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14h ago

Study Finds Forebrain and Hindbrain Start From Two Separate Progenitors

This finding could let scientists grow brainstem neurons in the lab to study diseases that target the hindbrain.

Using their new knowledge, the researchers became the first to successfully coax human stem cells into becoming hindbrain motor nerve cells.
Image
Brain on monitor
The findings were published in Nature Neuroscience by a team of researchers at Stanford University’s department of developmental biology | Representative Image

Overview

  • A peer-reviewed paper led by Stanford published Sept. 18 reports two mutually exclusive progenitor populations, one marked by Otx2 for forebrain/midbrain and one marked by Gbx2 for hindbrain.
  • The teams found distinct chromatin configurations in the anterior and posterior neural ectoderm that correlate with early, lineage-restricted fate commitment.
  • Using that developmental insight, researchers converted human pluripotent stem cells into functional hindbrain motor neurons that fire action potentials and express hindbrain segment markers.
  • Comparative analyses detected the same two-origin pattern in chickens, zebrafish and acorn worms, suggesting the arrangement is deeply conserved across ~550 million years of evolution.
  • Independent scientists have urged further tests to rule out a transient common progenitor or cell plasticity, and the authors say next steps include tracing spinal cord origins and applying the new cells to study SMA, ALS and regenerative approaches.