大腦皮層是哺乳動物大腦中最復(fù)雜的結(jié)構(gòu),，包含很多不同的神經(jīng)細胞子類型。現(xiàn)在,，對細胞培養(yǎng)中的小鼠胚胎干細胞所做的一項研究顯示,，多樣化的皮層神經(jīng)細胞可在體外生成。在“形態(tài)發(fā)生素”不存在而“sonic hedgehog”抑制因子存在的情況下,，皮層生成是小鼠胚胎干細胞的一個內(nèi)在性質(zhì),。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)為了解神經(jīng)分化的機制提供了線索，并且為腦病的模擬研究和治療提供了新途徑,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature 455, 351-357 (18 September 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07287
An intrinsic mechanism of corticogenesis from embryonic stem cells
Nicolas Gaspard1, Tristan Bouschet1, Raphael Hourez2, Jordane Dimidschstein1, Gilles Naeije1, Jelle van den Ameele1, Ira Espuny-Camacho1, Adèle Herpoel1, Lara Passante1, Serge N. Schiffmann2, Afsaneh Gaillard3 & Pierre Vanderhaeghen1
1 IRIBHM (Institute for Interdisciplinary Research), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
2 Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), 808 Route de Lennik, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
3 Institut de Physiologie et Biologie Cellulaires, Université de Poitiers, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 40 avenue du recteur Pineau, Poitiers, F-86022, France
The cerebral cortex develops through the coordinated generation of dozens of neuronal subtypes, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here we show that mouse embryonic stem cells, cultured without any morphogen but in the presence of a sonic hedgehog inhibitor, recapitulate in vitro the major milestones of cortical development, leading to the sequential generation of a diverse repertoire of neurons that display most salient features of genuine cortical pyramidal neurons. When grafted into the cerebral cortex, these neurons develop patterns of axonal projections corresponding to a wide range of cortical layers, but also to highly specific cortical areas, in particular visual and limbic areas, thereby demonstrating that the identity of a cortical area can be specified without any influence from the brain. The discovery of intrinsic corticogenesis sheds new light on the mechanisms of neuronal specification, and opens new avenues for the modelling and treatment of brain diseases.
