Newborn neurons generated from neural progenitor cells in a brain region called the hippocampus play an important role in learning and memory in adults. However, the molecular mechanisms that control this neurogenesis process have not been fully understood. Sanford-Burnham researchers recently shed new light on this question by discovering a key role of a protein called SOX2 in neuronal development. As reported online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, SOX2 promotes the activation of genes involved in differentiation, enabling neural progenitor cells to turn into mature neurons in the brains of adult mice. Continue reading “Discovery of new role of SOX2 protein sheds light on neurogenesis in the adult brain”