| First Author | Kawaguchi D | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Development | Volume | 135 |
| Issue | 23 | Pages | 3849-58 |
| PubMed ID | 18997111 | Mgi Jnum | J:143172 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3823133 | Doi | 10.1242/dev.024570 |
| Citation | Kawaguchi D, et al. (2008) Selection of differentiating cells by different levels of delta-like 1 among neural precursor cells in the developing mouse telencephalon. Development 135(23):3849-58 |
| abstractText | During the neurogenic phase of mammalian brain development, only a subpopulation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) differentiates into neurons. The mechanisms underlying this selection remain unclear. Here we provide evidence that the Notch-Delta pathway plays an important role in this selection in the developing mouse telencephalon. We found that the expression patterns of the Notch ligand delta-like 1 (Dll1) and of the active form of Notch1 were mutually exclusive and segregated into distinct NPC subpopulations in the ventricular zone of the telencephalon. When Dll1 was overexpressed in a small, but not a large, proportion of NPCs, these cells underwent neuronal differentiation in vitro and in vivo. This Dll1-induced neuronal differentiation did not occur when cells were plated at lower densities in an in vitro culture. Importantly, conditional deletion of the Dll1 gene in a small proportion of NPCs reduced neurogenesis in vivo, whereas deletion in a large proportion promoted premature neurogenesis. These results support the notion that different levels of Dll1 expression determine the fate of NPCs through cell-cell interactions, most likely through the Notch-Delta lateral inhibitory signaling pathway, thus contributing to the selection of differentiating cells. |
