Dear Editor,

p73 is a p53 homolog with a major homeostatic role in the central nervous system.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Global p73 knockout (KO) exhibit defective embryonic and adult neurogenesis associated with cortical thinning, hydrocephalus and hippocampal dysgenesis.1, 3 In classic 3D-neurosphere assays from embryonic and newborn whole brains and isolated neurogenic niches, and in vivo tracking of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) in mice, p73 was unequivocally established as an essential regulator of NSC survival and renewal.3, 4, 5 However, the question whether p73 is also required for the birth of NSCs from neuroectoderm in very early CNS development remained unanswered. The neurosphere assay is not capable of answering this question since it selects for already formed NSCs. Thus, we reasoned that the best system to address this question is to examine NSC formation from p73KO induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a tractable surrogate of embryonic stem cells.

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