Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Turning back the clock on neural progenitors.

Adrian R Carr1, Semil P Choksi, Andrea H Brand

  • 1Wellcome/Trust Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, UK. ahb@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|June 29, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Older Drosophila neuroblasts can be reprogrammed to a younger state and produce early neural cell types by expressing the Hunchback transcription factor. This reprogramming potential decreases with age, suggesting therapeutic applications for neural stem cells.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Purinergic signaling promotes gliomagenesis through nuclear calcium transients.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Quiescent neural stem cells transiently become neuron-like to coordinate long-range reactivation.

The EMBO journal·2026
Same author

Neural stem cell quiescence is actively maintained by the epigenome.

Cell reports·2025
Same author

A conserved differentiation programme facilitates inhibitory neuron production in the developing mouse and human cerebellum.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2025
Same author

A stem cell-based platform for functional analysis of genetic variants in lung disease.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Targeted DamID detects cell-type-specific histone modifications in intact tissues or organisms.

PLoS biology·2025

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Drosophila neuroblasts change their gene expression over time to generate diverse neural cell types.
  • Understanding the temporal regulation of neural development is crucial for regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if older Drosophila neuroblasts can be reverted to an earlier developmental state.
  • To identify factors that control the temporal competence of neuroblasts.

Main Methods:

  • Expressing the transcription factor Hunchback in aged Drosophila neuroblasts.
  • Assessing the transcriptional profile and cell type output of reprogrammed neuroblasts.
  • Evaluating the age-dependent responsiveness to Hunchback expression.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Older neuroblasts successfully reverted to a younger state and produced early neural cell types upon Hunchback expression.
  • The ability of neuroblasts to respond to Hunchback diminished with increasing age.
  • This suggests a temporal window for successful reprogramming.

Conclusions:

  • The transcription factor Hunchback can reprogram aged Drosophila neuroblasts to a progenitor state.
  • Temporal decline in neuroblast responsiveness to Hunchback impacts reprogramming efficacy.
  • These findings hold potential for therapeutic strategies involving neural stem cell manipulation.