Differential expression levels of Sox9 in early neocortical radial glial cells regulate the decision between stem cell maintenance and differentiation

Jaime Fabra-Beser, Jessica Alves Medeiros de Araujo, Diego Marques-Coelho, Loyal A. Goff, Marcos R. Costa, Ulrich Müller, Cristina Gil-Sanz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Radial glial progenitor cells (RGCs) in the dorsal telencephalon directly or indirectly produce excitatory projection neurons and macroglia of the neocortex. Recent evidence shows that the pool of RGCs is more heterogeneous than originally thought and that progenitor subpopulations can generate particular neuronal cell types. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we have studied gene expression patterns of RGCs with different neurogenic behavior at early stages of cortical development. At this early age, some RGCs rapidly produce postmitotic neurons, whereas others self-renew and undergo neurogenic divisions at a later age. We have identified candidate genes that are differentially expressed among these early RGC subpopulations, including the transcription factor Sox9. Using in utero electroporation in embryonic mice of either sex, we demonstrate that elevated Sox9 expression in progenitors affects RGC cell cycle duration and leads to the generation of upper layer cortical neurons. Our data thus reveal molecular differences between progenitor cells with different neurogenic behavior at early stages of corticogenesis and indicates that Sox9 is critical for the maintenance of RGCs to regulate the generation of upper layer neurons.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6969-6986
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume41
Issue number33
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 18 2021

Keywords

  • Cortical development
  • Progenitors diversity
  • Radial glia cells
  • Sox9

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Differential expression levels of Sox9 in early neocortical radial glial cells regulate the decision between stem cell maintenance and differentiation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this