Developmental genetics of vertebrate glial-cell specification.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 21068830.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/nature09611.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes are macroglial cells of the vertebrate central nervous system. These cells have diverse roles in the maintenance of neurological function. In the embryo, the genetic mechanisms that underlie the specification of macroglial precursors in vivo appear strikingly similar to those that regulate the development of the diverse neuron types. The switch from producing neuronal to glial subtype-specific precursors can be modelled as an interplay between region-restricted components and temporal regulators that determine neurogenic or gliogenic phases of development, contributing to glial diversity. Gaining insight into the developmental genetics of macroglia has great potential to improve our understanding of a variety of neurological disorders in humans.