Modelling Population-Level Hes1 Dynamics: Insights from a Multi-framework Approach

Mathematical models of living cells have been successively refined with advancements in experimental techniques. A main concern is striking a balance between modelling power and the tractability of the associated mathematical analysis. In this work we model the dynamics for the transcription factor Hairy and enhancer of split-1 (Hes1), whose expression oscillates during neural development, and which critically enables stable fate decision in the embryonic brain. We design, parametrise, and analyse a detailed spatial model using ordinary differential equations (ODEs) over a grid capturing both transient oscillatory behaviour and fate decision on a population-level. We also investigate the relationship between this ODE model and a more realistic grid-based model involving intrinsic noise using mostly directly biologically motivated parameters. While we focus specifically on Hes1 in neural development, the approach of linking deterministic and stochastic grid-based models shows promise in modelling various biological processes taking place in a cell population. In this context, our work stresses the importance of the interpretability of complex computational models into a framework which is amenable to mathematical analysis.

Indoxyl Sulfate Inhibits Osteogenesis in Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells through the AhR/Hes1 Pathway

Uremic toxins cause bone disorders in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). These disorders are characterized by low turnover osteodystrophy and impaired bone formation in the early stages of CKD. Evidence indicates that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates signals that suppress early osteogenic differentiation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). However, whether the AhR mediates the effects of indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin, on BMSC osteogenesis remains unclear. We investigated whether IS affects osteogenesis through the AhR/Hes1 pathway. Expression levels of osteogenesis genes (Runx2, Bmp2, Alp, and Oc), AhR, and Hes1 were measured in mouse BMSCs (D1 cells). At concentrations of 2-50 μM, IS significantly reduced mineralization, particularly in the early stages of BMSC osteogenesis. Furthermore, IS significantly downregulated the expression of Runx2, Bmp2, Oc, and Alp. Notably, this downregulation could be prevented using an AhR antagonist and through Ahr knockdown. Mechanistically, IS induced the expression of Hes1 through AhR signaling, thereby suppressing the transcription of Runx2 and Bmp2. Our findings suggest that IS inhibits early osteogenesis of BMSCs through the AhR/Hes1 pathway, thus suppressing the transcription of Runx2 and Bmp2. Our findings may guide new therapeutic strategies against CKD-related bone disorders.

Bilateral Feedback in Oscillator Model Is Required to Explain the Coupling Dynamics of Hes1 with the Cell Cycle

Biological processes are governed by the expression of proteins, and for some proteins, their level of expression can fluctuate periodically over time (i.e., they oscillate). Many oscillatory proteins (e.g., cell cycle proteins and those from the HES family of transcription factors) are connected in complex ways, often within large networks. This complexity can be elucidated by developing intuitive mathematical models that describe the underlying critical aspects of the relationships between these processes. Here, we provide a mathematical explanation of a recently discovered biological phenomenon: the phasic position of the gene Hes1’s oscillatory expression at the beginning of the cell cycle of an individual human breast cancer stem cell can have a predictive value on how long that cell will take to complete a cell cycle. We use a two-component model of coupled oscillators to represent Hes1 and the cell cycle in the same cell with minimal assumptions. Inputting only the initial phase angles, we show that this model is capable of predicting the dynamic mitosis to mitosis behaviour of Hes1 and predicting cell cycle length patterns as found in real-world experimental data. Moreover, we discover that bidirectional coupling between Hes1 and the cell cycle is critical within the system for the data to be reproduced and that nonfixed asymmetry in the interactions between the oscillators is required. The phase dynamics we present here capture the complex interplay between Hes1 and the cell cycle, helping to explain nongenetic cell cycle variability, which has critical implications in cancer treatment contexts.

