Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

From CNS stem cells to neurons and glia: Sox for everyone

  • Review
  • Published:
Cell and Tissue Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Neuroepithelial precursor cells of the vertebrate central nervous system either self-renew or differentiate into neurons, oligodendrocytes or astrocytes under the influence of a gene regulatory network that consists in transcription factors, epigenetic modifiers and microRNAs. Sox transcription factors are central to this regulatory network, especially members of the SoxB, SoxC, SoxD, SoxE and SoxF groups. These Sox proteins are widely expressed in neuroepithelial precursor cells and in newly specified, differentiating and mature neurons, oligodendrocytes and astrocytes and influence their identity, survival and development. They exert their effect predominantly at the transcriptional level but also have substantial impact on expression at the epigenetic and posttranscriptional levels with some Sox proteins acting as pioneer factors, recruiting chromatin-modifying and -remodelling complexes or influencing microRNA expression. They interact with a large variety of other transcription factors and influence the expression of regulatory molecules and effector genes in a cell-type-specific and temporally controlled manner. As versatile regulators with context-dependent functions, they are not only indispensable for central nervous system development but might also be instrumental for the development of reprogramming and cell conversion strategies for replacement therapies and for assisted regeneration after injury or degeneration-induced cell loss in the central nervous system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armstrong RC, Harvath L, Dubois-Dalcq ME (1990) Type 1 astrocytes and oligodendrocyte-type 2 astrocyte glial progenitors migrate toward distinct molecules. J Neurosci Res 27:400–407

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Azim E, Jabaudon D, Fame RM, Macklis JD (2009) SOX6 controls dorsal progenitor identity and interneuron diversity during neocortical development. Nat Neurosci 12:1238–1247

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barres BA, Hart IK, Coles HS, Burne JF, Voyvodic JT, Richardson WD, Raff MC (1992) Cell death and control of cell survival in the oligodendrocyte lineage. Cell 70:31–46

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Batista-Brito R, Rossignol E, Hjerling-Leffler J, Denaxa M, Wegner M, Lefebvre V, Pachnis V, Fishell G (2009) The cell-intrinsic requirement of Sox6 for cortical interneuron development. Neuron 63:466–481

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bergsland M, Werme M, Malewicz M, Perlmann T, Muhr J (2006) The establishment of neuronal properties is controlled by Sox4 and Sox11. Genes Dev 20:3475–3486

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bergsland M, Ramskold D, Zaouter C, Klum S, Sandberg R, Muhr J (2011) Sequentially acting Sox transcription factors in neural lineage development. Genes Dev 25:2453–2464

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattaram P, Penzo-Mendez A, Sock E, Colmenares C, Kaneko KJ, Vassilev A, Depamphilis ML, Wegner M, Lefebvre V (2010) Organogenesis relies on SoxC transcription factors for the survival of neural and mesenchymal progenitors. Nat Commun 1:9

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bondurand N, Girard M, Pingault V, Lemort N, Dubourg O, Goossens M (2001) Human connexin 32, a gap junction protein altered in the X-linked form of Charcot-Marie-tooth disease, is directly regulated by the transcription factor SOX10. Hum Mol Genet 10:2783–2795

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bujalka H, Koenning M, Jackson S, Perreau VM, Pope B, Hay CM, Mitew S, Hill AF, Lu QR, Wegner M, Srinivasan R, Svaren J, Willingham M, Barres BA, Emery B (2013) MYRF is a membrane-associated transcription factor that autoproteolytically cleaves to directly activate myelin genes. PLoS Biol 11:e1001625

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bylund M, Andersson E, Novitch BG, Muhr J (2003) Vertebrate neurogenesis is counteracted by Sox1-3 activity. Nat Neurosci 6:1162–1168

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cavallaro M, Mariani J, Lancini C, Latorre E, Caccia R, Gullo F, Valotta M, DeBiasi S, Spinardi L, Ronchi A, Wanke E, Brunelli S, Favaro R, Ottolenghi S, Nicolis SK (2008) Impaired generation of mature neurons by neural stem cells from hypomorphic Sox2 mutants. Development 135:541–557

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng LC, Pastrana E, Tavazoie M, Doetsch F (2009) miR-124 regulates adult neurogenesis in the subventricular zone stem cell niche. Nat Neurosci 12:399–408

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chew LJ, Shen W, Ming X, Senatorov VV Jr, Chen HL, Cheng Y, Hong E, Knoblach S, Gallo V (2011) SRY-box containing gene 17 regulates the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. J Neurosci 31:13921–13935

