Although the vertebrate brain commonly stems from the neuroepithelial tube, the size and complexity of the pseudostratified organization of the brain have drastically expanded during mammalian evolution, resulting in the formation of a highly folded cortex. Developmental controls of neural progenitor divisions underlie these events. In this review, we introduce recent progress in understanding the control of proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors from a structural point of view. We particularly shed light on the roles of epithelial structure and mitotic spindle orientation in the generation of various types of neural progenitors.
© 2012 The Authors Development, Growth & Differentiation © 2012 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.