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Comment
. 2016 Jan 8:5:e12615.
doi: 10.7554/eLife.12615.

Give it a REST!

Steven M Pollard  1 , Maria Angeles Marques-Torrejon  1
Affiliations
Comment

Give it a REST!

Steven M Pollard et al. Elife. .

Abstract

The REST protein helps to prevent the premature activation of genes that are only expressed in mature neurons, and is now found to protect the genome of neural progenitor cells.

Keywords: REST complex; developmental biology; genomic instability; knockout animals; mouse; neurogenesis; repression; stem cells; transcription factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. REST regulation in embryonic neurogenesis.
The REST protein is expressed in apical progenitors (green cells) and represses the expression of genes that are necessary for neurons (pink cell) to develop. Left: REST maintains genome stability, protecting the DNA of the apical progenitor cell during S phase (the phases of the cell cycle are shown in the yellow and white oval). The cells then reduce the production of REST precisely at the apical progenitor cell cycle exit (during G1 phase). This ensures that new neurons develop properly. Right: In the absence of REST, the DNA of the apical progenitor cell becomes damaged during S phase, preventing the subsequent production of basal progenitors and neurons.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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