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deneen B, Ho R, Lukaszewicz A, Hochstim CJ, Gronostajski RM, Anderson DJ (2006) The transcription factor NFIA controls the onset of gliogenesis in the developing spinal cord. Neuron 52:953–968

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dugas JC, Cuellar TL, Scholze A, Ason B, Ibrahim A, Emery B, Zamanian JL, Foo LC, McManus MT, Barres BA (2010) Dicer1 and miR-219 are required for normal oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. Neuron 65:597–611

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dy P, Penzo-Mendez A, Wang H, Pedraza CE, Macklin WB, Lefebvre V (2008) The three SoxC proteins—Sox4, Sox11 and Sox12—exhibit overlapping expression patterns and molecular properties. Nucleic Acids Res 36:3101–3117

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ekonomou A, Kazanis I, Malas S, Wood H, Alifragis P, Denaxa M, Karagogeos D, Constanti A, Lovell-Badge R, Episkopou V (2005) Neuronal migration and ventral subtype identity in the telencephalon depend on SOX1. PLoS Biol 3:e186

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Emery B, Agalliu D, Cahoy JD, Watkins TA, Dugas JC, Mulinyawe SB, Ibrahim A, Ligon KL, Rowitch DH, Barres BA (2009) Myelin gene regulatory factor is a critical transcriptional regulator required for CNS myelination. Cell 138:172–185

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferri AL, Cavallaro M, Braida D, Di Cristofano A, Canta A, Vezzani A, Ottolenghi S, Pandolfi PP, Sala M, DeBiasi S, Nicolis SK (2004) Sox2 deficiency causes neurodegeneration and impaired neurogenesis in the adult mouse brain. Development 131:3805–3819

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finzsch M, Stolt CC, Lommes P, Wegner M (2008) Sox9 and Sox10 influence survival and migration of oligodendrocyte precursors in the spinal cord by regulating PDGF receptor alpha expression. Development 135:637–646

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Francois M, Koopman P, Beltrame M (2010) SoxF genes: key players in the development of the cardio-vascular system. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 42:445–448

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghislain J, Charnay P (2006) Control of myelination in Schwann cells: a Krox20 cis-regulatory element integrates Oct6, Brn2 and Sox10 activities. EMBO Rep 7:52–58

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gokey NG, Srinivasan R, Lopez-Anido C, Krueger C, Svaren J (2012) Developmental regulation of microRNA expression in Schwann cells. Mol Cell Biol 32:558–568

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graham V, Khudyakov J, Ellis P, Pevny L (2003) SOX2 functions to maintain neural progenitor identity. Neuron 39:749–765

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guth SI, Wegner M (2008) Having it both ways: Sox protein function between conservation and innovation. Cell Mol Life Sci 65:3000–3018

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haslinger A, Schwarz TJ, Covic M, Lie DC (2009) Expression of Sox11 in adult neurogenic niches suggests a stage-specific role in adult neurogenesis. Eur J Neurosci 29:2103–2114

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hnisz D, Abraham BJ, Lee TI, Lau A, Saint-Andre V, Sigova AA, Hoke HA, Young RA (2013) Super-enhancers in the control of cell identity and disease. Cell 155:934–947

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann SA, Hos D, Küspert M, Lang RA, Lovell-Badge R, Wegner M, Reiprich S (2014) Stem cell factor Sox2 and its close relative Sox3 have differentiation functions in oligodendrocytes. Development 141:39–50

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hornig J, Fröb F, Vogl MR, Hermans-Borgmeyer I, Tamm ER, Wegner M (2013) The transcription factors Sox10 and Myrf define an essential regulatory network module in differentiating oligodendrocytes. PLoS Genet 9:e1003907

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoser M, Potzner MR, Koch JM, Bösl MR, Wegner M, Sock E (2008) Sox12 deletion in the mouse reveals nonreciprocal redundancy with the related Sox4 and Sox11 transcription factors. Mol Cell Biol 28:4675–4687

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob C, Christen CN, Pereira JA, Somandin C, Baggiolini A, Lotscher P, Ozcelik M, Tricaud N, Meijer D, Yamaguchi T, Matthias P, Suter U (2011) HDAC1 and HDAC2 control the transcriptional program of myelination and the survival of Schwann cells. Nat Neurosci 14:429–436

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jauch R, Aksoy I, Hutchins AP, Ng CK, Tian XF, Chen J, Palasingam P, Robson P, Stanton LW, Kolatkar PR (2011) Conversion of Sox17 into a pluripotency reprogramming factor by reengineering its association with Oct4 on DNA. Stem Cells 29:940–951

