Michael Heide

Comparative primate transcriptomics identifies a ZNF90/OVOL2 regulatory axis shaping human neural progenitor cell dynamics

The paper compares transcriptomes of human and rhesus macaque neural progenitor cells to identify a ZNF90/OVOL2 regulatory axis involved in apical progenitor maintenance during primate corticogenesis.

Coordinated neural progenitor adaptations drive primate neocortical downscaling

The paper identifies coordinated adaptations in neural progenitor cells that drive neocortical downscaling in marmosets compared to humans.

Cerebral organoids expressing mutant actin genes reveal cellular mechanism underlying microcephalic cortical malformation

The paper uses cerebral organoids from patients with actin mutations to show that altered cleavage plane orientation in ventricular zone progenitors leads to microcephaly.

Genomic and biological panoramas of non-muscle actinopathies

The paper analyzes clinical and mechanistic data from individuals with ACTB/ACTG1 variants to identify distinct disease phenotypes and molecular mechanisms of non-muscle actinopathies.

The chromatin remodeler CHD3 is highly expressed in mature neurons and regulates genes involved in synaptic development and function

This study investigates the role of CHD3 in human brain development using genetically modified organoids, finding it regulates synaptic development genes without affecting early neurogenesis.

Human-specific ARHGAP11B is necessary and sufficient for human-type basal progenitor levels in primate brain organoids

This study shows that ARHGAP11B is necessary and sufficient for maintaining elevated basal progenitor levels in human cerebral organoids compared to chimpanzees.

Single-cell genomic atlas of great ape cerebral organoids uncovers human-specific features of brain development

This study uses single-cell genomics to compare brain development in humans, chimpanzees, and macaques, identifying human-specific gene regulatory features.

Evolution and cell-type specificity of human-specific genes preferentially expressed in progenitors of fetal neocortex

The paper identifies human-specific genes preferentially expressed in fetal neocortex progenitors and shows they have distinct cell-type specificity compared to ancestral paralogs.