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Schmidt AR, Jaime VS, Inserra PIF, Proietto S, Corso MC, Burd IA, Leopardo NP, Halperin J, Vitullo AD, Dorfman VB. Corticogenesis and folding process of the neopallium in the South American plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25631. [PMID: 38813760 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
The plains vizcacha, Lagostomus maximus, is a precocial hystricomorph rodent with a gyrencephalic brain. This work aimed to perform a time-lapse analysis of the embryonic brain cortical development in the plains vizcacha to establish a species-specific temporal window for corticogenesis and the gyrencephaly onset. Additionally, a comparative examination with evolutionarily related rodents was conducted. Embryos from 40 embryonic days (ED) until the end of pregnancy ( ∼ $\sim $ 154 ED) were evaluated. The neuroanatomical examination determined transverse sulci at 80 ED and rostral lateral and caudal intraparietal sulci around 95 ED. Histological examination of corticogenesis showed emergence of the subplate at 43 ED and expansion of the subventricular zone (SVZ) and its division into inner and outer SVZs around 54 ED. The neocortical layers formation followed an inside-to-outside spatiotemporal gradient beginning with the emergence of layers VI and V at 68 ED and establishing the final six neocortical layers around 100 ED. A progressive increment of gyrencephalization index (GI) from 1.005 ± 0.003 around 70 ED, which reflects a smooth cortex, up to 1.07 ± 0.009 at the end of gestation, reflecting a gyrencephalic neuroanatomy, was determined. Contrarily, the minimum cortical thickness (MCT) progressively decreased from 61 ED up to the end of gestation. These results show that the decrease in the cortical thickness, which enables the onset of neocortical invaginations, occurs together with the expansion and subdivision of the SVZ. The temporal comparison of corticogenesis in plains vizcacha with that in relative species reflects a prenatal long process compared with other rodents that may give an evolutionary advantage to L. maximus as a precocial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Raúl Schmidt
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vanina Soledad Jaime
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Ignacio Felipe Inserra
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sofía Proietto
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Clara Corso
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ileana Abigail Burd
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Noelia Paola Leopardo
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julia Halperin
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alfredo Daniel Vitullo
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Verónica Berta Dorfman
- Centro de Estudios Biomédicos Básicos, Aplicados y Desarrollo (CEBBAD), Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Huttner WB, Heide M, Mora-Bermúdez F, Namba T. Neocortical neurogenesis in development and evolution-Human-specific features. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25576. [PMID: 38189676 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
In this review, we focus on human-specific features of neocortical neurogenesis in development and evolution. Two distinct topics will be addressed. In the first section, we discuss the expansion of the neocortex during human evolution and concentrate on the human-specific gene ARHGAP11B. We review the ability of ARHGAP11B to amplify basal progenitors and to expand a primate neocortex. We discuss the contribution of ARHGAP11B to neocortex expansion during human evolution and its potential implications for neurodevelopmental disorders and brain tumors. We then review the action of ARHGAP11B in mitochondria as a regulator of basal progenitor metabolism, and how it promotes glutaminolysis and basal progenitor proliferation. Finally, we discuss the increase in cognitive performance due to the ARHGAP11B-induced neocortical expansion. In the second section, we focus on neocortical development in modern humans versus Neanderthals. Specifically, we discuss two recent findings pointing to differences in neocortical neurogenesis between these two hominins that are due to a small number of amino acid substitutions in certain key proteins. One set of such proteins are the kinetochore-associated proteins KIF18a and KNL1, where three modern human-specific amino acid substitutions underlie the prolongation of metaphase during apical progenitor mitosis. This prolongation in turn is associated with an increased fidelity of chromosome segregation to the apical progenitor progeny during modern human neocortical development, with implications for the proper formation of radial units. Another such key protein is transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1), where a single modern human-specific amino acid substitution endows TKTL1 with the ability to amplify basal radial glia, resulting in an increase in upper-layer neuron generation. TKTL1's ability is based on its action in the pentose phosphate pathway, resulting in increased fatty acid synthesis. The data imply greater neurogenesis during neocortical development in modern humans than Neanderthals due to TKTL1, in particular in the developing frontal lobe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wieland B Huttner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Heide
- German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Takashi Namba
- Neuroscience Center, HiLIFE - Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Zug R, Uller T. Evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits: A transcriptional regulation perspective. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e43. [PMID: 37588924 PMCID: PMC10426018 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.42] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary changes in brain and craniofacial development have endowed humans with unique cognitive and social skills, but also predisposed us to debilitating disorders in which these traits are disrupted. What are the developmental genetic underpinnings that connect the adaptive evolution of our cognition and sociality with the persistence of mental disorders with severe negative fitness effects? We argue that loss of function of genes involved in transcriptional regulation represents a crucial link between the evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits. The argument is based on the haploinsufficiency of many transcriptional regulator genes, which makes them particularly sensitive to loss-of-function mutations. We discuss how human brain and craniofacial traits evolved through partial loss of function (i.e. reduced expression) of these genes, a perspective compatible with the idea of human self-domestication. Moreover, we explain why selection against loss-of-function variants supports the view that mutation-selection-drift, rather than balancing selection, underlies the persistence of psychiatric disorders. Finally, we discuss testable predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Zug
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tobias Uller
