Phf21b imprints the spatiotemporal epigenetic switch essential for neural stem cell differentiation.

Cerebral cortical development in mammals involves a highly complex and organized set of events including the transition of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSCs) from proliferative to differentiative divisions to generate neurons. Despite progress, the spatiotemporal regulation of this proliferation-differentiation switch during neurogenesis and the upstream epigenetic triggers remain poorly known. Here we report a cortex-specific PHD finger protein, Phf21b, which is highly expressed in the neurogenic phase of cortical development and gets induced as NSCs begin to differentiate. Depletion of Phf21b in vivo inhibited neuronal differentiation as cortical progenitors lacking Phf21b were retai…