Panchision David M, McKay Ronald D G
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 36 Convent Drive MSC 4092, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4092, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2002 Aug;12(4):478-87. doi: 10.1016/s0959-437x(02)00329-5.
A complex orchestration of stem-cell specification, expansion and differentiation is required for the proper development of the nervous system. Although progress has been made on the role of individual genes in each of these processes, there are still unresolved questions about how gene function translates to the dynamic assembly of cells into tissues. Recently, stem-cell biology has emerged as a bridge between the traditional fields of cell biology and developmental genetics. In addition to their potential therapeutic role, stem cells are being exploited as experimental 'logic chips' that integrate information and exhibit self-organizing properties. Recent studies provide new insights on how morphogenic signals coordinate major stem cell decisions to regulate the size, shape and cellular diversity of the nervous system.
神经系统的正常发育需要干细胞特化、增殖和分化的复杂协调。尽管在这些过程中单个基因的作用方面已经取得了进展，但关于基因功能如何转化为细胞动态组装成组织的问题仍然没有得到解决。最近，干细胞生物学已成为细胞生物学和发育遗传学这两个传统领域之间的桥梁。除了其潜在的治疗作用外，干细胞还被用作整合信息并具有自组织特性的实验性“逻辑芯片”。最近的研究为形态发生信号如何协调主要干细胞决策以调节神经系统的大小、形状和细胞多样性提供了新的见解。
