Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40926052›Full record

ArticleEMBO molecular medicine2025

CETN3 deficiency induces microcephaly by disrupting neural stem/progenitor cell fate through impaired centrosome assembly and RNA splicing.

Jing Xu, Xiao Mao, Zhen Liu, Na Jiang, Xin E Wong, Deng Liu, Yuan Wang, Huaizhe Zhan, Shiyi Liu, Jiayao Yu and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO molecular medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Jing Xu *Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-9978-7111
Xiao Mao *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, University of South China, Changsha, China.
Zhen Liu *National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Birth Defect Research and Prevention, Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, University of South China, Changsha, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9544-4450
Na JiangInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Xin E WongInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Deng LiuInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-8409-3608
Yuan WangInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Huaizhe ZhanInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Shiyi LiuDepartment of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
Jiayao YuInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Ruiying YuanDepartment of Medicament, College of Medicine, Tibet University, Lhasa, China.
Qingran BaiKey Laboratory of Spine and Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Regeneration of Ministry of Education, Orthopaedic Department of Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3787-8445
Xianshu BaiMolecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4758-1645
Wenhui HuangMolecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany.
Ruoxiao XieDepartment of Materials, Design and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-1000-8960
Veronica KrennDepartment of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, 20126, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7416-3385
Frank KirchhoffMolecular Physiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2324-2761
Hua WangClinical Medical Research Center for Hereditary Birth Defects and Rare Diseases in Hunan Province, The Affiliated Children's Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. FX20240002@csu.edu.cn.
Zhenming GuoInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. spring_gzm@tongji.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6469-414X
Shan BianInstitute for Regenerative Medicine, Medical Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai East Hospital, National Stem Cell Translational Resource Center & Ministry of Education Stem Cell Resource Center, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. shan_bian@tongji.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4507-3003

Funding

China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents BX20220230Major Scientific and Technological Projects for Collaborative Prevention and Control of Birth Defects in Hunan Province 2023SK4053MOE | Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities) 22120250374National Key R&D Program of China 2021YFA1100400,2020YFA0112500National Natural Science Foundation of China 32271019,32300810,12411530079Peak Disciplines of Institutions of Higher Learning in Shanghai Type IVRoyal Society (The Royal Society) IEC\NSFC\233033Shanghai Sailing Program 22YF1436100STCSM | Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai Municipality () 22ZR1462600
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Primary microcephaly, a rare congenital condition characterized by reduced brain size, occurs due to impaired neurogenesis during brain development. Through whole-exome sequencing, we identified compound heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in CENTRIN 3 (CETN3) in a 5-year-old patient with primary microcephaly. As CETN3 has not been previously linked to microcephaly, we investigated its potential function in neurodevelopment in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebral organoids. We showed that CETN3-knockout (KO) organoids successfully recapitulated the microcephaly phenotype of reduced size compared to the control organoids. Through transcriptomic, histological, and protein analyses, we found that CETN3 deficiency directly interferes with neuronal differentiation and reduces proliferative capacity in neural stem/progenitor cells by impairing centrosome assembly required in cell cycle progression, consequently activating apoptosis. Furthermore, our data uncovered previously undocumented indirect effects of CETN3 through interaction with RNA splicing machinery involved in brain development. These findings expand the scope of known regulatory mechanisms of CETN3 in brain development and its etiological roles in human brain malformation.

Indexed as

CentrosomeMicrocephalyNeural Stem CellsRNA SplicingBrainCell DifferentiationChild, PreschoolHumansCentrosome DuplicationCETN3MicrocephalyNeurogenesisRNA Splicing

Identifiers

PMID40926052
PMCPMC12514221

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.