RNA-Binding Protein FXR2 Regulates Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis by Reducing Noggin Expression

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.03.027
• Publication Date: 2011-06-19T07:10:14Z
• Authors: Weixiang Guo; Li Zhang; Devin M. Christopher; Zhao-Qian Teng; Sarah R. Fausett; Changmei Liu; Olivia L. George; John Klingensmith; Peng Jin; Xinyu Zhao
• Keywords: Male; Mice, Knockout; 0301 basic medicine; Analysis of Variance; Neuroscience(all); Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2; Cell Differentiation; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Antigens, Differentiation; Hippocampus; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Adult Stem Cells; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Gene Expression Regulation; Lateral Ventricles; Dactinomycin; Animals; Immunoprecipitation; Antigens; Carrier Proteins; Cells, Cultured; Cell Proliferation

In adult mammalian brains, neurogenesis persists in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles (SVZ) and the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus. Although evidence suggest that adult neurogenesis in these two regions is subjected to differential regulation, the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we show that the RNA-binding protein FXR2 specifically regulates DG neurogenesis by reducing the stability of Noggin mRNA. FXR2 deficiency leads to increased Noggin expression and subsequently reduced BMP signaling, which results in increased proliferation and altered fate specification of neural stem/progenitor cells in DG. In contrast, Noggin is not regulated by FXR2 in the SVZ, because Noggin expression is restricted to the ependymal cells of the lateral ventricles, where FXR2 is not expressed. Differential regulation of SVZ and DG stem cells by FXR2 may be a key component of the mechanism that governs the different neurogenic processes in these two adult germinal zones.