Human-specific morphoregulatory signatures in basal radial glia characterise neocortex evolution.

Human-specific morphoregulatory enhancer activity and gene expression signatures distinguish basal radial glia from other great apes, contributing to neocortex evolution.

• Why it matters: Understanding the genomic changes in basal radial glia is crucial because these cells are linked to human neocortex expansion, a key aspect of our cognitive development, yet remain poorly characterized.
• What they did: The study used comparative chromatin and transcriptional profiling of neural progenitor cells from gorilla, chimpanzee, and human cerebral organoids to identify cis-regulatory elements with gained activity in humans, focusing on basal radial glia.
• The result: Human basal radial glia exhibit unique morphoregulatory signatures, and functional analysis of FAM107A and CNGA3 shows these genes influence their morphological complexity, suggesting these signatures are integral to neocortex evolution.