Med12 and Med13 prevent tumorigenic dedifferentiation of intermediate neural progenitors and premature loss of neural stem cells

Summary Med12 and Med13 are components of the kinase module of the mediator complex. Mutations of Med12 and Med13 have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and various cancers. However, their functions in neural development are not well understood. Here we show that in the developing Drosophila brain, Med12 and Med13 are required to prevent tumorigenic dedifferentiation of intermediate neural progenitors (INPs) and maintain neural stem cell (NSC) self-renewal. We further demonstrate that Med12 and Med13 prevent INP dedifferentiation by coordinating with a subset of core mediator complex subunits to mediate the activation of genes required for INP fate commitment. In contrast, during the maintenance of NSC self-renewal, Med12 and Med13 antagonize the function of a different subset of core mediator complex subunits. Together, our findings reveal that Med12 and Med13 perform two distinct functions in neural progenitors by coordinating with one subset of core mediator complex subunits while antagonizing another. Highlights Loss of Med12 and Med13 causes dedifferentiation of intermediate neural progenitors Med12 and Med13 mediate the activation of target genes of PntP1 Loss of Med12 and Med13 leads to premature loss of neural stem cells Med12 and Med13 act with one subset of core mediator subunits but oppose another eTOC blurb Zhu and his colleagues show that Med12 and Med13 promote cell fate commitment of intermediate neural progenitor cells and self-renewal of neural stem cells. Med12 and Med13 perform these two distinct functions by coordinating with one subset of core mediator complex subunits while opposing another to regulate the expression of different target genes.