Cell Type-Specific Transcriptional Control of Gsk3β in the Developing Mammalian Neocortex

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroscience Vol. 16; p. 811689
• Main Authors: Nomura, Tadashi, Gotoh, Hitoshi, Kiyonari, Hiroshi, Ono, Katsuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 23.03.2022
• Subjects: evolution; Gsk3β; neocortex; neurogenesis; Neuroscience; promoter; Wnt signaling; Gsk3β; neurogenesis; Wnt signaling; neocortex; promoter; evolution
• ISSN: 1662-4548; 1662-453X; 1662-453X
• DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.811689

Temporal control of neurogenesis is central for the development and evolution of species-specific brain architectures. The balance between progenitor expansion and neuronal differentiation is tightly coordinated by cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic cues. Wnt signaling plays pivotal roles in the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors in a temporal manner. However, regulatory mechanisms that adjust intracellular signaling amplitudes according to cell fate progression remain to be elucidated. Here, we report the transcriptional controls of β, a critical regulator of Wnt signaling, in the developing mouse neocortex. β expression was higher in ventricular neural progenitors, while it gradually declined in differentiated neurons. We identified active -regulatory module (CRM) of β that responded to cell type-specific transcription factors, such as Sox2, Sox9, and Neurogenin2. Furthermore, we found extensive conservation of the CRM among mammals but not in non-mammalian amniotes. Our data suggest that a mammalian-specific CRM drives the cell type-specific activity of β to fine tune Wnt signaling, which contributes to the tight control of neurogenesis during neocortical development.