scholarly journals §Using organoids to study human brain development and evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wai‐Kit Chan ◽  
Rana Fetit ◽  
Rosie Griffiths ◽  
Helen Marshall ◽  
John O Mason ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Human Brain Development ◽  
Development And Evolution

scholarly journals Unraveling Human Brain Development and Evolution Using Organoid Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Fernandes ◽  
Davis Klein ◽  
Maria C. Marchetto
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Brain Region ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Transcriptional Signature ◽  
Human Brain Development ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Brain Organoid ◽  
Development And Evolution ◽  
Human Specific

Brain organoids are proving to be physiologically relevant models for studying human brain development in terms of temporal transcriptional signature recapitulation, dynamic cytoarchitectural development, and functional electrophysiological maturation. Several studies have employed brain organoid technologies to elucidate human-specific processes of brain development, gene expression, and cellular maturation by comparing human-derived brain organoids to those of non-human primates (NHPs). Brain organoids have been established from a variety of NHP pluripotent stem cell (PSC) lines and many protocols are now available for generating brain organoids capable of reproducibly representing specific brain region identities. Innumerous combinations of brain region specific organoids derived from different human and NHP PSCs, with CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing techniques and strategies to promote advanced stages of maturation, will successfully establish complex brain model systems for the accurate representation and elucidation of human brain development. Identified human-specific processes of brain development are likely vulnerable to dysregulation and could result in the identification of therapeutic targets or disease prevention strategies. Here, we discuss the potential of brain organoids to successfully model human-specific processes of brain development and explore current strategies for pinpointing these differences.

scholarly journals Inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity: a clue for understanding human brain development and evolution

Development ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 148 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nereo Kalebic ◽  
Takashi Namba
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Cell Polarity ◽  
Progenitor Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Brain Development ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Development And Evolution

ABSTRACT Cell polarity is fundamentally important for understanding brain development. Here, we hypothesize that the inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity during neocortex development could be implicated in neocortical evolutionary expansion. Molecular and morphological features of cell polarity may be inherited from one type of progenitor cell to the other and finally transmitted to neurons. Furthermore, key cell types, such as basal progenitors and neurons, exhibit a highly flexible polarity. We suggest that both inheritance and flexibility of cell polarity are implicated in the amplification of basal progenitors and tangential dispersion of neurons, which are key features of the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex.

scholarly journals Single-cell atlas of early human brain development highlights heterogeneity of human neuroepithelial cells and early radial glia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ugomma C. Eze ◽  
Aparna Bhaduri ◽  
Maximilian Haeussler ◽  
Tomasz J. Nowakowski ◽  
Arnold R. Kriegstein
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Radial Glia ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Human Cortex ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Human Brain Development ◽  
Neuroepithelial Cells

AbstractThe human cortex comprises diverse cell types that emerge from an initially uniform neuroepithelium that gives rise to radial glia, the neural stem cells of the cortex. To characterize the earliest stages of human brain development, we performed single-cell RNA-sequencing across regions of the developing human brain, including the telencephalon, diencephalon, midbrain, hindbrain and cerebellum. We identify nine progenitor populations physically proximal to the telencephalon, suggesting more heterogeneity than previously described, including a highly prevalent mesenchymal-like population that disappears once neurogenesis begins. Comparison of human and mouse progenitor populations at corresponding stages identifies two progenitor clusters that are enriched in the early stages of human cortical development. We also find that organoid systems display low fidelity to neuroepithelial and early radial glia cell types, but improve as neurogenesis progresses. Overall, we provide a comprehensive molecular and spatial atlas of early stages of human brain and cortical development.

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