The Transcription Regulator Patz1 Is Essential for Neural Stem Cell Maintenance and Proliferation.

Proper regulation of neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are generated from neural stem and progenitor cells (NS/PCs), is essential for embryonic brain development and adult brain function. The transcription regulator is ubiquitously expressed in early mouse embryos and has a key role in embryonic stem cell maintenance. At later stages, the detection of expression mainly in the developing brain suggests a specific involvement of in neurogenesis. To address this point, we first got insights in expression profile in different brain territories at both embryonic and postnatal stages, evidencing a general decreasing trend with respect to time. Then, we performed and analysis of -knockout mice, focusing on the ventricular and subventricular zone, where we confirmed enrichment through the analysis of public RNA-seq datasets. Both embryos and adults showed a significant reduction in the number of -null NS/PCs, as well as of their self-renewal capability, compared to controls. Consistently, molecular analysis revealed the downregulation of stemness markers in NS/PCs derived from -null mice. Overall, these data demonstrate the requirement of Patz1 for NS/PC maintenance and proliferation, suggesting new roles for this key transcription factor specifically in brain development and plasticity, with possible implications for neurodegenerative disorders and glial brain tumors.