Abstract
In this study we demonstrate up-regulation of mRNA for Regulator of G protein Signaling (RGS) 6, 7, 9 and 11, R7 family RGS binding protein (R7BP) and RGS9 anchor protein (R9AP) during neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). This expression pattern was most robust for RGS9 whose transcript level was low in undifferentiated mESCs but increased over 125 fold when differentiating mESCs began to exhibit a neuronal precursor cell (NPC) phenotype. In addition, we demonstrate that RGS9 mRNA is expressed in neuronal stem cells isolated from embryonic mouse cortex. The expression of RGS9 in two distinct populations of NPCs suggests that RGS9 and its accessory proteins may play an important role in neuron development.