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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Assaying Circuit Specific Regulation of Adult Hippocampal Neural Precursor Cells
Published on: July 24, 2019
Cdk6-dependent regulation of G(1) length controls adult neurogenesis
Pierre Beukelaers1, Renaud Vandenbosch, Nicolas Caron
1GIGA-Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Abstract:
The presence of neurogenic precursors in the adult mammalian brain is now widely accepted, but the mechanisms coupling their proliferation with the onset of neuronal differentiation remain unknown. Here, we unravel the major contribution of the G(1) regulator cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (Cdk6) to adult neurogenesis. We found that Cdk6 was essential for cell proliferation within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles. Specifically, Cdk6 deficiency prevents the expansion of neuronally committed precursors by lengthening G(1) phase duration, reducing concomitantly the production of newborn neurons. Altogether, our data support G(1) length as an essential regulator of the switch between proliferation and neuronal differentiation in the adult brain and Cdk6 as one intrinsic key molecular regulator of this process.
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