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Mora-Bermúdez F, Kanis P, Macak D, Peters J, Naumann R, Xing L, Sarov M, Winkler S, Oegema CE, Haffner C, Wimberger P, Riesenberg S, Maricic T, Huttner WB, Pääbo S. Longer metaphase and fewer chromosome segregation errors in modern human than Neanderthal brain development. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn7702. [PMID: 35905187 PMCID: PMC9337762 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn7702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Since the ancestors of modern humans separated from those of Neanderthals, around 100 amino acid substitutions spread to essentially all modern humans. The biological significance of these changes is largely unknown. Here, we examine all six such amino acid substitutions in three proteins known to have key roles in kinetochore function and chromosome segregation and to be highly expressed in the stem cells of the developing neocortex. When we introduce these modern human-specific substitutions in mice, three substitutions in two of these proteins, KIF18a and KNL1, cause metaphase prolongation and fewer chromosome segregation errors in apical progenitors of the developing neocortex. Conversely, the ancestral substitutions cause shorter metaphase length and more chromosome segregation errors in human brain organoids, similar to what we find in chimpanzee organoids. These results imply that the fidelity of chromosome segregation during neocortex development improved in modern humans after their divergence from Neanderthals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Mora-Bermúdez
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philipp Kanis
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dominik Macak
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jula Peters
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ronald Naumann
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lei Xing
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Mihail Sarov
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Sylke Winkler
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Christiane Haffner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Pauline Wimberger
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Tomislav Maricic
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wieland B. Huttner
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son 904-0495, Japan
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Peyrégne S, Kelso J, Peter BM, Pääbo S. The evolutionary history of human spindle genes includes back-and-forth gene flow with Neandertals. eLife 2022; 11:75464. [PMID: 35816093 PMCID: PMC9273211 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins associated with the spindle apparatus, a cytoskeletal structure that ensures the proper segregation of chromosomes during cell division, experienced an unusual number of amino acid substitutions in modern humans after the split from the ancestors of Neandertals and Denisovans. Here, we analyze the history of these substitutions and show that some of the genes in which they occur may have been targets of positive selection. We also find that the two changes in the kinetochore scaffold 1 (KNL1) protein, previously believed to be specific to modern humans, were present in some Neandertals. We show that the KNL1 gene of these Neandertals shared a common ancestor with present-day Africans about 200,000 years ago due to gene flow from the ancestors (or relatives) of modern humans into Neandertals. Subsequently, some non-Africans inherited this modern human-like gene variant from Neandertals, but none inherited the ancestral gene variants. These results add to the growing evidence of early contacts between modern humans and archaic groups in Eurasia and illustrate the intricate relationships among these groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Peyrégne
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Benjamin M Peter
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Espinós A, Fernández‐Ortuño E, Negri E, Borrell V. Evolution of genetic mechanisms regulating cortical neurogenesis. Dev Neurobiol 2022; 82:428-453. [PMID: 35670518 PMCID: PMC9543202 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The size of the cerebral cortex increases dramatically across amniotes, from reptiles to great apes. This is primarily due to different numbers of neurons and glial cells produced during embryonic development. The evolutionary expansion of cortical neurogenesis was linked to changes in neural stem and progenitor cells, which acquired increased capacity of self‐amplification and neuron production. Evolution works via changes in the genome, and recent studies have identified a small number of new genes that emerged in the recent human and primate lineages, promoting cortical progenitor proliferation and increased neurogenesis. However, most of the mammalian genome corresponds to noncoding DNA that contains gene‐regulatory elements, and recent evidence precisely points at changes in expression levels of conserved genes as key in the evolution of cortical neurogenesis. Here, we provide an overview of basic cellular mechanisms involved in cortical neurogenesis across amniotes, and discuss recent progress on genetic mechanisms that may have changed during evolution, including gene expression regulation, leading to the expansion of the cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Espinós
- Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC ‐ UMH, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant Spain
| | | | - Enrico Negri
- Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC ‐ UMH, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant Spain
| | - Víctor Borrell
- Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC ‐ UMH, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant Spain
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Mora-Bermúdez F, Huttner WB. What Are the Human-Specific Aspects of Neocortex Development? Front Neurosci 2022; 16:878950. [PMID: 35495057 PMCID: PMC9047014 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.878950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
When considering what makes us human, the development of the neocortex, the seat of our higher cognitive abilities, is of central importance. Throughout this complex developmental process, neocortical stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) exert a priming role in determining neocortical tissue fate, through a series of cellular and molecular events. In this Perspective article, we address five questions of relevance for potentially human-specific aspects of NSPCs, (i) Are there human-specific NSPC subtypes? (ii) What is the functional significance of the known temporal differences in NSPC dynamics between human and other great apes? (iii) Are there functional interactions between the human-specific genes preferentially expressed in NSPCs? (iv) Do humans amplify certain metabolic pathways for NSPC proliferation? and finally (v) Have differences evolved during human evolution, notably between modern humans and Neandertals, that affect the performance of key genes operating in NSPCs? We discuss potential implications inherent to these questions, and suggest experimental approaches on how to answer them, hoping to provide incentives to further understand key issues of human cortical development.
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