Neural Cell Biology Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • 2017 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) are seen in both the developing and adult central nervous system (CNS). These are multipotent cells, which exhibit self-renewal as well as produce a vast majority of cells in the developing CNS (Gage and Temple, 2013). The development of cerebral cortex commences in the anterior neural tube and is specified by homeobox proteins encoded by Distal-less (Dlx) family of genes DLX1 and DLX2 and NK2 homeobox 1 gene (NKX2.1) (Rubenstein and Rakic, 1999). A subset of radial glial cells (RGCs) that extend from their cell body located in the ventricular zone to the pial surface in the primordial CNS are considered the primary NSCs (Noctor et al., 2001). These multipotent NSCs express Sox-2 (sex determining region Y [SRY]-box 2, a transcription factor), nestin (a primitive neurofilament protein) 87and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, an intermediate filament protein). Through proliferation, they repeatedly produce more restricted neuronal and glial progenitors, which are referred to as transit amplifying (or intermediate) progenitors (Englund et al., 2005). These progenitors display limited self-renewal and proliferative activity than NSCs and hence end up in producing differentiated progeny (Davis and Temple, 1994; Gage and Temple, 2013). However, the multipotent property of neuronal progenitors varies considerably during development. This is evident from observations that progenitors generated early during development can give rise to multiple types of neurons but progenitors generated later in development cannot produce the earlier fates (Frantz and McConnell, 1996; McConnell and Kaznowski, 1991).

author list (cited authors)

  • Shetty, A. K., & Hattiangady, B.

citation count

  • 3

complete list of authors

  • Shetty, AK||Hattiangady, B

editor list (cited editors)

  • Wang, C., & Slikker, W.

Book Title

  • Neural Cell Biology

publication date

  • January 2017