How astrocyte heterogeneity maintained during brain development
Astrocytes in the brain exhibit significant regional diversity, but the mechanisms controlling their heterogeneity remain unclear.
This study demonstrates that transcription factor 4 (Tcf4) regulates astrocyte allocation to specific brain regions through fate restriction based on their embryonic origin.
The authors show that loss of Tcf4 in the Nkx2.1 lineage results in ectopic astrocytes in the dorsal neocortex.
Tcf4-deficient ectopic astrocytes with ventral origin can adapt to the local neocortical environment engaging with nearby neurons.
Tcf4 suppresses the expression of genes related to astrocytogenesis in the Nkx2.1 lineage of the dorsal neocortex.
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.1038/s44318-024-00218-x