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jones EA, Jang SW, Mager GM, Chang LW, Srinivasan R, Gokey NG, Ward RM, Nagarajan R, Svaren J (2007) Interactions of Sox10 and Egr2 in myelin gene regulation. Neuron Glia Biol 3:377–387

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kamachi Y, Uchikawa M, Kondoh H (2000) Pairing SOX off: with partners in the regulation of embryonic development. Trends Genet 16:182–187

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kang P, Lee HK, Glasgow SM, Finley M, Donti T, Gaber ZB, Graham BH, Foster AE, Novitch BG, Gronostajski RM, Deneen B (2012) Sox9 and NFIA coordinate a transcriptional regulatory cascade during the initiation of gliogenesis. Neuron 74:79–94

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kellerer S, Schreiner S, Stolt CC, Scholz S, Bösl MR, Wegner M (2006) Replacement of the Sox10 transcription factor by Sox8 reveals incomplete functional equivalence. Development 133:2875–2886

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirilly D, Gu Y, Huang Y, Wu Z, Bashirullah A, Low BC, Kolodkin AL, Wang H, Yu F (2009) A genetic pathway composed of Sox14 and Mical governs severing of dendrites during pruning. Nat Neurosci 12:1497–1505

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhlbrodt K, Herbarth B, Sock E, Enderich J, Hermans-Borgmeyer I, Wegner M (1998) Cooperative function of POU proteins and SOX proteins in glial cells. J Biol Chem 273:16050–16057

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Küspert M, Hammer A, Bösl MR, Wegner M (2011) Olig2 regulates Sox10 expression in oligodendrocyte precursors through an evolutionary conserved distal enhancer. Nucleic Acids Res 39:1280–1293

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kwan KY, Lam MM, Krsnik Z, Kawasawa YI, Lefebvre V, Sestan N (2008) SOX5 postmitotically regulates migration, postmigratory differentiation, and projections of subplate and deep-layer neocortical neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105:16021–16026

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lai T, Jabaudon D, Molyneaux BJ, Azim E, Arlotta P, Menezes JR, Macklis JD (2008) SOX5 controls the sequential generation of distinct corticofugal neuron subtypes. Neuron 57:232–247

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre V (2010) The SoxD transcription factors—Sox5, Sox6, and Sox13—are key cell fate modulators. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 42:429–432

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lefebvre V, Behringer R, de Crombrugghe B (2001) L-Sox5, Sox6 and Sox9 control essential steps of the chondrocyte differentiation pathway. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 9 Suppl A:S69-S75

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Lu Y, Smith HK, Richardson WD (2007) Olig1 and Sox10 interact synergistically to drive myelin basic protein transcription in oligodendrocytes. J Neurosci 27:14375–14382

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Hu X, Cai J, Liu B, Peng X, Wegner M, Qiu M (2007) Induction of oligodendrocyte differentiation by Olig2 and Sox10: evidence for reciprocal interactions and dosage-dependent mechanisms. Dev Biol 302:683–693

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lu QR, Sun T, Zhu Z, Ma N, Garcia M, Stiles CD, Rowitch DH (2002) Common developmental requirement for Olig function indicates a motor neuron/oligodendrocyte connection. Cell 109:75–86

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marathe HG, Mehta G, Zhang X, Datar I, Mehrotra A, Yeung KC, de la Serna IL (2013) SWI/SNF enzymes promote SOX10-mediated activation of myelin gene expression. PLoS ONE 8:e69037

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marin-Husstege M, Muggironi M, Liu A, Casaccia-Bonnefil P (2002) Histone deacetylase activity is necessary for oligodendrocyte lineage progression. J Neurosci 22:10333–10345

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Morales PL, Quiroga AC, Barbas JA, Morales AV (2010) SOX5 controls cell cycle progression in neural progenitors by interfering with the WNT-beta-catenin pathway. EMBO Rep 11:466–472

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuda S, Kuwako K, Okano HJ, Tsutsumi S, Aburatani H, Saga Y, Matsuzaki Y, Akaike A, Sugimoto H, Okano H (2012) Sox21 promotes hippocampal adult neurogenesis via the transcriptional repression of the Hes5 gene. J Neurosci 32:12543–12557

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maucksch C, Jones KS, Connor B (2013) Concise review: the involvement of SOX2 in direct reprogramming of induced neural stem/precursor cells. Stem Cells Transl Med 2:579–583

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller JA, Nathanson J, Franjic D, Shim S, Dalley RA, Shapouri S, Smith KA, Sunkin SM, Bernard A, Bennett JL, Lee CK, Hawrylycz MJ, Jones AR, Amaral DG, Sestan N, Gage FH, Lein ES (2013) Conserved molecular signatures of neurogenesis in the hippocampal subgranular zone of rodents and primates. Development 140:4633–4644

