Chapter 5 - The Cell Biology of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells and Neocortex Expansion in Development and Evolution

Abstract

The developing mammalian neocortex contains two principal classes of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). The first are apical progenitors (APs), which reside in the ventricular zone (VZ) and undergo mitosis at the ventricular surface. The second are basal progenitors (BPs), which delaminate from the ventricular surface, migrate to the subventricular zone (SVZ) where they typically undergo mitosis, and in some species, notably primate, self-amplify in the SVZ. Here we discuss the following issues of NPCs in the developing mammalian neocortex: (1) key cell biological features of the major AP and BP types; (2) molecular mechanisms controlling asymmetric cell division of APs and the subsequent production of BPs; (3) differences in heterogeneity and proliferative potential of the BP population in the context of the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex.