Erk1/2 promotes proliferation and inhibits neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are in a complex niche in which cell-extrinsic cues and cell-intrinsic genetic mechanisms in chorus mediate their cellular processes such as self-renewal and differentiation. In this study, we found that inactivation of Erk1/2 with U0126 in NSCs significantly promoted neuronal differentiation and inhibited proliferation. Sustained Erk1/2 inactivity was required in this process. We also found that nerve growth factor (NGF) and collagen could promote the proliferation and inhibit neuronal differentiation by activating phosphorylation of Erk1/2. Cell-cycle regulators such as cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2), Cyclin D1 and Hes1 mediated the effect of Erk on NSCs proliferation and differentiation. Our results showed that Erk1/2 played an important role in the interplay between cell-extrinsic cues and cell-intrinsic genetic mechanisms in neural stem cell biology.