Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42149661›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of experimental medicine2026

Identification of secondary microglial formation centers in the human fetal brain.

Chenyun Song, Xinyu Chen, Rong Ji, Yang Liu, Yawen Han, Fangzhou Ye, Ling Zhang, Li Li, Lu Gao, Qizhi He and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of experimental medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

12 authors.

Chenyun Song *Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0002-4737-4504
Xinyu Chen *Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-1181-8188
Rong Ji *Department of Neurology, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0007-2464-0298
Yang Liu *Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0002-2379-6323
Yawen Han *Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0006-5720-5498
Fangzhou Ye *Department of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0004-6700-6594
Ling ZhangDepartment of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7660-7878
Li LiDepartment of Anesthesiology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2374-5203
Lu GaoDepartment of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0006-3476-4844
Qizhi HeDepartment of Pathology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0003-8551-0551
Lixiang MaDepartment of Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9399-155X
Hexige SaiyinState Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0003-2993-6817

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFA1101302National Natural Science Foundation of China 32370852National Natural Science Foundation of China U24A2014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microglia migrate from the yolk sac and populate the developing brain. How microglia expand rapidly to meet the microglial demand in fast-expanding human fetal brains remains uncharted. Using thick sections in 5-22-gestational week (gw) brains and super-resolution scanning, we identified a large proliferative microglial aggregate (2.129 mm2) near the lateral ganglionic eminence (>12.5 gw), expanding in Down's syndrome (DS) (4.767 mm2) and Edwards syndrome (ES) (3.437 mm2) fetal brains. Ki67+ microglia within the aggregates accounted for 26.65% (DS: 38.9%; ES: 46.3%) compared with 6.32% (DS: 6.01%; ES: 5.2%) in scattered microglia. This aggregate region contained a distinct microglial population characterized by the absence of phagocytic structures and complex processes, high CSF-1R expression, abundant IL-34+ cells, and some SPP1+ bipolar microglia. We termed this structure the secondary microglial formation center (SMFC). Chimeric microglia-human cortical organoids recapitulated the SMFC in an IL-34- and CSF-1R-dependent manner, indicating that the human SMFC may compensate for the microglial shortage during the fastest expansion period.

Indexed as

BrainFetusMicrogliaDown SyndromeFemaleGanglionic EminenceHumans

Identifiers

PMID42149661
PMCPMC13182777

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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.