title: Oscillatory control of bHLH factors in neural progenitors.
abstract: The mammalian brain consists of a complex ensemble of neurons and glia. Their production during development and remodeling is tightly controlled by various regulatory mechanisms in neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Among such regulations, basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factors have key functions in the self-renewal, multipotency, and fate determination of NPCs. Here, we highlight the importance of the expression dynamics of bHLH factors in these processes. The oscillatory expression of multiple bHLH factors is correlated with the multipotent and self-renewable state, whereas sustained expression of a selected bHLH factor regulates fate determination. We also discuss potential mechanisms by which a single bHLH factor can exhibit versatile functions in NPC regulation as well as the hierarchical structure of the bHLH factor oscillatory network.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Shogoin-Kawahara, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; The Hakubi Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; World Premier International Research Initiative-Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO), 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan. Electronic address: iimayosh@virus.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Itaru
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Imayoshi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Shogoin-Kawahara, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; World Premier International Research Initiative-Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan. Electronic address: rkageyam@virus.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ryoichiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kageyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins
keywords: bHLH; fate determination; multipotent; neural progenitor cell; oscillation