Evolutionarily Dynamic Alternative Splicing of GPR56 Regulates Regional Cerebral Cortical Patterning
Fine-Tuning Brain Gyrations
A handful of patients who suffer from seizures and mild intellectual disability have now led the way to insights about how one piece of regulatory DNA controls development of a section of the human cortex. Imaging the brains of these patients, Bae et al. (p. 764; see the Perspective by Rash and Rakic) observed malformations on the surface folds in a brain region that includes “Broca's area,” the main region underlying language. The three affected families shared a 15–base pair deletion in the regulatory region of a gene, GPR56, which encodes a G protein–coupled receptor required for normal cortical development that is expressed in cortical progenitor cells.
Abstract
The human neocortex has numerous specialized functional areas whose formation is poorly understood. Here, we describe a 15–base pair deletion mutation in a regulatory element of GPR56 that selectively disrupts human cortex surrounding the Sylvian fissure bilaterally including “Broca’s area,” the primary language area, by disrupting regional GPR56 expression and blocking RFX transcription factor binding. GPR56 encodes a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptor required for normal cortical development and is expressed in cortical progenitor cells. GPR56 expression levels regulate progenitor proliferation. GPR56 splice forms are highly variable between mice and humans, and the regulatory element of gyrencephalic mammals directs restricted lateral cortical expression. Our data reveal a mechanism by which control of GPR56 expression pattern by multiple alternative promoters can influence stem cell proliferation, gyral patterning, and, potentially, neocortex evolution.
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Science
Volume 343 | Issue 6172
14 February 2014
14 February 2014
Copyright
Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Submission history
Received: 7 August 2013
Accepted: 17 December 2013
Published in print: 14 February 2014
Acknowledgments
Research performed on samples of human origin was conducted according to protocols approved by participating institutions, including Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The human embryonic and fetal material was provided by the Joint Medical Research Council (grant no. G0700089)–Wellcome Trust (grant no. GR082557) Human Developmental Biology Resource (www.hdbr.org) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Brain and Tissue Bank at the University of Maryland (contract no. HHSN275200900011C, reference no. NO1-HD-9-0011). Gpr56 knockout mice are from Genentech. This work was supported by the Strategic Research Program for Brain Sciences and from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Japan (H.O.); Funding Program for World-Leading Innovative R&D on Science and Technology (FIRST Program) (H.O.); U01MH081896 from National Institute of Mental Health, NIH (N.S.); 2R01NS035129 from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH (C.A.W.); and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation (C.A.W.). Additional funding support listed in supplementary materials. C.A.W. is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Gpr56 knockout mice are available from Genentech subject to a Material Transfer Agreement.
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