CRTD-DFG Research Centre for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
EMBO J. 2013 Jul 3;32(13):1817-28. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2013.96. Epub 2013 Apr 26.
Size and folding of the cerebral cortex increased massively during mammalian evolution leading to the current diversity of brain morphologies. Various subtypes of neural stem and progenitor cells have been proposed to contribute differently in regulating thickness or folding of the cerebral cortex during development, but their specific roles have not been demonstrated. We report that the controlled expansion of unipotent basal progenitors in mouse embryos led to megalencephaly, with increased surface area of the cerebral cortex, but not to cortical folding. In contrast, expansion of multipotent basal progenitors in the naturally gyrencephalic ferret was sufficient to drive the formation of additional folds and fissures. In both models, changes occurred while preserving a structurally normal, six-layered cortex. Our results are the first experimental demonstration of specific and distinct roles for basal progenitor subtypes in regulating cerebral cortex size and folding during development underlying the superior intellectual capability acquired by higher mammals during evolution.
大脑皮层的大小和折叠在哺乳动物进化过程中大量增加，导致了目前大脑形态的多样性。各种亚型的神经干细胞和祖细胞被提出在发育过程中以不同的方式调节大脑皮层的厚度或折叠，但它们的具体作用尚未得到证明。我们报告说，在小鼠胚胎中控制单能基底祖细胞的扩增导致了巨脑畸形，大脑皮层表面积增加，但没有皮层折叠。相比之下，在自然脑回卷曲的雪貂中多能基底祖细胞的扩增足以驱动额外褶皱和裂沟的形成。在这两种模型中，变化发生的同时保持了结构正常的六层皮层。我们的研究结果首次实验证明了基底祖细胞亚型在调节发育过程中大脑皮层大小和折叠方面的特定和不同作用，这是高等哺乳动物在进化过程中获得的优越智力能力的基础。
