No. 22

Time：2:30 PM, April 18, 2024 (Thursday)

Location: Room 1322, North Tower, Basic Research Building, Capital Medical University 

Host: Lin Mei

     Chinese Institutes for Medical Research, Beijing

Speaker: Yong-Chun Yu   Investigator

Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University

Title: Molecular mechanism linking the evolution of cortical folding

Abstract:

Cortical folding, characterized by gyri and sulci, is believed to underlie the acquisition of high-level brain functions during development and evolution. Malformations of cortical folds are often associated with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie the development of cortical folds is of central importance to both the structural and functional study of the cortex which could lead to novel therapies for neurological disorders. The position and shape of cortical folds and fissures are not random, but follow well-conserved patterns, indicating that they are under strong genetic regulation, during development and across evolution. Thus, one hypothesis proposes that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between prospective gyral and sulcal regions may contribute to non-uniform cortical expansion and drive cortical folding. In this presentation, I will introduce some progress in region-specific genes regulating cortical folding and brain function using ferrets and their gene-knockout models.

Selected publications:

1. Zong N, Wang M, Fu Y, Shen D, Yu YC. Cell-cycle length of medial ganglionic eminence progenitors contributes to interneuron fate. Protein Cell. 2022;13(2):141-147.
2. Yang WZ, Liu TT, Cao JW, Chen XF, Liu X, Wang M, Su X, Zhang SQ, Qiu BL, Hu WX, Liu LY, Ma L, Yu YC. Fear Erasure Facilitated by Immature Inhibitory Neuron Transplantation. Neuron. 2016;92(6):1352-1367.
3. Yu YC, He S, Chen S, Fu Y, Brown KN, Yao XH, Ma J, Gao KP, Sosinsky GE, Huang K, Shi SH. Preferential electrical coupling regulates neocortical lineage-dependent microcircuit assembly.Nature. 2012;486(7401):113-7.