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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
09:25
Lineage Tracing and Clonal Analysis in Developing Cerebral Cortex Using Mosaic Analysis with Double Markers (MADM)
Published on: May 8, 2020
Genomic sequence evolution underlying human neocortical interareal diversification
Wei He1, Weizhen Hou1, Chengyong Jiang1,2
1Department of Neurosurgery, State Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disorders, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Genome Biology
|June 30, 2026
Summary
Transposable elements (TEs) drive primate neocortical evolution by creating new regulatory elements and diversifying gene expression, enhancing brain complexity and cognitive abilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Primate neocortical expansion underpins advanced cognition.
- Molecular mechanisms of neocortical area specification are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the molecular and cellular basis of primate neocortical area specification.
- Understand the role of transposable elements in brain evolution.
Main Methods:
- Integrative multimodal analysis: single-nucleus multiomics, spatial transcriptomics, morphological and electrophysiological profiling.
- Comparative analysis across humans, macaques, and mice.
Main Results:
- Primates show enhanced area-specific cellular diversification, including unique neuron subtypes and increased complexity.
- Expansion of young DNA sequences, enriched in transposable elements (TEs), correlates with primate neocortical heterogeneity.
- TEs act as cis-regulatory elements, diversifying transcriptomes and creating novel transcription factor binding sites.
Conclusions:
- Genomic and cellular mechanisms driving human neocortical evolution are illuminated.
- Transposable elements play a key role in primate brain specialization and cognitive evolution.
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