MEK Is a Key Regulator of Gliogenesis in the Developing Brain
Dr. William Snider and lab members including Xiaoyan Li, pictured below, and Jason Newbern published a paper in the Sept 20th issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron. They showed that signaling through the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway is essential for the development of glial cells in the brain. In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Charles Stiles from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute said: “The observations of Li et al resonate with an emerging body of data on neurofibromatosis type 1 and low grade astrocytomas in children. Recent studies show that a large majority of pediatric low grade astrocytomas have activating mutations in B-RAF.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627312007684