In the adult brain, subsets of astrocytic cells residing in well-defined neurogenic niches constitutively generate neurons throughout life. Brain lesions can stimulate neurogenesis in otherwise non-neurogenic regions, but whether local astrocytic cells generate neurons in these conditions is unresolved. Here, through genetic and viral lineage tracing in mice, we demonstrate that striatal astrocytes become neurogenic following an acute excitotoxic lesion. Similar to astrocytes of adult germinal niches, these activated parenchymal progenitors express nestin and generate neurons through the formation of transit amplifying progenitors. These results shed new light on the neurogenic potential of the adult brain parenchyma.

Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) is a condition characterized by absent puberty and infertility due to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency, which is often associated with anosmia (Kallmann syndrome, KS). We identified loss-of-function heterozygous mutations in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and its receptor, AMHR2, in 3% of CHH probands using whole-exome sequencing. We showed that during embryonic development, AMH is expressed in migratory GnRH neurons in both mouse and human fetuses and unconvered a novel function of AMH as a pro-motility factor for GnRH neurons. Pathohistological analysis of Amhr2-deficient mice showed abnormal development of the peripheral olfactory system and defective embryonic migration of the neuroendocrine GnRH cells to the basal forebrain, which results in reduced fertility in adults. Our findings highlight a novel role for AMH in the development and function of GnRH neurons and indicate that AMH signaling insufficiency contributes to the pathogenesis of CHH in humans.