Transcriptional regulation and specification of neural stem cells

Abstract

With the discovery two decades ago that the adult brain contains neural stem cells (NSCs) capable of producing new neurons, a great deal of research has been undertaken to manipulate these cells to repair the damaged nervous system. Much progress has been made in understanding what regulates adult neural stem cell specification, proliferation and differentiation but much remains to be determined. Lessons can be learned from understanding how embryonic neural stem cells produce the exquisitely complicated organ that is the adult mammalian nervous system. This review will highlight the role of transcriptional regulation of mammalian neural stem cells during embryonic development and compare th..