In mammals, adult neurogenesis is highly restricted to the subventricular zone and to the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Is neurogenesis in these regions a recapitulation of developmental neural production, or does it involve distinct molecular and cellular processes? And are these processes conserved across mammalian species? To help answer these questions, Ed Lein and colleagues () have performed a detailed expression profiling analysis of the SGZ in adult mice and in developing and adult rhesus macaques. Their datasets suggest that the SGZ niche is highly heterogeneous, with enrichment for markers of various progenitor and differentiated cell types. These results also identify a large set of genes enriched in the SGZ of both species, many of which are also well known to be involved in developmental neurogenesis, suggesting a conserved programme operating during development and in adulthood. Together, these data provide a valuable resource for the community and highlight key factors for neurogenesis in both mice and monkeys.
