Department of Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan,
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2012;727:61-70. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0899-4_5.
The Notch pathway is essential for maintaining neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in the developing brain. Activation of the pathway is sufficient to maintain NPCs, whereas loss-of-function mutations in the critical components of the pathway cause precocious neuronal differentiation and NPC depletion. Hairy and Enhancer of split (Hes)-type transcription factors have long been thought to be the only Notch effectors for the maintenance of NPCs. Recently, a novel nuclear protein, Nepro, has been identified as another critical effector of Notch. The Notch pathway is bifurcated into Nepro and Hes-type proteins in the early development of the neocortex. The combination of Nepro and Hes-type proteins is necessary and sufficient for maintaining NPCs downstream of Notch.
Notch 通路对于维持发育中大脑的神经前体细胞（NPCs）至关重要。该通路的激活足以维持 NPCs，而该通路关键成分的功能丧失突变会导致过早的神经元分化和 NPC 耗竭。长期以来，Hairy 和 Enhancer of split（Hes）- 型转录因子被认为是 Notch 维持 NPCs 的唯一效应物。最近，一种新型核蛋白 Nepro 被鉴定为 Notch 的另一个关键效应物。在大脑新皮层的早期发育中， Notch 通路分为 Nepro 和 Hes 型蛋白。Nepro 和 Hes 型蛋白的组合对于 Notch 下游 NPCs 的维持是必需且充分的。
