Lei Lei publishes a peer-reviewed research article on brain development

Lei Lei, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, published a peer-reviewed research article in the journal of Developmental Dynamics.

Neurogenesis requires neural progenitor cell proliferation, neuronal migration and differentiation. Although neurogenesis is fundamental to brain development and function, understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate neurogenesis is still limited. In this study, Lei and his colleagues demonstrated that the transcription factor Sox11 play key roles during both embryonic and adult neurogenesis. This work contributes to our understanding of the molecular programs that govern neurogenesis and brain development.

The research took several years to come to fruition and involved collaboration with scientists at the Arizona State University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. It was partially supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Health (P20GM103643).

The full citation of this article is as follows:
Wang, Y., Lin, L., Lai, H., Parada, L.F., and Lei, L.* (2013). Transcription factor Sox11 is essential for both embryonic and adult neurogenesis.Developmental Dynamics. *Corresponding author.  PMID: 23483698; published in cooperation with the American Association of Anatomists.