Adult neural stem cells in distinct microdomains generate previously unknown interneuron types

Throughout life, neural stem cells (NSCs) in different domains of the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) of the adult rodent brain generate several subtypes of interneurons that regulate the function of the olfactory bulb. The full extent of diversity among adult NSCs and their progeny is not known. Here, we report the generation of at least four previously unknown olfactory bulb interneuron subtypes that are produced in finely patterned progenitor domains in the anterior ventral V-SVZ of both the neonatal and adult mouse brain. Progenitors of these interneurons are responsive to sonic hedgehog and are organized into microdomains that correlate with the expression domains of the Nkx6.2 and Zic family of transcription factors. This work reveals an unexpected degree of complexity in the specification and patterning of NSCs in the postnatal mouse brain.