Pleiotropic Roles of NOTCH1 Signaling in the Loss of Maturational Arrest of Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes

Notch signaling has been identified as a critical regulator of cartilage development and homeostasis. Its pivotal role was established by both several joint specific Notch signaling loss of function mouse models and transient or sustained overexpression. NOTCH1 is the most abundantly expressed NOTCH receptors in normal cartilage and its expression increases in osteoarthritis (OA), when chondrocytes exit from their healthy “maturation arrested state” and resume their natural route of proliferation, hypertrophy, and terminal differentiation. The latter are hallmarks of OA that are easily evaluated in vitro in 2-D or 3-D culture models. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of NOTCH1 knockdown on proliferation (cell count and Picogreen mediated DNA quantification), cell cycle (flow cytometry), hypertrophy (gene and protein expression of key markers such as RUNX2 and MMP-13), and terminal differentiation (viability measured in 3-D cultures by luminescence assay) of human OA chondrocytes. NOTCH1 silencing of OA chondrocytes yielded a healthier phenotype in both 2-D (reduced proliferation) and 3-D with evidence of decreased hypertrophy (reduced expression of RUNX2 and MMP-13) and terminal differentiation (increased viability). This demonstrates that NOTCH1 is a convenient therapeutic target to attenuate OA progression.

Deciphering the Role of Fluctuation Dependent Intercellular Communication in Neural Stem Cell Development

Neural stem cells (NPCs) efficiently communicate in an intercellular manner to govern specific cell fate decisions during the developmental process despite withstanding the fluctuating cellular environment. How these fluctuations from diverse origins functionally affect the precise cell fate decision making remains elusive. By taking a stochastic mathematical modeling approach, we unravel that the transcriptional variability arising within an NPC population due to intermittent cell cycle events significantly influences the neuron to NPC ratio during development. Our model proficiently quantifies the impact of different sources of heterogeneities in maintaining an exact neuron to NPC ratio and predicts plausible experimental ways to fine-tune the development of NPCs. In the future, these modeling insights may lead to better therapeutic avenues to regenerate neurons from NPCs.

The cell cycle and differentiation as integrated processes: Cyclins and CDKs reciprocally regulate Sox and Notch to balance stem cell maintenance

Development and maintenance of diverse organ systems require context-specific regulation of stem cell behaviour. We hypothesize that this is achieved via reciprocal regulation between the cell cycle machinery and differentiation factors. This idea is supported by the parallel evolutionary emergence of differentiation pathways, cell cycle components and complex multicellularity. In addition, the activities of different cell cycle phases have been found to bias cells towards stem cell maintenance or differentiation. Finally, several direct mechanistic links between these two processes have been established. Here, we focus on interactions between cyclin-CDK complexes and differentiation regulators of the Notch pathway and Sox family of transcription factors within the context of pluripotent and neural stem cells. Thus, this hypothesis formalizes the links between these two processes as an integrated network. Since such factors are common to all stem cells, better understanding their interconnections will help to explain their behaviour in health and disease.

Theoretical study of the impact of adaptation on cell-fate heterogeneity and fractional killing

Fractional killing illustrates the cell propensity to display a heterogeneous fate response over a wide range of stimuli. The interplay between the nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of biochemical networks plays a fundamental role in shaping this probabilistic response and in reconciling requirements for heterogeneity and controllability of cell-fate decisions. The stress-induced fate choice between life and death depends on an early adaptation response which may contribute to fractional killing by amplifying small differences between cells. To test this hypothesis, we consider a stochastic modeling framework suited for comprehensive sensitivity analysis of dose response curve through the computation of a fractionality index. Combining bifurcation analysis and Langevin simulation, we show that adaptation dynamics enhances noise-induced cell-fate heterogeneity by shifting from a saddle-node to a saddle-collision transition scenario. The generality of this result is further assessed by a computational analysis of a detailed regulatory network model of apoptosis initiation and by a theoretical analysis of stochastic bifurcation mechanisms. Overall, the present study identifies a cooperative interplay between stochastic, adaptation and decision intracellular processes that could promote cell-fate heterogeneity in many contexts.

Visualizing Cell Cycle Phase Organization and Control During Neural Lineage Elaboration

In neural precursors, cell cycle regulators simultaneously control both progression through the cell cycle and the probability of a cell fate switch. Precursors act in lineages, where they transition through a series of cell types, each of which has a unique molecular identity and cellular behavior. Thus, investigating links between cell cycle and cell fate control requires simultaneous identification of precursor type and cell cycle phase, as well as an ability to read out additional regulatory factor expression or activity. We use a combined FUCCI-EdU labelling protocol to do this, and then applied it to the embryonic olfactory neural lineage, in which the spatial position of a cell correlates with its precursor identity. Using this integrated model, we find the CDKi p27KIP1 has different regulation relative to cell cycle phase in neural stem cells versus intermediate precursors. In addition, Hes1, which is the principle transcriptional driver of neural stem cell self-renewal, surprisingly does not regulate p27KIP1 in this cell type. Rather, Hes1 indirectly represses p27KIP1 levels in the intermediate precursor cells downstream in the lineage. Overall, the experimental model described here enables investigation of cell cycle and cell fate control linkage from a single precursor through to a lineage systems level.

