Cellular and Molecular Biology

NeuroWebinar

1 appointment per week, on Friday at 2.00 pm

10/9/21 - Lecture
Frédéric Clotman
Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium

Carrot and stick: paralog factors orchestrate neuronal differentiation in the developing spinal cord

Cell differentiation models involve activation of specific differentiation programs, or repression of alternative fates, or a combination of both. The transcriptional regulators that orchestrate neuronal differentiation often belong to multigenic families that produce paralog factors in the same cells or in the same cell lineages. Specific contribution of these paralog factors in cell fate decision is frequently underestimated.

In the developing spinal cord, LIM-homeodomain transcription factors promote the differentiation of motor neurons or V2 interneurons, while homeodomain-containing transcriptional repressors prevent irrelevant activation of the alternative differentiation program. I will show that paralog factors may differently contribute to these processes, either in the same cells or in distinct populations of the same lineage, underlining the necessity to precisely characterize the contribution of paralog factors to biological processes and to integrate this information for in vitro differentiation of transplantation-competent neuronal cells.

Host: Serena Stanga
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