We report on a patient with an interchromosomal duplication of 3p, from 3p21 to 3pter, which apparently arose de novo. The infant had multiple malformations including holoprosencephaly and cyclopia. It is possible that duplication 3p has a generalized effect on the holoprosencephalon or the cleavage of the embryonic forebrain. Fibroblasts from the patient are available from the NIGMS Human Gene...

Human embryonic stem cells are pluripotent entities, theoretically capable of generating a whole-body spectrum of distinct cell types. However, differentiation of these cells has been observed only in culture or during teratoma formation. Our results show that human embryonic stem cells implanted in the brain ventricles of embryonic mice can differentiate into functional neural lineages and gen...

It has been debated whether asymmetric distribution of cell surface receptors during mitosis could generate asymmetric cell divisions by yielding daughters with different environmental responsiveness and, thus, different fates. We have found that in mouse embryonic forebrain ventricular and subventricular zones, the EGFR can distribute asymmetrically during mitosis in vivo and in vitro. This oc...

A number of studies have begun to describe the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF) and the closely related brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the function of basal forebrain neurons. Little is known, however, about the effects of neurotrophins on membrane calcium conductances, which may play a role in growth factor signal transduction as well as regulation of neuronal excitability. Us...

The orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) GPR124/tumor endothelial marker 5 is highly expressed in central nervous system (CNS) endothelium. Here, we show that complete null or endothelial-specific GPR124 deletion resulted in embryonic lethality from CNS-specific angiogenesis arrest in forebrain and neural tube. Conversely, GPR124 overexpression throughout all adult vascular beds produced CN...

The arthropod central complex and vertebrate basal ganglia derive from embryonic basal forebrain lineages that are specified by an evolutionarily conserved genetic program leading to interconnected neuropils and nuclei that populate the midline of the forebrain-midbrain boundary region. In the substructures of both the central complex and basal ganglia, network connectivity and neuronal activit...

Frizzled (fz) genes encode receptors for the Wnt signaling pathway. We describe a novel fz gene, zebrafish fz7b. Maternal fz7b mRNA is detectable by RT-PCR. Embryonic fz7b is widely distributed in early epiboly stage embryos. By shield stage, expression appears enriched around the blastoderm margin. During epiboly, expression becomes restricted to the prechordal plate, presumptive midbrain and ...