Neuroblast proliferation

A fly stem-cell term applied to vertebrate genes

AI Gene Review · projects/NEUROBLAST_PROLIFERATION_DISAMBIGUATION · scoping · 2026

Bottom line

  • GO's neuroblast proliferation and division terms describe the fly neuroblast, a dividing stem cell; the vertebrate neuroblast does not divide.
  • All 42 annotations to the six terms are on vertebrate genes (35 mouse, 4 human, 3 rat). The planned fix is per-gene MODIFY to GO:0061351 neural precursor cell proliferation.
  • Scoped, not started. Four existing repo reviews touching these rows kept them as non-core instead.

One word, two cells

Where the 42 rows sit

What existing reviews already say

Gene Term Evidence Action in repo
DROME/insc GO:0055059 asymmetric neuroblast division IGI ACCEPT
DROME/Lkb1 GO:0055059 asymmetric neuroblast division IMP KEEP_AS_NON_CORE
human/FGFR2 GO:0021847 VZ neuroblast division ISS KEEP_AS_NON_CORE
human/SHH GO:0007405 neuroblast proliferation ISS KEEP_AS_NON_CORE
human/TP53 GO:0007405 neuroblast proliferation IEA KEEP_AS_NON_CORE
mouse/Ctnnb1 GO:0007405 neuroblast proliferation IGI KEEP_AS_NON_CORE

These reviews were made for other projects. The fly rows fit the term; the four vertebrate rows are the ones this project would revisit.

Status and next steps

  • Upstream: geneontology/go-annotation#6393, still in discussion; no ontology ticket yet.
  • ⬜ Revisit FGFR2 (GO:0021847) under the MODIFY rule.
  • ⬜ Review the human set: SOX5, ARHGEF2, DOCK7, TEAD3.
  • ⬜ Review mouse progenitor genes: Pafah1b1 (LIS1), Aspm, Nde1, Shh, Ascl1.
  • ⬜ Add the pattern to projects/OVER_ANNOTATION_PATTERNS.md after 3–4 reviews.

Read more: projects/NEUROBLAST_PROLIFERATION_DISAMBIGUATION.md