Neural fate decisions mediated by oscillatory and sustained Hes1

During central nervous system (CNS) developing, Hes1 shows short period oscillations in progenitor cells, while stable low levels in neurons. The reason why diverse expression modes of Hes1 exist remains unknown. Here, we develop a mathematical model involving Hes1 and BM88, with the aim of understanding the complex molecular mechanism that orchestrates the processes of neural fate decision. Our simple but fundamental model can account for both Hes1 oscillations observed in neural progenitors and Hes1 regulation to BM88 in differentiation progress. Our results suggest that a relatively simple network is capable of accounting for some fundamental principles in progenitor maintenance and differentiation.