genomic and gene expression differences between species have emerged, including transient and stable transgenesis, genome editing, cerebral organoids, and organotypic slice cultures. These provide future avenues for uncovering the molecular basis of cortical expansion. <jats:italic>WIREs Dev Biol</jats:italic> 2017, 6:e256. doi: 10.1002/wdev.256</jats:p><jats:p>This article is categorized under:
<jats:list list-type="explicit-label">
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Nervous System Development &gt; Vertebrates: Regional Development</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Comparative Development and Evolution &gt; Organ System Comparisons Between Species</jats:p></jats:list-item>
<jats:list-item><jats:p>Comparative Development and Evolution &gt; Evolutionary Novelties</jats:p></jats:list-item>
</jats:list></jats:p>

• 出版日期2017-2