The size and shape of every part of the brain are determined by how much the neuronal progenitor cells divide during embryogenesis. In nematodes, we identified a gene that is expressed at the end of neuronal proliferation and delimits the number of neurons produced. In mammals, we identified a homologous gene that is similarly expressed at the end of neuronal proliferation. We have mutated this gene in mice and will determine whether it regulates neuronal proliferation and brain size.
2009
Jaime Garcia-Anoveros, Ph.D.