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Expression of human-specific ARHGAP11B in mice leads to neocortex expansion and increased memory flexibility
- 1.0544582 - ÚMG 2022 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Xing, L. - Kubik-Zahorodna, Agnieszka - Namba, T. - Pinson, A. - Florio, M. - Procházka, Jan - Sarov, M. - Sedláček, Radislav - Huttner, W.B.
Expression of human-specific ARHGAP11B in mice leads to neocortex expansion and increased memory flexibility.
EMBO Journal. Roč. 40, č. 13 (2021), č. článku e107093. ISSN 0261-4189. E-ISSN 1460-2075
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LM2018126; GA MŠMT(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0109; GA MŠMT ED2.1.00/19.0395
Institutional support: RVO:68378050
Keywords : basal progenitors * brain evolution * human‐ * specific gene * memory flexibility * neocortex expansion
OECD category: Biology (theoretical, mathematical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), Evolutionary biology
Impact factor: 13.783, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
Result website:
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/embj.2020107093
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2020107093
Neocortex expansion during human evolution provides a basis for our enhanced cognitive abilities. Yet, which genes implicated in neocortex expansion are actually responsible for higher cognitive abilities is unknown. The expression of human-specific ARHGAP11B in embryonic/foetal mouse, ferret and marmoset neocortex was previously found to promote basal progenitor proliferation, upper-layer neuron generation and neocortex expansion during development, features commonly thought to contribute to increased cognitive abilities. However, a key question is whether this phenotype persists into adulthood and if so, whether cognitive abilities are indeed increased. Here, we generated a transgenic mouse line with physiological ARHGAP11B expression that exhibits increased neocortical size and upper-layer neuron numbers persisting into adulthood. Adult ARHGAP11B-transgenic mice showed altered neurobehaviour, notably increased memory flexibility and a reduced anxiety level. Our data are consistent with the notion that neocortex expansion by ARHGAP11B, a gene implicated in human evolution, underlies some of the altered neurobehavioural features observed in the transgenic mice, such as the increased memory flexibility, a neocortex-associated trait, with implications for the increase in cognitive abilities during human evolution.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0321424
Number of the records: 1