Neural stem cell biology: how to build our brain?

During embryonic brain development, neural stem cells sequentially give rise to different subtypes of neurons and glia through a highly orchestrated process. To accomplish the ordered generation of distinct progenies, neural progenitor cells go through multi-step transitions of their developmental competence. The molecular mechanisms driving precise temporal coordination of these transitions remains enigmatic. We have studied to understand molecular regulations of the sequential lineage specification of neural stem cells in the embryonic mammalian brain, and how multiple regulatory systems work in harmony to coordinate cell behavior.