Modulation of Nerve Cell Differentiation: Role of Polyphenols and of Contactin Family Components

In this study the mechanisms are explored, which modulate expression and function of cell surface adhesive glycoproteins of the Immunoglobulin Supergene Family (IgSF), and in particular of its Contactin subset, during neuronal precursor developmental events. In this context, a specific topic concerns the significance of the expression profile of such molecules and their ability to modulate signaling pathways activated through nutraceuticals, in particular polyphenols, administration. Both in vitro and in vivo approaches are chosen. As for the former, by using as a model the human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma line, the effects of grape seed polyphenols are evaluated on proliferation and commitment/differentiation events along the neuronal lineage. In SH-SY5Y cell cultures, polyphenols were found to counteract precursor proliferation while promoting their differentiation, as deduced by studying their developmental parameters through the expression of cell cycle and neuronal commitment/differentiation markers as well as by measuring neurite growth. In such cultures, Cyclin E expression and BrdU incorporation were downregulated, indicating reduced precursor proliferation while increased neuronal differentiation was inferred from upregulation of cell cycle exit (p27^–Kip) and neuronal commitment (NeuN) markers as well as by measuring neurite length through morphometric analysis. The polyphenol effects on developmental parameters were also explored in vivo, in cerebellar cortex, by using as a model the TAG/F3 transgenic line, which undergoes delayed neural development as a consequence of Contactin1 adhesive glycoprotein upregulation and premature expression under control of the Contactin2 gene (Cntn-2) promoter. In this transgenic line, a Notch pathway activation is known to occur and polyphenol treatment was found to counteract such an effect, demonstrated through downregulation of the Hes-1 transcription factor. Polyphenols also downregulated the expression of adhesive glycoproteins of the Contactin family themselves, demonstrated for both Contactin1 and Contactin2, indicating the involvement of changes in the expression of the underlying genes in the observed phenotype. These data support the hypothesis that the complex control exerted by polyphenols on neural development involves modulation of expression and function of the genes encoding cell adhesion molecules of the Contactin family and of the associated signaling pathways, indicating potential mechanisms whereby such compounds may control neurogenesis.

Modeling Mammalian Commitment to the Neural Lineage Using Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cells

Early mammalian embryogenesis relies on a large range of cellular and molecular mechanisms to guide cell fate. In this highly complex interacting system, molecular circuitry tightly controls emergent properties, including cell differentiation, proliferation, morphology, migration, and communication. These molecular circuits include those responsible for the control of gene and protein expression, as well as metabolism and epigenetics. Due to the complexity of this circuitry and the relative inaccessibility of the mammalian embryo in utero, mammalian neural commitment remains one of the most challenging and poorly understood areas of developmental biology. In order to generate the nervous system, the embryo first produces two pluripotent populations, the inner cell mass and then the primitive ectoderm. The latter is the cellular substrate for gastrulation from which the three multipotent germ layers form. The germ layer definitive ectoderm, in turn, is the substrate for multipotent neurectoderm (neural plate and neural tube) formation, representing the first morphological signs of nervous system development. Subsequent patterning of the neural tube is then responsible for the formation of most of the central and peripheral nervous systems. While a large number of studies have assessed how a competent neurectoderm produces mature neural cells, less is known about the molecular signatures of definitive ectoderm and neurectoderm and the key molecular mechanisms driving their formation. Using pluripotent stem cells as a model, we will discuss the current understanding of how the pluripotent inner cell mass transitions to pluripotent primitive ectoderm and sequentially to the multipotent definitive ectoderm and neurectoderm. We will focus on the integration of cell signaling, gene activation, and epigenetic control that govern these developmental steps, and provide insight into the novel growth factor-like role that specific amino acids, such as L-proline, play in this process.

A Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlas of Human Neocortical Development during Mid-gestation

We performed RNA sequencing on 40,000 cells to create a high-resolution single-cell gene expression atlas of developing human cortex, providing the first single-cell characterization of previously uncharacterized cell types, including human subplate neurons, comparisons with bulk tissue, and systematic analyses of technical factors. These data permit deconvolution of regulatory networks connecting regulatory elements and transcriptional drivers to single-cell gene expression programs, significantly extending our understanding of human neurogenesis, cortical evolution, and the cellular basis of neuropsychiatric disease. We tie cell-cycle progression with early cell fate decisions during neurogenesis, demonstrating that differentiation occurs on a transcriptomic continuum; rather than only expressing a few transcription factors that drive cell fates, differentiating cells express broad, mixed cell-type transcriptomes before telophase. By mapping neuropsychiatric disease genes to cell types, we implicate dysregulation of specific cell types in ASD, ID, and epilepsy. We developed CoDEx, an online portal to facilitate data access and browsing.

The "mechanostat" principle in cell differentiation. The osteochondroprogenitor paradigm

The "mechanostat" principle may be depicted as an oscillating signal of a signaling molecule, in which the amplitude, frequency, cumulative level, delay, and duration of the curve encode the information for concrete cellular responses and biological activities. When the oscillating signal is kept sustained (present delay), cell exit may be performed, whereas when the oscillating signal remains robust, cell proliferation may take place. B-catenin-Wnt signaling pathway has a key role in the differentiation of osteochondroprogenitor cells. Sustained downregulation of the β-catenin-Wnt pathway forces osteochondroprogenitors to a chondrogenic fate instead of an osteoblastic one. Other signaling, for example, bone morphogenetic protein and Notch signaling pathways interact with the Wnt pathway. The crosstalk between biochemical and mechanical stimuli produces the final information that leads to the final cell fate decisions, through the "mechanostat" principle.

MiRNA Influences in Neuroblast Modulation: An Introspective Analysis

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common occurring solid paediatric cancer in children under the age of five years. Whether of familial or sporadic origin, chromosome abnormalities contribute to the development of NB and cause dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are small non-coding, single stranded RNAs that target messenger RNAs at the post-transcriptional levels by repressing translation within all facets of human physiology. Such gene 'silencing' activities by miRNAs allows the development of regulatory feedback loops affecting multiple functions within the cell, including the possible differentiation of neural stem cell (NSC) lineage selection. Neurogenesis includes stages of self-renewal and fate specification of NSCs, migration and maturation of young neurones, and functional integration of new neurones into the neural circuitry, all of which are regulated by miRNAs. The role of miRNAs and their interaction in cellular processes are recognised aspects of cancer genetics, and miRNAs are currently employed as biomarkers for prognosis and tumour characterisation in multiple cancer models. Consequently, thorough understanding of the mechanisms of how these miRNAs interplay at the transcriptomic level will definitely lead to the development of novel, bespoke and efficient therapeutic measures, with this review focusing on the influences of miRNAs on neuroblast modulations leading to neuroblastoma.

Differential interactions between Notch and ID factors control neurogenesis by modulating Hes factor autoregulation

During embryonic and adult neurogenesis, neural stem cells (NSCs) generate the correct number and types of neurons in a temporospatial fashion. Control of NSC activity and fate is crucial for brain formation and homeostasis. Neurogenesis in the embryonic and adult brain differ considerably, but Notch signaling and inhibitor of DNA-binding (ID) factors are pivotal in both. Notch and ID factors regulate NSC maintenance; however, it has been difficult to evaluate how these pathways potentially interact. Here, we combined mathematical modeling with analysis of single-cell transcriptomic data to elucidate unforeseen interactions between the Notch and ID factor pathways. During brain development, Notch signaling dominates and directly regulates Id4 expression, preventing other ID factors from inducing NSC quiescence. Conversely, during adult neurogenesis, Notch signaling and Id2/3 regulate neurogenesis in a complementary manner and ID factors can induce NSC maintenance and quiescence in the absence of Notch. Our analyses unveil key molecular interactions underlying NSC maintenance and mechanistic differences between embryonic and adult neurogenesis. Similar Notch and ID factor interactions may be crucial in other stem cell systems.

Summary: Computational analysis of transcriptome data from neural stem cells reveals key differences in the synergistic interactions between Notch and inhibitor of DNA-binding factors during embryonic and adult neurogenesis.

