Nervous System Development

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.