Pax6 is a developmental regulatory gene that plays a key role in the development of the embryonic brain, eye, and retina. This gene is also expressed in discrete groups of neurons within the adult brain. In this study, antibodies raised against a fusion protein from a zebra fish pax6 cDNA were used to investigate the expression of the pax6 gene in the mature, growing, and regenerating retina of...

The adult subventricular zone (SVZ) is the main neurogenic niche in the adult brain of mice and rats. The adult SVZ contains neural stem cells (NSCs) that primarily differentiate into committed neuroblasts. The newly generated neuroblasts accumulate in dorsal SVZ where they further differentiate and initiate a long migration pathway to their final destination, the olfactory bulb (OB). Here, we ...

Multipotent cortical progenitor cells differentiate into neurons and glial cells during development; however, mechanisms governing the specification of progenitors to a neuronal fate are not well understood. Although both extrinsic and intrinsic factors regulate this process, little is known about kinase signaling mechanisms that direct neuronal fate. Here, we report that extracellular signal-r...

The neural bHLH genes Mash1 and Ngn2 are expressed in complementary populations of neural progenitors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Here, we have systematically compared the activities of the two genes during neural development by generating replacement mutations in mice in which the coding sequences of Mash1 and Ngn2 were swapped. Using this approach, we demonstrate that Mash1...

Neural precursors persist throughout life in the rodent forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ) and hippocampal dentate gyrus. The regulation of persistent neural stem cells is poorly understood, in part because of the lack of neural progenitor markers. The Sox B1 subfamily of HMG-box transcription factors (Sox1-3) is expressed by precursors in the embryonic nervous system, where these factors main...

Stem cell-based neuronal differentiation has provided a unique opportunity for disease modeling and regenerative medicine. We have reported a novel culture condition and method for generating neuronal progenitors and neural networks from human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells without any genetic manipulation. Neurospheres generated under 10% CO2 with Supplemented Knockout Serum Repl...

The mammalian cortex is a multilaminar structure consisting of specialized layer-specific neurons that form complex circuits throughout the brain and spinal cord. These neurons are generated in a defined sequence dictated by their birthdate such that early-born neurons settle in deep cortical layers whereas late-born neurons populate more superficial layers. Cortical neuronal birthdate is partl...

1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3. Adult neural stem cells and neurogenesis 3.1. Hippocampal stem cells 3.2. Subventricular zone (SVZ) and olfactory bulb stem cells 3.3. Progenitors derived from non-neurogenic regions 3.4. Adult neural stem cell engraftment in vivo 3.4.1. Hippocampal derived neural stem cells 3.4.2. SVZ derived neural stem cells 3.4.3. Spinal cord progenitors 3.4.4. Cortical derive...