Functional synergy of a human-specific and an ape-specific metabolic regulator in human neocortex development

Lei Xing, Vasiliki Gkini, Anni I. Nieminen, Hui-Chao Zhou, Matilde Aquilino, Ronald Naumann, Katrin Reppe, Kohichi Tanaka, Peter Carmeliet, Oskari Heikinheimo, Svante Pääbo, Wieland B. Huttner, Takashi Namba

Forskningsoutput: TidskriftsbidragArtikelVetenskapligPeer review

Sammanfattning

Metabolism has recently emerged as a major target of genes implicated in the evolutionary expansion of human neocortex. One such gene is the human-specific gene ARHGAP11B. During human neocortex development, ARHGAP11B increases the abundance of basal radial glia, key progenitors for neocortex expansion, by stimulating glutaminolysis (glutamine-to-glutamate-to-alpha-ketoglutarate) in mitochondria. Here we show that the ape-specific protein GLUD2 (glutamate dehydrogenase 2), which also operates in mitochondria and converts glutamate-to-αKG, enhances ARHGAP11B’s ability to increase basal radial glia abundance. ARHGAP11B + GLUD2 double-transgenic bRG show increased production of aspartate, a metabolite essential for cell proliferation, from glutamate via alpha-ketoglutarate and the TCA cycle. Hence, during human evolution, a human-specific gene exploited the existence of another gene that emerged during ape evolution, to increase, via concerted changes in metabolism, progenitor abundance and neocortex size.
Originalspråkengelska
Artikelnummer3468
TidskriftNature Communications
Volym15
Antal sidor13
ISSN2041-1723
DOI
StatusPublicerad - apr. 2024
MoE-publikationstypA1 Tidskriftsartikel-refererad

Vetenskapsgrenar

  • 1182 Biokemi, cell- och molekylärbiologi
  • 116 Kemi
  • 3112 Neurovetenskaper

Citera det här