Radial glia require PDGFD-PDGFRβ signalling in human but not mouse neocortex.

ABSTRACT: Evolutionary expansion of the human neocortex underlies many of our unique mental abilities. This expansion has been attributed to the increased proliferative potential of radial glia (RG; neural stem cells) and their subventricular dispersion from the periventricular niche during neocortical development. Such adaptations may have evolved through gene expression changes in RG. However, whether or how RG gene expression varies between humans and other species is unknown. Here we show that the transcriptional profiles of human and mouse neocortical RG are broadly conserved during neurogenesis, yet diverge for specific signalling pathways. By analysing differential gene co-expression relationships between the species, we demonstrate that the growth factor PDGFD is specifically expressed by RG

SUBMITTER: Lui JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4231536 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature