Glial control of neurogenesis

Glial cells are central components of all neurogenic niches in the embryonic as well as in the adult central nervous system. While neural stem cells (NSCs) themselves exhibit glial features the behavior of NSCs is also strongly influenced by niche glial cells. Recently, studies have begun to uncover a large variety of glial cell-extrinsic as well as intrinsic factors that play crucial roles in the control of NSCs and the regulation of the cellular output from the neurogenic niches. In this review, we focus on mechanisms underlying the formation of adult NSCs by embryonic radial glia cells, discuss the influence of niche glia cells on adult NSCs and examine how the neurogenic potential of glial cells is controlled.