Notch and the birth of glial cells
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Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Real-time Bioluminescence Imaging of Notch Signaling Dynamics during Murine Neurogenesis
Published on: December 12, 2019
1Dept. of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Nobel Institute, Karolinska Institute, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Notch receptors play crucial roles in many cellular differentiation programs. In addition to a more classical role for Notch in keeping cells in an undifferentiated state, a recent paper has provided clear evidence that Notch signaling is a powerful means of turning adult CNS precursor cells into astrocytes. This work, combined with other reports from the developing CNS, retina and the PNS, demonstrates a role for Notch in gliogenesis. These findings can also be linked to novel insights into the function of proneural basic helix-loop-helix proteins in astrocytic differentiation.
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