Neocortex Expansion in Development and Evolution: The Cell Biology of Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells and the Impact of Human-Specific Gene Expression
The unique cell biological features of neural stem and progenitor cells contribute to the evolutionary expansion of the neocortex. The major types of progenitor cells responsible for this are the proliferative basal progenitors (BPs), which mainly reside within the outer subventricular zone (oSVZ) of gyrencephalic species, such as primates. Primate BPs are able to generate their own niche microenvironment in the oSVZ, sustaining their increased proliferative potential. Recent advances in transcriptional profiling have led to the identification of (1) human-specific expression patterns underlying the generation of this niche and (2) human-specific genes involved in cortical development such as ARHGAP11B.