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Neurogenesis

Lining up with destiny

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, page 666 (2005)Cite this article

Progenitor cells at the ventricular zone are highly polarized along the basal–apical axis, and it is thought that determinants of neuronal fate might be asymmetrically located at the basal side. When progenitors divide with the cleavage plane perpendicular to the ventricular surface (vertical cleavage plane), the two daughter cells have the same cellular determinants. Before neurogenesis, this symmetrical division produces two progenitors and expands the pool of cells that will ultimately give rise to neurons. However, when progenitors divide with the cleavage plane parallel to the ventricular surface (horizontal cleavage plane), the determinants are predominantly segregated into the basal daughter cells, and thereby induce asymmetric cell fates.

In this study, the researchers first established that about 50% of the dividing cells in the neocortex of mouse embryos had the vertical cleavage plane. This percentage increased to 72% when an inhibitor of Gβγ, the carboxy-terminal region of β-adrenergic receptor kinase (βARK-ct), was overexpressed. Overexpression of Gαi, which is known to sequester free Gβγ and thereby inhibit its signalling, had a similar effect.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Sanada, K. & Tsai, L.-H. G protein βγ subunits and AGS3 control spindle orientation and asymmetric cell fate of cerebral cortical progenitors. Cell 122, 119–131 (2005)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Götz, M. & Huttner, W. B. The cell biology of neurogenesis. Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. (in the press)

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Authors
  1. Jane Qiu
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Qiu, J. Lining up with destiny. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 666 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1756

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1756

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