A Nucleolar Protein, Nepro, Is Essential for the Maintenance of Early Neural Stem Cells and Preimplantation Embryos

Notch signaling is required for maintaining neural stem cells (NSCs) in the developing brain. NSCs have potential to give rise to many neuronal types in the early telencephalon, and the potential decreases as embryonic development proceeds. Nepro, which encodes a unique nucleolar protein and is activated downstream of Notch, is essential for maintaining NSCs in the early telencephalon. Nepro is also expressed at basal levels and required for maintaining the preimplantation embryo, by repressing mitochondria-associated p53 apoptotic signaling. Notch signaling also controls dendritic complexity in mitral cells, major projection neurons in the olfactory bulb, showing that many steps of neural development involve Notch signaling.