Analysis of molecular mechanisms regulating neural progenitor cells in the early neocortex

在发育中的新皮质中，神经前体细胞按时间顺序产生六层皮质神经元。神经前体细胞的维持对于在所需时间产生不同类型的神经元是必不可少的。在这项研究中，我们鉴定了NePro，一个在发育早期的小鼠新皮质中表达的基因。NePro的错误表达仅在新皮质早期抑制神经元分化。SiRNA抑制NePro基因的表达可导致神经元的早熟分化。NePro的表达受Notch调控，Notch对NPC的维持起着重要的作用。这些结果表明，NePro参与了Notch下游新皮质早期神经前体细胞的维持。

In the developing neocortex, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) produce neurons of the six cortical layers in a temporal order. Maintenance of NPCs is essential for the generation of distinct types of neurons at the required time. In this study, we identified Nepro, a gene expressed in the developing mouse neocortex at early stages. Misexpression of Nepro inhibits neuronal differentiation only in the early neocortex. Knockdown of Nepro by siRNA causes precocious differentiation of neurons. Expression of Nepro is regulated by Notch, which has been shown to be important for the maintenance of NPCs. These results indicate that Nepro is involved in the maintenance of NPCs in the early neocortex downstream of Notch.