Nature: The origin of two neuron types reveals how cell diversity emerges in the brain

There are countless cell types that support human complex thinking in our brains-from our memory and decision-making abilities to our sense of smell, taste, movement and communication

Now, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University (Harvard) Broad Institute, and the Flatiron Institute have shown how two key cells in the mouse cerebral cortex can change from Produced in a single progenitor cell

The findings, published in the journal Nature, may provide a model for studying the emergence of cell diversity in the brain

Fischer, a researcher at Broad College and a professor of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, said: “The future of neuroscience will be the creation of tools that we can use to correct the activity of very specific cell types

internerons

Interneurons are neurons that are specifically located in the central nervous system

Although both are suppressor cells—they stop or slow down the firing of neurons—PV and SST cells do this in different ways

Fishell's team knew from previous work that although PV and SST cells are different, they come from the same cell type

Using these data, the researchers mapped how molecular regulatory factors (such as DNA, RNA, and protein complexes) connect to each other to control gene expression in mouse PV and SST cells

Fisher said: "We are very honored to be able to work with computer scientists who can use these complex data

Evaluation model

By comparing gene regulatory networks at different time points before and after birth, the research team found that when these two types of interneurons stop migrating and settle in the cerebral cortex in the early stages of development, they differentiate

Using their computational model, Fischer's team was able to predict the effects of certain genes on the development of cell types

Fischer said that the accuracy of their model shows that the team's method can quickly predict the effects of genetic mutations on other cell types before conducting experiments

Next, researchers will focus on understanding how other proteins besides transcription factors, such as chromatin modifiers, affect gene expression in different cells

Fishell said: "In the next ten years, we will use very powerful computing power and very powerful DNA and RNA work to simulate how genes affect our brain function at the cellular level