Regulation over the generation of adult born neuroblasts and oligodendrocyte precursor cells is governed by a myriad of extracellular signals. These signals must be related into the cell nucleus to regulate cell cycle and cell lineage maturation programmes. This internal regulation is controlled by proneural and anti-neurogenic transcription factors, including Mash1, Pax6, Dlx2 and Olig2. This review will cover how transcription factors regulate adult SVZ neurogenesis; the progression from neural stem cell, to transit amplifying precursor cell, to neuroblast or oligodendrocyte precursor cell, and how transcription factors influence neuronal subtype specification. Changes to transcriptional regulation that occur after brain injury and what this means for endogenous brain repair strategies will also be covered.
Keywords: Adult neurogenesis; Dlx2; Mash1; Olig2; Pax6; brain injury; intrinsic regulation; proneural transcription factor; subventricular zone.