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When the right gene is expressed in the right manner in the right population of stem cells, the developing mouse brain can exhibit primate-like features. Researchers succeeded in mimicking the sustained expression of the transcription factor Pax6 as seen in the developing human brain, in mouse cortical progenitor cells.
The evolutionary expansion of the neocortex in mammals has been linked to enlargement of the subventricular zone (SVZ) and increased proliferative capacity of basal progenitors (BPs), notably basal radial glia (bRG). The transcription factor Pax6 is known to be highly expressed in primate, but not mouse, BPs.To investigate the role of this gene, the authors have conditionally expressed it by in utero electroporation using a novel, Tis21–CreERT2 mouse line. They observed that upper-layer neuron production was increased in double-transgenic mouse embryos with sustained Pax6 expression in the neurogenic lineage.
These results identify specific Pax6 effects in BPs and imply that sustaining this Pax6 function in BPs could be a key aspect of SVZ enlargement and, consequently, the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex.
www.geg-tech.com/Vectors