Journal Article

Fate-Restricted Neural Progenitors in the Mammalian Cerebral Cortex

Martinez-Garay, Isabel, Gil-Sanz, Cristina, Harkins-Perry, Sarah R., Franco, Santos J., Ramos, Cynthia, Müller, Ulrich, Espinosa, Ana

2012

Overview

During development of the mammalian cerebral cortex, radial glial cells (RGCs) generate layer-specific subtypes of excitatory neurons in a defined temporal sequence, in which lower-layer neurons are formed before upper-layer neurons. It has been proposed that neuronal subtype fate is determined by birthdate through progressive restriction of the neurogenic potential of a common RGC progenitor. Here, we demonstrate that the murine cerebral cortex contains RGC sublineages with distinct fate potentials. Using in vivo genetic fate mapping and in vitro clonal analysis, we identified an RGC lineage that is intrinsically specified to generate only upper-layer neurons, independently of niche and birthdate. Because upper cortical layers were expanded during primate evolution, amplification of this RGC pool may have facilitated human brain evolution.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Animals / Biological and medical sciences / Brain / Cell cycle / Cell Lineage / Cell Proliferation / Cells / Cells, Cultured / Cellular biology / cerebral cortex / Cerebral Cortex - cytology / Cerebral Cortex - embryology / cortex / Developmental biology / Electroporation / Embryonic stem cells / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Homeodomain Proteins - genetics / humans / Mammals / Mice / Neural stem cells / Neural Stem Cells - cytology / Neural Stem Cells - physiology / Neurobiology / Neurogenesis / Neuroglia / Neuroglia - cytology / Neurons / Neurons - cytology / Neurons - physiology / Primates / Progenitor cells / Recombination, Genetic / Stem cells / Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs