Fate alteration of neuroepithelial cells from neurogenesis to astrocytogenesis by bone morphogenetic proteins

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), a class of cytokines belonging to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, have been shown to play a wide variety of roles during development including those in the central nervous system. We here report that BMP2, BMP4 and BMP7 have an equivalent potential to inhibit neurogenesis and concomitantly induce astrocytogenesis of mouse fetal neuroepithelial cells. We further show that these BMPs activate a promoter of the gene for negative helix-loop-helix (HLH) factor, Id1, which is known to inhibit the function of such neurogenic transcription factors as Mash1 and neurogenin. Those results suggest that BMP2, BMP4 and BMP7 alternate the fate of neuroepithelial cells from neuronal type to astrocytic one via a common mechanism involving negative HLH factor. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.