Corticothalamic projection neurons (CThPN) are a diverse set of neurons, critical for function of the neocortex. CThPN development and diversity need to be precisely regulated, but little is known about molecular controls over their differentiation and functional specialization, critically limiting understanding of cortical development and complexity. We report the identification of a set of genes that both define CThPN and likely control their differentiation, diversity, and function. We selected the CThPN-specific transcriptional coregulator Fog2 for functional analysis. We identify that Fog2 controls CThPN molecular differentiation, axonal targeting, and diversity, in part by regulating the expression level of Ctip2 by CThPN, via combinatorial interactions with other molecular controls. Loss of Fog2 specifically disrupts differentiation of subsets of CThPN specialized in motor function, indicating that Fog2 coordinates subtype and functional-area differentiation. These results confirm that we identified key controls over CThPN development and identify Fog2 as a critical control over CThPN diversity.
Pubmed ID: 27321927 RIS Download
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Atlas of developing human brain for studying transcriptional mechanisms involved in human brain development. Consists of RNA sequencing and exon microarray data profiling up to sixteen cortical and subcortical structures across full course of human brain development, high resolution neuroanatomical transcriptional profiles of about 300 distinct structures spanning entire brain for four midgestional prenatal specimens, in situ hybridization image data covering selected genes and brain regions in developing and adult human brain, reference atlas in full color with high resolution anatomic reference atlases of prenatal (two stages) and adult human brain along with supporting histology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data.
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