大脑皮层是哺乳动物大脑中最复杂的结构，包含很多不同的神经细胞子类型。现在，对细胞培养中的小鼠胚胎干细胞所做的一项研究显示，多样化的皮层神经细胞可在体外生成。在“形态发生素”不存在而“sonic hedgehog”抑制因子存在的情况下，皮层生成是小鼠胚胎干细胞的一个内在性质。这一发现为了解神经分化的机制提供了线索，并且为脑病的模拟研究和治疗提供了新途径。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
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.
