Sox genes encode a family of transcription factors that play a myriad of roles in developmental processes. Sox1 and Sox2 are the earliest markers that identify neuroectodermal tissue, and these markers, together with Sox9 collectively mark neuronal stem cells that are present in neurogenically active areas of the mature rodent brain. Sox1 has been found in the walls of the lateral ventricles and the dentate gyrus, as well as in inactive areas such as the cerebellum where it marks a population of cells in the Purkinje layer known as the Bergmann glia. Sox1 is thought to maintain the cell cycle and promote self renewal in NSCs, but also functions in other cell types to promote differentiation.
[1] Kiefer, J.C. (2007) Dev Dyn 236, 2356-66.
[2] Alcock, J. et al. (2009) Neurosci Lett 450, 114-6.
[3] Kan, L. et al. (2007) Dev Biol 310, 85-98.
