Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 5 is necessary and sufficient to specify cortical neuronal fate.

ABSTRACT: 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-regulated kinase (ERK) 5 is expressed and active in proliferating cortical progenitors. Lentiviral gene delivery of a dominant negative ERK5 or dominant negative MAP kinase kinase 5 reduced the number of neurons generated from rat cortical progenitor cells in culture, whereas constitutive activation of ERK5 increased the production of neurons. Furthermore, when cortical progenitor cells were treated w

SUBMITTER: Liu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1480469 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature