Identification of NSC factors.

Neural stem cells have regenerative and cell type-specific properties that distinguish them from the embryonic stem cell. We used transcriptomics here for discovery of novel factors required for or associated with the survival and function of the neural stem cell. We describe a (10) factor assembly of nuclear factors that specify the neural stem cell and distinguish the NSC from the bES cell including Sox1, Sox5, Runx2, Ebf2, Tcf12, Atoh8, Dach1, Pou3f2/Pou3f3, Gbx2 and Foxo4. Zbtb16, Zmiz1, Zswim6, Znf521, Zc3h12c, and Znf436 comprised a second group of factors associated with identity of the neural stem cell.