Impact of Metabolic Pathways and Epigenetics on Neural Stem Cells

Balancing self-renewal with differentiation is crucial for neural stem cells (NSC) functions to ensure tissue development and homeostasis. Over the last years, multiple studies have highlighted the coupling of either metabolic or epigenetic reprogramming to NSC fate decisions. Metabolites are essential as they provide the energy and building blocks for proper cell function. Moreover, metabolites can also function as substrates and/or cofactors for epigenetic modifiers. It is becoming more evident that metabolic alterations and epigenetics rewiring are highly intertwined; however, their relation regarding determining NSC fate is not well understood. In this review, we summarize the major metabolic pathways and epigenetic modifications that play a role in NSC. We then focus on the notion that nutrients availability can function as a switch to modify the epigenetic machinery and drive NSC sequential differentiation during embryonic neurogenesis.