摘要：The development of the ventral midbrain is orchestrated by a number of cell-extrinsic and -intrinsicfactors that control critical processes, such as the patterning of the neural tube along the main bodyaxis and the specification of diverse neuronal cell types in distinct positions of the neural tube.Subsequently, the regulation of neurogenesis and survival— acquire particular relevance in order todefine the final size of diverse neuronal populations. In a series of studies during the last few years, wehave identified liver X receptors (LXRs) as critical regulators of ventral midbrain development.Moreover, specific cholesterol derivatives present in the midbrain or in the cerebrospinal fluid wereidentified as LXR ligands, capable of specifically and selectively regulating neurogenesis and thesurvival of distinct neuronal populations, including midbrain dopamine neurons. These studies haveshown that cholesterol derivatives are an entirely new class of factors capable of regulating bothneuronal survival and neurogenesis, thus providing a direct link between cholesterol metabolism andbrain development. In addition, LXRs and cholesterol metabolism were found to play a critical role inregulating the balance between neuronal survival and death in diverse midbrain neuronal populations.In this review, we will focus on these two aspects and on the possible role of cholesterol metabolismand LXRs in neurodegeneration.
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