The mystery of intracellular developmental programmes and timers

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 663-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Raff
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor ◽  
Animal Development ◽  
Over Time

There has been a revolution in understanding animal development in the last 25 years or so, but there is at least one area of development that has been relatively neglected and therefore remains largely mysterious. This is the intracellular programmes and timers that run in developing precursor cells and change the cells over time. The molecular mechanisms underlying these programmes are largely unknown. My colleagues and I have studied such programmes in two types of rodent neural precursor cells: those that give rise to oligodendrocytes, which make myelin in the CNS (central nervous system), and those that give rise to the various cell types in the retina.

scholarly journals NG2 and Olig2 Expression Provides Evidence for Phenotypic Deregulation of Cultured Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System Neural Precursor Cells

Stem Cells ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 340-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecile Dromard ◽  
Sylvain Bartolami ◽  
Loïc Deleyrolle ◽  
Hirohide Takebayashi ◽  
Chantal Ripoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Peripheral Nervous System ◽  
Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor

Specificity of CNS and PNS regulatory subelements comprising pan-neural enhancers of the deadpan and scratch genes is achieved by repression

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (11) ◽  
pp. 3549-3560 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.F. Emery ◽  
E. Bier
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Peripheral Nervous System ◽  
Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor ◽  
Enhancer Element ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
Neural Genes ◽  
The Central Nervous System

The Drosophila pan-neural genes deadpan (dpn) and scratch (scrt) are expressed in most or all developing neural precursor cells of the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). We have identified a cis-acting enhancer element driving full pan-neural expression of the dpn gene which is composed of independent CNS- and PNS-specific subelements. We have also identified CNS- and PNS-specific subelements of the scrt enhancer. Deletion analysis of the dpn and scrt PNS-specific subelements reveals that PNS specificity of these two evolutionarily unrelated enhancers is achieved in part by repression of CNS expression. We discuss the implications of the striking organizational similarities of the dpn, scrt, and sna pan-neural enhancers.

scholarly journals Characterization of the human nestin gene reveals a close evolutionary relationship to neurofilaments

1992 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 589-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Dahlstrand ◽  
L.B. Zimmerman ◽  
R.D. McKay ◽  
U. Lendahl
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Intermediate Filaments ◽  
Intermediate Filament ◽  
Evolutionary Relationship ◽  
Neuronal Cell ◽  
Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor Cells ◽  
Neural Precursor

Multipotential stem cells in the neural tube give rise to the different neuronal cell types found in the brain. Abrupt changes in intermediate filament gene expression accompany this transition out of the precursor state: transcription of the intermediate filament nestin is replaced by that of the neurofilaments. In order to identify human neural precursor cells, and to learn more about the evolution of the intermediate filaments expressed in the central nervous system, we have isolated the human nestin gene. Despite considerable divergence between the human and rat nestin genes, in particular in the repetitive parts of the carboxy-terminal region, the positions of the introns are perfectly conserved. Two of the three intron positions are also shared by the neurofilaments, but not by other classes of intermediate filaments. This implies that nestin and the neurofilaments had a common ancestor after branching off from the other classes of intermediate filaments, and that nestin separated from the neurofilament branch before the different neurofilament genes diverged. The characterization of human nestin also facilitates the identification of human multipotential neural precursor cells. This will be of importance for central nervous system (CNS) tumor diagnosis and transplant-based clinical approaches to human neurodegenerative diseases.

scholarly journals Elucidating the Neuropathologic Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mar Pacheco-Herrero ◽  
Luis O. Soto-Rojas ◽  
Charles R. Harrington ◽  
Yazmin M. Flores-Martinez ◽  
Marcos M. Villegas-Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Converting Enzyme ◽  
Neurological Manifestations ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 ◽  
The Central Nervous System

The current pandemic caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a public health emergency. To date, March 1, 2021, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused about 114 million accumulated cases and 2.53 million deaths worldwide. Previous pieces of evidence suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may affect the central nervous system (CNS) and cause neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients. It is also known that angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, is expressed in different brain areas and cell types. Thus, it is hypothesized that infection by this virus could generate or exacerbate neuropathological alterations. However, the molecular mechanisms that link COVID-19 disease and nerve damage are unclear. In this review, we describe the routes of SARS-CoV-2 invasion into the central nervous system. We also analyze the neuropathologic mechanisms underlying this viral infection, and their potential relationship with the neurological manifestations described in patients with COVID-19, and the appearance or exacerbation of some neurodegenerative diseases.

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