Epigenetic regulation of neural stem cell fate during corticogenesis

Abstract

The cerebral cortex comprises over three quarters of the brain, and serves as structural basis for the sophisticated perceptual and cognitive functions. It develops from common multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) that line the neural tube. Development of the NSCs encompasses sequential phases of progenitor expansion, neurogenesis, and gliogenesis along with the progression of developmental stages. Interestingly, NSCs steadfastly march through all of these phases and give rise to specific neural cell types in a temporally defined and highly predictable manner. Herein, we delineate the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that dictate the progression and tempo of NSC differentiation during cerebral cortex development, and how epigenetic modifications contribute to the dynamic properties of NSCs.

Keywords: BMP; BRN1/2; CNTF; COUP-TF-interacting protein 2; COUP-TF1; CT-1; CTIP2; Cortical layer; Corticogenesis; Cux1/2; DNA methyltransferase 1; Dnmt1; EED; EZH1/2; Emx1/2; Epigenetics; FEZ family zinc finger 2; FGF; FOXP2; Fezf2; Foxg1; GABA; Gfap; JAK; Janus kinase; LIF; MTA2; Neural stem cells; Neurog1/2; Nfia; Ntf3; Otx1; PRC1/2; Pax6; Projection neurons; RA; RELN; RING1A/B; S100β; SATB2; SHH; SIP1; STAT3; SUZ12; Ski; Sox5; Sp8; Svet1; T-box transcription factor 1/2; Tbr1/2; Transcription factor; WNT; bone morphogenetic protein; brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 1/2; cardiotrophin-1; chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-trascription factor 1; ciliary neurotrophic factor; cut-like homeobox 1; embryonic ectoderm development; empty spiracle homologues 1/2; enhancer of zeste homolog 1/2; fibroblast growth factor; forkhead box G1; forkhead box P2; gamma-aminobutyric acid; glial fibrillary acidic protein; glycoprotein 130; gp130; leukemia inhibitory factor; metastasis-associated gene family, member 2; neurogenin 1/2; neurotrophin-3; nuclear factor I/A; orthodonticle 1; pair box domain 6; polycomb repressive complexes 1/2; reelin; retinoic acid; ring finger protein 1a/b; s100 calsium-binding protein beta; sarcoma viral oncogene homolog; sex determining region Y-box5; signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; sonic hedgehog; special AT-rich sequence binding protein 2; specific protein 8; subventricular-expressed transcript 1; suppressor of zeste 12; survival of motor neuron protein interacting protein 1; wingless int.