BuMPing Into Neurogenesis: How the Canonical BMP Pathway Regulates Neural Stem Cell Divisions Throughout Space and Time.

Gwenvael Le Dréau

doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.819990

Abstract

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are secreted factors that contribute to many aspects of the formation of the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), from the initial shaping of the neural primordium to the maturation of the brain and spinal cord. In particular, the canonical (SMAD1/5/8-dependent) BMP pathway appears to play a key role during neurogenesis, its activity dictating neural stem cell fate decisions and thereby regulating the growth and homeostasis of the CNS. In this mini-review, I summarize accumulating evidence demonstrating how the canonical BMP activity promotes the amplification and/or maintenance of neural stem cells at different times and in diverse regions of the vertebrate CNS, and highlight findings suggesting that this function is evolutionarily conserved.

Highlights

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a subgroup of secreted molecules belonging to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily (Feng and Derynck, 2005; Schmierer and Hill, 2007)
The BMP family consists of numerous ligands (BMP2/4, BMP5/6/7/8, BMP9/10 and the Growth and differentiation factors GDF5/6/7), as is the case for type-1 receptors (ALK1, ALK2/ACVR1, ALK3/BMPR1A, and ALK6/BMPR1B), type-2 receptors (BMPR2 and ACTR2A/2B, the latter two being shared with the Activin/TGF-β subfamily), and SMADs (SMAD1, SMAD5, and SMAD8/9) (Schmierer and Hill, 2007)
There is accumulating evidence that the canonical BMP pathway is a master regulator of neurogenesis in vertebrates, orchestrating this process in the central nervous system (CNS) throughout space, time and possibly throughout evolution. This pathway stimulates the expansion of the neural stem cells (NSCs) pool in both the cerebral cortex and spinal cord during amniote development

Summary

Introduction

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a subgroup of secreted molecules belonging to the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily (Feng and Derynck, 2005; Schmierer and Hill, 2007). The canonical BMP pathway plays multiple roles during development of the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS), ranging from the initial specification of the neural tissue to the maturation its cell types (Le Dréau and Martí, 2013; Hart and Karimi-Abdolrezaee, 2020).

Results

Conclusion