AI Article Synopsis
- Neural progenitor cells in the developing brain can become either neurons or glial cells, and various signaling molecules help determine their fate.
- The study found that a specific G protein-coupled receptor called GPRC5B is located in cortical progenitors and is essential for them to differentiate into neurons.
- When GPRC5B is depleted, these progenitors do not transform into neurons and instead turn into astrocytes, indicating that GPRC5B plays a crucial role in regulating cell fate through β-catenin signaling.
Article Abstract
Neural progenitor cells in the developing brain give rise to neurons and glia. Multiple extrinsic signalling molecules and their cognate membrane receptors have been identified to control neural progenitor fate. However, a role for G protein-coupled receptors in cell fate decisions in the brain remains largely putative. Here we show that GPRC5B, which encodes an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, is present in the ventricular surface of cortical progenitors in the mouse developing neocortex and is required for their neuronal differentiation. GPRC5B-depleted progenitors fail to adopt a neuronal fate and ultimately become astrocytes. Furthermore, GPRC5B-mediated signalling is associated with the proper regulation of β-catenin signalling, a pathway crucial for progenitor fate decision. Our study uncovers G protein-coupled receptor signalling in the neuronal fate determination of cortical progenitors.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.099754 | DOI Listing |
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