Control of granule cell precursor proliferation in the developing cerebellum and in medulloblastoma
Katsuji Yoshioka (Japan)
The cerebellum is essential for the motor control of movement and posture. Due to its apparent simplicity and geometrical arrangement, the cerebellum provides an excellent model for studying the mechanisms that control development of the central nervous system (CNS). The cerebellar cortex is formed from two distinct proliferative zones: one ventricular and one superficial called the external granule layer (EGL). Massive clonal expansion of granule cell precursors (GCPs) occur in the EGL, and ultimately generates by far the most abundant neuronal population in the CNS. In this review, I describe recent advances in understanding the control of GCP proliferation in the developing cerebellum. I also briefty review the uncontrolled GCP proliferation associated with medulloblastoma, the most common brain malignancy in children.
Biomed Rev 2005; 16: 35 – 41.
Key words: brain tumor, cell migration, sonic hedgehog, transcription factor
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Received 12 November 2005 and accepted 18 December 2005.
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Katsuji Yoshioka, Department of Molecularand Cellular Biology, Division of Cell Cycle Regulation, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, Kanazawa 920-0934, Japan.
Tel.: 81 76 265 2711, Fax: 81 76 234 4532,
E-mail: katsuji@kenroku.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
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