Polarized neocortical organoids with areal signatures upon the formation of anterior and posterior organizers. [Spatial Transcriptomics]

This study demonstrates the polarization of neocortical organoids. By adding rostral (FGF8) and caudal (BMP4/WNT agonists) morphogens, neocortical organoids upregulate and downregulate anterior or posterior homeodomain transcription factors, including SP8 and COUPTF1.

With the application of FGF8 or BMP4/WNT agonists, the formation of anterior or posterior organizers was observed in neocortical organoids. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses exhibited molecular signatures associated with different lobes/areas found in multiple studies using human fetal tissue.