Adaptive evolution of gene regulatory networks in mammalian neocortex - PubMed
5 hours ago
- #neuroscience
- #evolution
- #gene regulation
- Mammals have evolved a more complex brain with a multilayered cerebral neocortex, unlike reptiles and birds which have a single-layered or pseudolayered organization.
- The study identifies mammalian-specific cis-regulatory elements (CREs) associated with gene regulatory networks in excitatory projection neurons (ExNs).
- ZBTB18, a transcription factor, plays a crucial role in defining ExN subtypes and connectivity, with implications in intellectual disability and autism.
- Deletion of Zbtb18 in mice leads to dysregulation of target genes, reduced molecular diversity, and altered brain projections resembling non-mammalian brains.
- ZBTB18 binding motifs are highly conserved in mammals and are enriched in CREs associated with callosally projecting ExNs.