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A comprehensive transcriptional map of primate brain development
Trygve E Bakken1, Jeremy A Miller1, Song-Lin Ding1
1Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA.
Nature
|July 14, 2016
Summary
This study maps rhesus monkey brain development, revealing gene expression patterns crucial for neural circuit formation. Findings link specific gene expression in developing brains to neurodevelopmental disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genomics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Understanding human brain development is limited, especially in primates.
- Non-human primate models offer insights into human-specific developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a high-resolution transcriptional atlas of rhesus monkey brain development.
- To investigate gene expression patterns during prenatal and postnatal development.
- To identify links between developmental gene expression and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Main Methods:
- Dense temporal sampling of prenatal and postnatal rhesus monkey brains.
- Fine anatomical division of cortical and subcortical regions.
- Analysis of gene expression profiles in developing brain tissues.
Main Results:
- Gene expression changes rapidly before birth in progenitor cells and neurons.
- Cortical layers and areas achieve adult-like molecular profiles late postnatally.
- Candidate risk genes for disorders like autism and schizophrenia show disease-specific enrichment in the developing neocortex.
- Human brain development shares similarities with monkeys, with some human-specific gene regulation suggesting prolonged maturation.
Conclusions:
- The rhesus monkey transcriptional atlas provides a valuable resource for studying brain development.
- Developmental gene expression patterns are linked to neurodevelopmental disorder risk.
- Comparative analysis highlights conserved and human-specific aspects of primate brain development.
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