Distinct Mammalian Precursors Are Committed To Generate Neurons With Defined Dendritic Projection Patterns

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 12 Nov 2007 - 17:00 PDT

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The mammalian brain contains a large number of different classes of neurons that are connected in a specific manner. A long-standing question is how such stereotyped connections emerge during the assembly of the brain. In a new study published online this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Wolfgang Kelsch, Carlos Lois, and colleagues investigated whether neonatal and adult brain stem cells give rise to neurons whose connections can be influenced by the partners that they encounter while maturing, or alternatively, whether these connections are predetermined from the moment that a neuron is born.

They observed the existence of distinct populations of precursor cells committed to generating neurons with a specific pattern of connections. Furthermore, the pattern of connections formed by these neurons was largely independent of the environment in which the neurons matured. These results have important implications for the formation of neuronal circuits, as they indicate that the connections of a new neuron can be determined in their precursors.

In particular, these observations suggest that for neuronal replacement therapies to be successful, it will be necessary to understand the genetic programs that control how stem cells are prespecified to produce neurons with a stereotypic pattern of connections.

Citation: Kelsch W, Mosley CP, Lin CW, Lois C (2007) Distinct mammalian precursors are committed to generate neurons with defined dendritic projection patterns. PLoS Biol 5(11): e300. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0050300
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