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ming X, Chew LJ, Gallo V (2013) Transgenic overexpression of Sox17 promotes oligodendrocyte development and attenuates demyelination. J Neurosci 33:12528–12542

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mu L, Berti L, Masserdotti G, Covic M, Michaelidis TM, Doberauer K, Merz K, Rehfeld F, Haslinger A, Wegner M, Sock E, Lefebvre V, Couillard-Despres S, Aigner L, Berninger B, Lie DC (2012) SoxC transcription factors are required for neuronal differentiation in adult hippocampal neurogenesis. J Neurosci 32:3067–3080

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Najm FJ, Lager AM, Zaremba A, Wyatt K, Caprariello AV, Factor DC, Karl RT, Maeda T, Miller RH, Tesar PJ (2013) Transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of fibroblasts to expandable, myelinogenic oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Nat Biotechnol 31:426–433

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Potzner MR, Griffel C, Lutjen-Drecoll E, Bösl MR, Wegner M, Sock E (2007) Prolonged Sox4 expression in oligodendrocytes interferes with normal myelination in the central nervous system. Mol Cell Biol 27:5316–5326

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qi Y, Cai J, Wu Y, Wu R, Lee J, Fu H, Rao M, Sussel L, Rubenstein J, Qiu M (2001) Control of oligodendrocyte differentiation by the Nkx2.2 homeodomain transcription factor. Development 128:2723–2733

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reiprich S, Kriesch J, Schreiner S, Wegner M (2010) Activation of Krox20 gene expression by Sox10 in myelinating Schwann cells. J Neurochem 112:744–754

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rizzoti K, Brunelli S, Carmignac D, Thomas PQ, Robinson IC, Lovell-Badge R (2004) SOX3 is required during the formation of the hypothalamo-pituitary axis. Nat Genet 36:247–255

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sandberg M, Kallstrom M, Muhr J (2005) Sox21 promotes the progression of vertebrate neurogenesis. Nat Neurosci 8:995–1001

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schlierf B, Ludwig A, Klenovsek K, Wegner M (2002) Cooperative binding of Sox10 to DNA: requirements and consequences. Nucleic Acids Res 30:5509–5516

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schlierf B, Werner T, Glaser G, Wegner M (2006) Expression of connexin47 in oligodendrocytes is regulated by the Sox10 transcription factor. J Mol Biol 361:11–21

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider FT, Schanzer A, Czupalla CJ, Thom S, Engels K, Schmidt MH, Plate KH, Liebner S (2010) Sonic hedgehog acts as a negative regulator of {beta}-catenin signaling in the adult tongue epithelium. Am J Pathol 177:404–414

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scott CE, Wynn SL, Sesay A, Cruz C, Cheung M, Gomez Gaviro MV, Booth S, Gao B, Cheah KS, Lovell-Badge R, Briscoe J (2010) SOX9 induces and maintains neural stem cells. Nat Neurosci 13:1181–1189

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shim S, Kwan KY, Li M, Lefebvre V, Sestan N (2012) Cis-regulatory control of corticospinal system development and evolution. Nature 486:74–79

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sohn J, Natale J, Chew LJ, Belachew S, Cheng Y, Aguirre A, Lytle J, Nait-Oumesmar B, Kerninon C, Kanai-Azuma M, Kanai Y, Gallo V (2006) Identification of Sox17 as a transcription factor that regulates oligodendrocyte development. J Neurosci 26:9722–9735

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Rehberg S, Ader M, Lommes P, Riethmacher D, Schachner M, Bartsch U, Wegner M (2002) Terminal differentiation of myelin-forming oligodendrocytes depends on the transcription factor Sox10. Genes Dev 16:165–170

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Lommes P, Sock E, Chaboissier MC, Schedl A, Wegner M (2003) The Sox9 transcription factor determines glial fate choice in the developing spinal cord. Genes Dev 17:1677–1689

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Lommes P, Friedrich RP, Wegner M (2004) Transcription factors Sox8 and Sox10 perform non-equivalent roles during oligodendrocyte development despite functional redundancy. Development 131:2349–2358

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Schmitt S, Lommes P, Sock E, Wegner M (2005) Impact of transcription factor Sox8 on oligodendrocyte specification in the mouse embryonic spinal cord. Dev Biol 281:309–317

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Schlierf A, Lommes P, Hillgärtner S, Werner T, Kosian T, Sock E, Kessaris N, Richardson WD, Lefebvre V, Wegner M (2006) SoxD proteins influence multiple stages of oligodendrocyte development and modulate SoxE protein function. Dev Cell 11:697–709

