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Ex Utero Electroporation and Organotypic Slice Culture of Mouse Hippocampal Tissue
Published on: March 4, 2015
NFIX regulates neural progenitor cell differentiation during hippocampal morphogenesis
Yee Hsieh Evelyn Heng1, Robert C McLeay, Tracey J Harvey
1The School of Biomedical Sciences.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|October 9, 2012
Summary
Nuclear factor one X (NFIX) is crucial for neural progenitor cell differentiation and hippocampal development. Its absence in mice leads to delayed differentiation and abnormal dentate gyrus morphology, impacting neuronal and glial populations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) generate neurons and glia throughout life.
- Precise regulation of NPC self-renewal versus differentiation is vital for brain development.
- Molecular mechanisms controlling postnatal neurogenesis, particularly in the cortex, are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Nuclear factor one X (NFIX) in neural progenitor cell regulation and hippocampal development.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which NFIX influences NPC fate and brain morphogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Nfix-deficient (Nfix(-/-)) mice at embryonic and postnatal stages.
- Assessment of neural progenitor cell differentiation and proliferation.
- Evaluation of hippocampal and dentate gyrus morphology.
- Investigation of NFIX regulation of Sox9 gene expression.
Main Results:
- NFIX is expressed in embryonic hippocampal NPCs.
- NPC differentiation is delayed in Nfix(-/-) mice.
- Nfix(-/-) mice exhibit abnormal dentate gyrus morphology and reduced subgranular zone NPCs.
- Sry-related HMG box 9 (SOX9) is upregulated in Nfix(-/-) mice, and NFIX represses Sox9 transcription.
Conclusions:
- NFIX is essential for normal hippocampal morphogenesis.
- NFIX regulates the balance of neural progenitor cell differentiation and self-renewal.
- NFIX controls the formation of neuronal and glial populations by repressing SOX9.
