Researchers have discovered a gene, which seems to be a master regulator of human brain growth.

The human brain is a wonder of nature with over 100 billion neurons and billions of other specialized cells.

A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) have discovered a gene called Pax6, which guides undifferentiated stem cells to firmly defined pathways in becoming different types of cells inside the brain.

The new discovery is vital as it discloses the main genetic factor responsible for instructing cells at the earliest stages of embryonic development to become the cells of the brain and spinal cord.

Discovering the gene is the first important step towards routinely forging customized brain cells in the laboratory.

The fresh work disclosed the pervasive influence of the gene on the neuroectoderm, a structure, which arises early in embryonic development.

It also churns out the two primary forms of brain cells - neurons and glial cells - and the hundreds of cell subtypes that make up the human brain.

Su-Chun Zhang, professor of anatomy in the UWM School of Medicine and Pubic Health said, "This is a well-known gene. It's been known for a long time from work in mice and other animals, but what Pax6 does in human development isn't very well known."

In animals, the gene is known to play a key role in the growth of the eye and is seen in some neural cells.

In the human cells utilized in the new Wisconsin research, Pax6 was observed in virtually all the cells of the neuroectoderm.

The finding may help explain why the human brain is larger and, in many respects, more advanced than what is observed in other species, said a university release.

The findings of the study appeared in the Thursday edition of Cell Stem Cell. (With Inputs from Agencies)