Novel functions for cell cycle genes in nervous system development.

Many cell cycle genes are known to play important roles in regulating proliferation in the nervous system, however, a growing body of research has proposed that these genes have diverse functions beyond cell cycle regulation. Through the study of new genetic models, cell cycle regulatory genes have been shown to impact on a number of processes during nervous system development including apoptosis, differentiation, and, most recently, neuronal migration. Here we emphasize that the proposed roles for cell cycle genes in neuronal differentiation and migration are not the consequence of deregulated cell cycle, but represent truly novel functions for cell cycle genes.