Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41372632›Full record

ArticleEMBO reports2026

Cerebral organoids expressing mutant actin genes reveal cellular mechanism underlying microcephaly.

Indra Niehaus, Michaela Wilsch-Bräuninger, Felipe Mora-Bermúdez, Fabian Rost, Mihaela Bobic-Rasonja, Velena Radosevic, Marija Milkovic-Perisa, Pauline Wimberger, Mariasavina Severino, Alexandra Haase and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The Baraitser-Winter Cerebrofrontofacial Syndrome Recurrent R196H Variant in Cytoplasmic β-Actin Impairs Its Cellular Polymerization and Stability.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026
    Article
  5. A dyad of human-specificScience advances · 2025
    Article
  6. Genetics of human brain development.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2024
    Review
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.

Indra NiehausInstitute for Clinical Genetics, Technische Universität Dresden, and National Cancer Center (NCT) Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7484-0841
Michaela Wilsch-BräuningerMax Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7217-6879
Felipe Mora-BermúdezMax Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
Fabian RostTechnische Universität Dresden, DRESDEN-Concept Genome Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), Dresden, 01307, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6466-2589
Mihaela Bobic-RasonjaCroatian Institute of Brain Research and Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia.
Velena RadosevicDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia.
Marija Milkovic-PerisaDepartment of Pathology and Cytology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb and University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia.
Pauline WimbergerDepartment of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Technische Universität Dresden, and National Cancer Center (NCT) Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7380-577X
Mariasavina SeverinoNeuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, 16147, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4730-5322
Alexandra HaaseLeibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation, and Vascular Surgery, REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2666-4297
Ulrich MartinLeibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation, and Vascular Surgery, REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, 30625, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1058-4540
Karolina KuenzelInstitute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Kaomei GuanInstitute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307, Dresden, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0753-3083
Katrin NeumannCenter for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD, Stem Cell Engineering Facility), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
Noreen WalkerMax Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
Evelin SchröckInstitute for Clinical Genetics, Technische Universität Dresden, and National Cancer Center (NCT) Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
Natasa Jovanov-MilosevicCroatian Institute of Brain Research and Department of Biology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia. njovanov@hiim.hr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7897-6212
Wieland B Huttner *Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany. huttner@mpi-cbg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4143-7201
Nataliya Di Donato *Institute for Clinical Genetics, Technische Universität Dresden, and National Cancer Center (NCT) Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany. didonato.nataliya@mh-hannover.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9439-4677
Michael Heide *Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, 01307, Germany. mheide@dpz.eu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-8460

Funding

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) 01GM1922ACOST Action NeuroMIG 16118Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) DI 2170/3-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) DI 2170/5-1Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) SFB 655,A2EC | ERC | HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council (ERC) 250197EC | ERC | HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council (ERC) PRIMAZINC, 101039421EC | European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) GA KK01.1.1.01.0007Else Kröner Fresenius Stiftung 2020_EKES.04ERA-Net NEURON (NEURON) MicroKin
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Actins are cytoskeletal proteins that are essential for multiple cellular processes. Mutations in the ACTB and ACTG1 genes, encoding the ubiquitous beta- and gamma-cytoskeletal actin isoforms, respectively, cause a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, with microcephaly as the most frequent one. To investigate the pathogenesis underlying this cortical malformation, we studied patient-derived cerebral organoids from induced pluripotent stem cells of individuals with the Baraitser-Winter-CerebroFrontoFacial syndrome (BWCFF-S) carrying an ACTB/ACTG1 missense mutation. These organoids were reduced in size, showing a thinner ventricular zone (VZ) due to reduced VZ progenitor abundance. Strikingly, VZ progenitors in BWCFF-S cerebral organoids displayed a shift in the orientation of their cleavage plane from a predominantly vertical to a majoritarian horizontal orientation. The latter cleavage plane orientation is incompatible with increasing VZ progenitor abundance and instead promotes basal progenitor generation. Various cytoskeletal and morphological irregularities of BWCFF-S VZ progenitors, notably in the apical region, seemingly contribute to this change in cleavage plane orientation. Our results provide insight into the cell biological basis of the microcephaly associated with BWCFF-S caused by actin mutations.

Indexed as

ActinsMicrocephalyOrganoidsHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMutationMutation, MissenseActinsActinCerebral OrganoidsDisease ModelingMicrocephalyMitotic Spindle

Identifiers

PMID41372632
PMCPMC12852704

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.