Underlying the intricate complexity of the vertebrate brain is a complicated set of developmental programs regulating proliferation and differentiation of the different regions and neuronal types. In the mammalian neocortex, two major types of progenitor cells have been characterised: apical progenitors (APs) that divide at the apical surface of the ventricular zone and basal progenitors (BPs) that divide in the subventricular zone. BPs can be further subdivided into different types, including intermediate progenitors expressing the Tbr2 marker and cells with stem cell-like properties: basal radial glial cells (bRGs). To date, bRGs have only been characterised in mammals, but the evolutionary origin of different BP populations is uncertain. Now, Tadashi Nomura and co-workers (p. 66) characterise a bRG-like population in the chicken pallium (a region of which is homologous to the mammalian neocortex). These cells share many properties with mammalian bRGs, including their morphology, position, orientation of mitoses and response...
The evo-devo of neural progenitors Available to Purchase
The evo-devo of neural progenitors. Development 1 January 2016; 143 (1): e0102. doi:
Download citation file:
Sign in
Client Account
Sign in via your institution
Sign in via ShibbolethAdvertisement
Cited by
The Company of Biologists Workshops

For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues

Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 30 May 2025.
Meet our 2025 Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows

We are delighted to announce our third cohort of PI fellows - researchers whom we will be supporting as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. Read about the eight talented fellows chosen, whom we're excited to be working with as they navigate the job market.
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology

In this Perspective, B. Duygu Özpolat and colleagues survey researchers on their views on what it takes to infer mechanism in developmental biology. They examine what factors shape our idea of what we mean by ‘mechanism’ and suggest a path forward that embraces a broad outlook on the diversity of studies that advance knowledge in our field.
the Node: Have your say

Our community site, the Node, is conducting a user survey about the content and the design of the site. Help us shape the Node's future and thank you for being a part of the Node over the last 15 years.