Cell type-dependent Erk-Akt pathway crosstalk regulates the proliferation of fetal neural progenitor cells.

ABSTRACT: Neural progenitor (NP) cells are the multipotent cells that produce neurons and glia in the central nervous system. Compounds regulating their proliferation are key to both understanding brain development and unlocking their potential in regenerative repair. We discuss a chemical screen that unexpectedly identified inhibitors of Erk signaling potently promoting the self-renewing divisions of fetal NP cells. This occurred through crosstalk between Erk and Akt signaling cascades. The crosstalk mechanism is cell type-specific, and is not detected in adult NP cells as well as brain tumor cells. The mechanism was also shown to be independent from the GSK-3 signaling pathway, which has been reported to be a major regulator of NP cell homeostasis and inhibitors to which were also identified in th

SUBMITTER: Rhim JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4876380 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature