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PsychENCODE and beyond: transcriptomics and epigenomics of brain development and organoids.

Authors :
Jourdon A
Scuderi S
Capauto D
Abyzov A
Vaccarino FM
Source :
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology [Neuropsychopharmacology] 2021 Jan; Vol. 46 (1), pp. 70-85. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Jul 13.
Publication Year :
2021

Abstract

Crucial decisions involving cell fate and connectivity that shape the distinctive development of the human brain occur in the embryonic and fetal stages-stages that are difficult to access and investigate in humans. The last decade has seen an impressive increase in resources-from atlases and databases to biological models-that is progressively lifting the curtain on this critical period. In this review, we describe the current state of genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic datasets charting the development of normal human brain with a particular focus on recent single-cell technologies. We discuss the emergence of brain organoids generated from pluripotent stem cells as a model to compensate for the limited availability of fetal tissue. Indeed, comparisons of neural lineages, transcriptional dynamics, and noncoding element activity between fetal brain and organoids have helped identify gene regulatory networks functioning at early stages of brain development. Altogether, we argue that large multi-omics investigations have pushed brain development into the "big data" era, and that current and future transversal approaches needed to leverage both fetal brain and organoid resources promise to answer major questions of brain biology and psychiatry.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1740-634X
Volume :
46
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32659782
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-020-0763-3