TRANSCRIPTIONAL CONTROLS OVER POSTNATAL CORTICAL PROGENITOR POTENCY – ProgenID

We have previously described the persistence of glutamatergic (Glu) progenitors in the postnatal forebrain of newborn mice and monkeys, long after closure of the period of corticogenesis. Here, we propose to investigate the lineage relationships and transcriptional specificities of pre- and post-natal Glu progenitors, and to interrogate the signals controlling their gradual loss of potency. We will use parallel single-cell RNA-sequencing of pre- and post-natal Glu progenitors and nascent neurons using Neurog2CreERT2 transgenic mice, which enable their efficient identification and isolation. We will also directly interrogate the molecular controls over activation of postnatal Glu progenitors by characterizing the transcriptional programs controlled by activation of the Wnt canonical pathway. This research will work towards the development of new strategies for the generation and functional integration of new glutamatergic neurons following circuit injury