Understanding the origin of human brain evolution and the underlying molecular mechanisms is made challenging by the complexity of the brain itself and ethical barriers to the use of human samples. The Kalebic team discusses how human forebrain organoids can be exploited to study human brain evolution and neurodevelopmental pathologies.
Human brain evolution has been linked to an increase in brain size and, in particular, to the expansion of the neocortex, a specialised brain region that controls higher cognitive functions such as conscious decision-making and language. The expansion of the neocortex is the result of an increased production of neuronal cells from neural progenitor cells named basal radial glia (bRG). Impaired proliferation of bRG impacts on neuronal cells and leads to the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Flaminia Kaluthantrige Don and Nereo Kalebic at the HT Neurogenomics Research Centre review current research on cerebral organoids – miniature organ-like 3D structures grown from cultured pluripotent stem cells and recapitulating the key features of human brain – as a tool to investigate human brain development in vitro, thus overcoming the limitations to the access and availability of human brain specimens. The researchers discuss how forebrain organoids have been instrumental to shed light on molecular and cellular features of the bRG, and how deregulation of vital signalling pathways in bRG is involved in the onset of various neurodevelopmental diseases.
The image shows neural progenitor cells (green) lining a ventricle of a day 76 brain organoid. A subpopulation of these progenitors, called basal radial glia (bRG), marked by a bRG marker (magenta), have their proliferating niche further away from the ventricle.
(Lausanne, Basel, Zurich, Bellinzona – 14/16 June 2022) From 14 to 16 June 2022, CITT took part in the study tour “SWITZERLAND, CRADLE OF INNOVATION”, organised by the Swiss Embassy in Italy to present the excellence of the Swiss Confederation’s innovation system. Among the institutions visited during the mission by Dr. Fabio Terragni, member of […]
Three-dimensional (3D) organisation of the eukaryotic nuclear genome has a crucial role in gene regulation. Magda Bienko and Nicola Crosetto overview emerging and established techniques used to investigate the spatial arrangement of the genome in the nucleus and how it affects gene function in single cells and tissues. Tight packing into chromatin fibers and their […]
A research project focussing on rare diseases by Prof. Silvia Nicolis, in the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences at the University of Milan Bicocca, in collaboration with Veronica Krenn, young researcher among the five winners of the first edition of HT’s Early Career Fellowship (ECF) Programme, and Prof. Giuseppe Testa, Head of the HT’s Neurogenomics […]
Human Technopole is looking for enthusiastic postdoctoral researchers interested in applying for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022. Projects should focus on one of the areas of the five HT’s Research Centres: Computational Biology, Structural Biology, Genomics, Neurogenomics and Health Data Science. The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in […]
Thyroglobulin is the protein precursor of thyroid hormones, key regulators of vertebrate development and metabolism. On the occasion of World Thyroid Day, Laura Tosatto and Francesca Coscia discuss how post-translational modifications (PTM) of thyroglobulin can regulate thyroid gland function in health and disease. They also highlight the importance of combining structural biology, proteomics, and genomics […]