Zhejun Xu

ERK signaling integrates multiple mechanisms to drive cortical evolutionary expansion

The paper shows that enhanced ERK signaling in human cortical radial glia drives cortical neuron expansion through interactions with PKA signaling and cell cycle regulation.

Mutant FGFR3 restricts bone yet expands cortex via ERK-mediated self-repression

This paper shows that FGFR3 mutations cause bone shortening and brain overgrowth through ERK-mediated self-repression in different tissues.

Integrated ERK, PKA, YAP/TAZ, and SHH Signaling Drives Cortical Lineage Diversification and Evolutionary Expansion

This study identifies how ERK, PKA, YAP/TAZ, and SHH signaling integrate to drive cortical lineage diversification and evolutionary expansion in the human cerebral cortex.

Orchestrating the Acquisition of Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cell versus Olfactory Bulb Interneuron Fates through Olig1/2 during Mammalian Cortical Gliogenesis and Gliomagenesis

This study shows that Olig1/2 knockout in gliogenesis shifts glial precursor cells to produce non-proliferative interneurons instead of oligodendrocyte precursors, and identifies dorsal cortical GPCs as origin of H3.3G34R/V-mutant tumors.

Mouse Cortical Cellular Diversification Through Lineage Progression of Radial Glia

This study uses scRNA-seq and snATAC-seq to show that radial glia sequentially generate neurons and glia through lineage progression, with chromatin accessibility regulating cell fate decisions.

ERK signaling drives evolutionary expansion of the mammalian cerebral cortex

This study identifies ERK-BMP7-GLI3R signaling in cortical radial glial cells as a driver of mammalian cerebral cortex expansion, with implications for evolutionary dwarfism in mice.

Transcriptional Profiling Reveals the Transcription Factor Networks Regulating the Survival of Striatal Neurons

The paper uses transcriptomic profiling and machine learning to identify 277 transcription factor networks involved in striatal neuron survival and their link to Huntington's disease.