{
  "abstract": "Brain development requires coordinated regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation, differentiation, and neuronal migration. Here, we identify bobby sox homolog (BBX), a nuclear HMG box domain-containing protein enriched in mouse embryonic cortical germinal zones, as a regulator of corticogenesis. In the embryonic cortex, BBX depletion reduces SOX2-expressing NSCs, promotes premature cell-cycle exit, disrupts cortical cell positioning, causes abnormal clustering of newborn neurons, and impairs migratory neuron morphology. RNA-seq and public ChIP-seq analyses, together with biochemical assays, show that BBX interacts with p53 and suppresses p53-dependent p21 expression. Consistent with activation of the p21 pathway, BBX knockdown increases premature cell-cycle exit and senescence-associated features, including γH2AX accumulation and senescence-associated gene expression. Co-depletion of p21 rescues BBX knockdown-induced defects in NSC maintenance, neuronal distribution, and morphology. In line with this, depletion of retinoblastoma protein (RB), a major mediator of p21-dependent senescence, restores abnormal cortical cell distribution. These findings indicate that BBX maintains normal cortical development by restraining the p53–p21–RB axis, thereby preventing premature cell-cycle exit and senescence in developing neural cells.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea",
    "Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea",
    "Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Youngik Yoon",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6024-9348"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gwang Yeong Kim"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Woo Young Lim"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Saeah Hwang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Solji Lee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dongrok Yoon"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Samuel J Pleasure",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8599-1613"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Keejung Yoon",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2361-9039"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehn4003kxtpx5.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s44319-026-00949-4",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13743785/",
  "id": "ehn4003kxtpx5",
  "issns": [
    "1469-221X",
    "1469-3178"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44319-026-00949-4",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2806|Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214377124",
  "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s44319-026-00949-4.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13743785",
  "pmid": "42791352",
  "published": "2026-09-25",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehn4003kxtpx5.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-11T12:21:26Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13743785",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44319-026-00949-4"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2806|Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "BBX maintains mammalian brain development by repressing p53-mediated p21 expression",
  "title_text": "BBX maintains mammalian brain development by repressing p53-mediated p21 expression",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-11T12:21:26Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/ehn4003kxtpx5",
  "venue": "EMBO Reports",
  "versions": []
}