The mammalian cerebral cortex is the most complex biological structure of the animal kingdom and is in charge of our higher cognitive functions. Its development follows a sequence of genetically predefined molecular and cellular events that involve different types of neural precursors (NPs), including neural stem cells-like progenitors called Radial Glial Cells (RGCs), transient amplifying NPs (intermediate progenitors; IPs) and migratory neuroblasts (NBs). This process, generally referred to as neurogenesis, requires the activity of genes that are dynamically and specifically expressed across the different NP populations.
We investigate different aspects of the mechanisms that control the spatio-temporal expression of the developmental genes operating in cortical neurogenesis by using human cortical organoids (self-organized 3D cultures derived from embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells that recapitulate embryonic cortex development and structure) as a model system. We combine functional genomics and chromatin epigenetic and interaction profiles analysis to address:
Faculté de Médecine
3ème étage, Aile B
8 Avenue Rockefeller
F-69008 Lyon