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stolt CC, Lommes P, Hillgärtner S, Wegner M (2008) The transcription factor Sox5 modulates Sox10 function during melanocyte development. Nucleic Acids Res 36:5427–5440

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka S, Kamachi Y, Tanouchi A, Hamada H, Jing N, Kondoh H (2004) Interplay of SOX and POU factors in regulation of the Nestin gene in neural primordial cells. Mol Cell Biol 24:8834–8846

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taranova OV, Magness ST, Fagan BM, Wu Y, Surzenko N, Hutton SR, Pevny LH (2006) SOX2 is a dose-dependent regulator of retinal neural progenitor competence. Genes Dev 20:1187–1202

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thein DC, Thalhammer JM, Hartwig AC, Crenshaw EB 3rd, Lefebvre V, Wegner M, Sock E (2010) The closely related transcription factors Sox4 and Sox11 function as survival factors during spinal cord development. J Neurochem 115:131–141

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson M, Liu SJ, Zou LN, Smith Z, Meissner A, Ramanathan S (2011) Pluripotency factors in embryonic stem cells regulate differentiation into germ layers. Cell 145:875–889

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Uchikawa M, Kamachi Y, Kondoh H (1999) Two distinct subgroups of group B Sox genes for transcriptional activators and repressors: their expression during embryonic organogenesis of the chicken. Mech Dev 84:103–120

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vogl MR, Reiprich S, Küspert M, Kosian T, Schrewe H, Nave KA, Wegner M (2013) Sox10 cooperates with the mediator subunit 12 during terminal differentiation of myelinating glia. J Neurosci 33:6679–6690

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner M (1999) From head to toes: the multiple facets of Sox proteins. Nucleic Acids Res 27:1409–1420

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner M (2010) All purpose sox: the many roles of Sox proteins in gene expression. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 42:381–390

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner M (2011) SOX after SOX: SOXession regulates neurogenesis. Genes Dev 25:2423–2428

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wegner M, Stolt CC (2005) From stem cells to neurons and glia: a Soxist’s view of neural development. Trends Neurosci 28:583–588

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weider M, Küspert M, Bischof M, Vogl MR, Hornig J, Loy K, Kosian T, Müller J, Hillgärtner S, Tamm ER, Metzger D, Wegner M (2012) Chromatin-remodeling factor Brg1 is required for Schwann cell differentiation and myelination. Dev Cell 23:193–201

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whyte WA, Orlando DA, Hnisz D, Abraham BJ, Lin CY, Kagey MH, Rahl PB, Lee TI, Young RA (2013) Master transcription factors and mediator establish super-enhancers at key cell identity genes. Cell 153:307–319

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wissmüller S, Kosian T, Wolf M, Finzsch M, Wegner M (2006) The high-mobility-group domain of Sox proteins interacts with DNA-binding domains of many transcription factors. Nucleic Acids Res 34:1735–1744

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang N, Zuchero JB, Ahlenius H, Marro S, Ng YH, Vierbuchen T, Hawkins JS, Geissler R, Barres BA, Wernig M (2013) Generation of oligodendroglial cells by direct lineage conversion. Nat Biotechnol 31:434–439

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Y, Chen Y, Kim B, Wang H, Zhao C, He X, Liu L, Liu W, Wu LM, Mao M, Chan JR, Wu J, Lu QR (2013) Olig2 targets chromatin remodelers to enhancers to initiate oligodendrocyte differentiation. Cell 152:248–261

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao S, Nichols J, Smith AG, Li M (2004) SoxB transcription factors specify neuroectodermal lineage choice in ES cells. Mol Cell Neurosci 27:332–342

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao X, He X, Han X, Yu Y, Ye F, Chen Y, Hoang T, Xu X, Mi QS, Xin M, Wang F, Appel B, Lu QR (2010) MicroRNA-mediated control of oligodendrocyte differentiation. Neuron 65:612–626

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Q, Anderson DJ (2002) The bHLH transcription factors OLIG2 and OLIG1 couple neuronal and glial subtype specification. Cell 109:61–73

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Fahrstrasse 17, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Simone Reiprich & Michael Wegner

Authors
  1. Simone Reiprich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Wegner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Simone Reiprich or Michael Wegner.

Additional information

Work by the authors is funded by grants from the DFG (We1326/8-2 and We1326/9-1) and intramural programs (EFI, IZKF projects E18 and J33).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Reiprich, S., Wegner, M. From CNS stem cells to neurons and glia: Sox for everyone. Cell Tissue Res 359, 111–124 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-014-1909-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-014-1909-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation