The Role of Epigenetics in the Control of Neural Development

Abstract

The development of the brain proceeds in several stages. After neuronal induction during early stages of development, the area from which neurons develop becomes further specified and subdivided into different classes of neuronal precursors. These cells subsequently differentiate into mature neurons and migrate into the brain areas where they will function through the formation of synapses and the integration into a complex neuronal network. These processes are mostly controlled by a plethora of genes that encode for growth factors, signaling molecules and transcription factors. More recent evidence has also implicated epigenetic mechanisms to promote neuronal development. Most of these epigenetic mechanisms involve the modification of histones via acetylation and methylation and the methylation of DNA, or the expression of non-coding or micro RNA. The specific role of these epigenetic mechanisms in brain development is not well understood; they could either function as part of a regulatory cascade that regulates the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation, or their role could be to integrate environmental influences into neuronal development. This study is a meta-analysis of recent literature on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in brain development during various stages of brain development. The papers analyzed cover brain development in humans, but also in a plethora of model organisms, for which experimental data are available. The findings from this analysis suggest that one prominent role of epigenetic mechanisms lies in the control of entry into and exit from the cell-cycle; this is important for the differentiation of neuronal precursors, which are generated through the division of neuronal stem-cells. A second role lies in the regulation of the further differentiation of the neuronal precursors once they have been generated. Importantly, in contrast to signaling molecules and transcription factors that are directly acting on their target molecules, epigenetic mechanisms often regulate biological processes like transcription cell cycle progress by modifying the accessibility of the chromatin and specific sequences of the DNA. In conclusion, epigenetic mechanisms contribute significantly to brain development and function and provide another class of compounds next to growth factors, signaling molecules and transcription factors. Support or Funding Information Privately funded Poster presentation This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.