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Cell fate

Unlocking the right combination

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 8, pages 326–327 (2007)Cite this article

Proneural HLH transcription factors, such as neurogenins (NGN1, 2 and 3) and MASH1, and inhibitory HLH factors — repressors of proneural gene transcription and activity such as members of the ID and HES families — have key roles in the specification of neurons and glia. However, their expression patterns do not directly correlate with the spatiotemporal pattern of neurogenesis and gliogenesis. In this study, the authors examined the effects of PAX6, OLIG2 and NKX2.2, also known as 'patterning' transcription factors because they specify the positional identity of multipotent progenitors in the spinal cord, on the ability of HLH factors to determine neuronal or glial fate.

The authors show that in the ventricular zone of the developing spinal cord, progenitors in the Pax6-, Olig2- and Nkx2.2-expressing regions also express neurogenins during neurogenesis. However, in the same regions, Mash1 expression was detected beyond the neurogenic period, suggesting a potential new role for MASH1 in gliogenesis. The onset of oligodendrogenesis differed between the three regions. In the Pax6-expressing region it correlated with loss of Pax6 expression in MASH1-positive cells. Interestingly, inhibitory HLHs were also found to be expressed before the onset of astrogenesis, a period that coincides with a decrease in the expression of patterning factors.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Sugimori, M. et al. Combinatorial actions of patterning and HLH transcription factors in the spatiotemporal control of neurogenesis and gliogenesis in the developing spinal cord. Development 7 Mar 2007 (doi:10.1242/dev.001255)

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  1. Monica Hoyos Flight
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Flight, M. Unlocking the right combination. Nat Rev Neurosci 8, 326–327 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2134

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2134

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