Metabolic atlas of early human cortex reveals glycolytic remodeling and pentose phosphate pathway control of cell fate transitions.

Glycolytic and pentose phosphate pathway activity increase during late neurogenesis in the early human cortex, influencing cell fate transitions.

• Why it matters: Understanding metabolic programs in human cortical development is crucial because they support progenitor expansion and cell diversification, yet remain poorly characterized.
• What they did: The study generated a metabolic atlas of the early human cortex using primary tissue and stem cell-derived organoids, revealing dynamic changes in core metabolic functions and manipulating glucose and PPP activity.
• The result: Alterations in glucose and PPP activity affected cell-type composition, with ribose rescuing radial glia gene expression and restoring ATP and hypotaurine levels, highlighting PPP's role in cell fate specification.