Transcription factor oscillations in neural stem cells: Implications for accurate control of gene expression

Naturally occurring oscillations in glucocorticoids induce a cyclic activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a well-characterized ligand-activated transcription factor. These cycles of GR activation/deactivation result in rapid GR exchange at genomic response elements and GR recycling through the chaperone machinery, ultimately generating pulses of GR-mediated transcriptional activity of target genes. In a recent article we have discussed the implications of circadian and high-frequency (ultradian) glucocorticoid oscillations for the dynamic control of gene expression in hippocampal neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) (Fitzsimons et al., Front. Neuroendocrinol., 2016). Interestingly, this oscillatory transcriptional activity is common to other transcription factors, many of which regulate key biological functions in NSPCs, such as NF-kB, p53, Wnt and Notch. Here, we discuss the oscillatory behavior of these transcription factors, their role in a biologically accurate target regulation and the potential importance for a dynamic control of transcription activity and gene expression in NSPCs.

Resveratrol counteracts lipopolysaccharide-induced depressive-like behaviors via enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis

Radial glial-like cells (RGLs) in the adult dentate gyrus (DG) function as progenitor cells for adult hippocampal neurogenesis, a process involved in the stress-related pathophysiology and treatment efficiency of depression. Resveratrol (RSV) has been demonstrated to be a potent activator of neurogenesis. The present study investigated whether chronic RSV treatment has antidepressant potential in relation to hippocampal neurogenesis. Mice received two weeks of RSV (20 mg/kg) or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) treatment, followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 mg/kg) or saline injections for 5 days. We found that RSV treatment abrogated the increased immobility in the forced swimming test and tail suspension test induced by LPS. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that RSV treatment reversed the increase in microglial activation and the inhibition in DG neurogenesis. RSV treatment also attenuated LPS-induced defects in the expanding of RGLs through promoting symmetric division. In addition, RSV ameliorated LPS-induced NF-κB activation in the hippocampus coincides with the up-regulation levels of Sirt1 and Hes1. Taken together, these data indicated that RSV-induced Sirt1 activation counteracts LPS-induced depression-like behaviors via a neurogenic mechanism. A new model to understand the role of RSV in treating depression may result from these findings.

Requirements for efficient cell-type proportioning: regulatory timescales, stochasticity and lateral inhibition

The proper functioning of multicellular organisms requires the robust establishment of precise proportions between distinct cell types. This developmental differentiation process typically involves intracellular regulatory and stochastic mechanisms to generate cell-fate diversity as well as intercellular signaling mechanisms to coordinate cell-fate decisions at tissue level. We thus surmise that key insights about the developmental regulation of cell-type proportion can be captured by the modeling study of clustering dynamics in population of inhibitory-coupled noisy bistable systems. This general class of dynamical system is shown to exhibit a very stable two-cluster state, but also metastability, collective oscillations or noise-induced state hopping, which can prevent from timely and reliably reaching a robust and well-proportioned clustered state. To circumvent these obstacles or to avoid fine-tuning, we highlight a general strategy based on dual-time positive feedback loops, such as mediated through transcriptional versus epigenetic mechanisms, which improves proportion regulation by coordinating early and flexible lineage priming with late and firm commitment. This result sheds new light on the respective and cooperative roles of multiple regulatory feedback, stochasticity and lateral inhibition in developmental dynamics.

Control of Neural Daughter Cell Proliferation by Multi-level Notch/Su(H)/E(spl)-HLH Signaling

The Notch pathway controls proliferation during development and in adulthood, and is frequently affected in many disorders. However, the genetic sensitivity and multi-layered transcriptional properties of the Notch pathway has made its molecular decoding challenging. Here, we address the complexity of Notch signaling with respect to proliferation, using the developing Drosophila CNS as model. We find that a Notch/Su(H)/E(spl)-HLH cascade specifically controls daughter, but not progenitor proliferation. Additionally, we find that different E(spl)-HLH genes are required in different neuroblast lineages. The Notch/Su(H)/E(spl)-HLH cascade alters daughter proliferation by regulating four key cell cycle factors: Cyclin E, String/Cdc25, E2f and Dacapo (mammalian p21CIP1/p27KIP1/p57Kip2). ChIP and DamID analysis of Su(H) and E(spl)-HLH indicates direct transcriptional regulation of the cell cycle genes, and of the Notch pathway itself. These results point to a multi-level signaling model and may help shed light on the dichotomous proliferative role of Notch signaling in many other systems.

Genetic oscillators in development

In development, morphogenetic processes are strictly coordinated in time. Cells in a developing tissue would need mechanisms for time-keeping. One such time-keeping mechanism is to use oscillations of gene expression. Oscillatory gene expression can be generated by transcriptional/translational feedback loops, usually referred to as a genetic oscillator. In this review article, we discuss genetic oscillators in the presence of developmental processes such as cell division, cell movement and cell differentiation. We first introduce the gene regulatory network for generating a rhythm of gene expression. We then discuss how developmental processes influence genetic oscillators. Examples include vertebrate somitogenesis and neural progenitor cell differentiation, as well as the circadian clock for comparison. To understand the behaviors of genetic oscillators in development, it is necessary to consider both gene expression dynamics and cellular behaviors simultaneously. Theoretical modeling combined with live imaging at single-cell resolution will be a powerful tool to analyze genetic oscillators in development.

Stochasticity in the miR-9/Hes1 oscillatory network can account for clonal heterogeneity in the timing of differentiation

Recent studies suggest that cells make stochastic choices with respect to differentiation or division. However, the molecular mechanism underlying such stochasticity is unknown. We previously proposed that the timing of vertebrate neuronal differentiation is regulated by molecular oscillations of a transcriptional repressor, HES1, tuned by a post-transcriptional repressor, miR-9. Here, we computationally model the effects of intrinsic noise on the Hes1/miR-9 oscillator as a consequence of low molecular numbers of interacting species, determined experimentally. We report that increased stochasticity spreads the timing of differentiation in a population, such that initially equivalent cells differentiate over a period of time. Surprisingly, inherent stochasticity also increases the robustness of the progenitor state and lessens the impact of unequal, random distribution of molecules at cell division on the temporal spread of differentiation at the population level. This advantageous use of biological noise contrasts with the view that noise needs to be counteracted.

Neuronal specification exploits the inherent flexibility of cell-cycle gap phases

Starting from pluripotent stem cells that virtually proliferate indefinitely, the orderly emergence during organogenesis of lineage-restricted cell types exhibiting a decreased proliferative capacity concurrently with an increasing range of differentiation traits implies the occurrence of a stringent spatiotemporal coupling between cell-cycle progression and cell differentiation. A recent computational modeling study has explored in the context of neurogenesis whether and how the peculiar pattern of connections among the proneural Neurog2 factor, the Hes1 Notch effector and antagonistically-acting G1-phase regulators would be instrumental in this event. This study highlighted that the strong opposition to G1/S transit imposed by accumulating Neurog2 and CKI enables a sensitive control of G1-phase lengthening and terminal differentiation to occur concomitantly with late-G1 exit. Contrastingly, Hes1 promotes early-G1 cell-cycle arrest and its cell-autonomous oscillations combined with a lateral inhibition mechanism help maintain a labile proliferation state in dynamic balance with diverse cell-fate outputs, thereby, offering cells the choice to either keep self-renewing or differentiate into distinct cell types. These results, discussed in connection with Ascl1-dependent neural differentiation, suggest that developmental fate decisions exploit the inherent flexibility of cell-cycle gap phases to generate diversity by selecting subtly-differing patterns of connections among components of the cell-cycle machinery and differentiation pathways.

miR-381 Regulates Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation via Regulating Hes1 Expression

Neural stem cells are self-renewing, multipotent and undifferentiated precursors that retain the capacity for differentiation into both glial (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) and neuronal lineages. Neural stem cells offer cell-based therapies for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and spinal cord injuries. However, their cellular behavior is poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs involved in cell development, proliferation and differentiation through regulating gene expression at post-transcriptional level. The role of miR-381 in the development of neural stem cells remains unknown. In this study, we showed that overexpression of miR-381 promoted neural stem cells proliferation. It induced the neural stem cells differentiation to neurons and inhibited their differentiation to astrocytes. Furthermore, we identified HES1 as a direct target of miR-381 in neural stem cells. Moreover, re-expression of HES1 impaired miR-381-induced promotion of neural stem cells proliferation and induce neural stem cells differentiation to neurons. In conclusion, miR-381 played important role in neural stem cells proliferation and differentiation.