MELBOURNE, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Researchers in Australia have uncovered a critical signaling pathway that controls the timing of brain development, shedding new light on how neurodevelopmental disorders may develop.
The research, led by Australia's Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and published in Nature Communications, revealed genetic processes that shape brain development and what can happen when they are disrupted, according to a MCRI statement released on Thursday.
"The brain develops rapidly before birth, and cells must receive the right instructions at the right time in order to move to the correct place to develop properly. We have uncovered new clues about one of the brain's most important developmental switches," said MCRI Research Associate Ryan Leung.
Using genomic techniques, researchers tracked how thousands of genes shape the developing brain. They used mice genetically engineered to lack DLX1 and DLX2, two key genes that control how brain cells form, move, and survive.
Leung said DLX2 acts like a "traffic controller" during early brain development, ensuring young brain cells become neurons at the right time while preventing them from prematurely developing into specialized support cells.
"When these genes were removed, we saw changes in how these cells developed and where they were located in the brain," Leung said. The team also found previously unidentified subregions of the developing forebrain, revealing how the location of cells impacts their development.
MCRI Neuro-oncology Group Leader Professor David Eisenstat said the findings could inform future research into childhood brain cancers and neurodevelopmental disorders, as many of the same molecular pathways are disrupted in childhood brain tumors, including high-grade gliomas. ■
