Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Visualization of G3BP Stress Granules Dynamics in Live Primary Cells
Published on: May 21, 2014
Endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi stress in microcephaly
Sandrine Passemard1,2, Franck Perez3, Pierre Gressens1,4
1Université de Paris, NeuroDiderot, Inserm, F-75019 Paris, France.
Insights
Microcephaly, a condition causing small brain size and intellectual deficiency, may stem from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi stress impacting neuron production during early brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental disorder linked to intellectual deficiency, often caused by environmental or genetic factors.
- A common mechanism involves impaired cortical precursor cell division during neurogenesis, limiting neuron production.
- Severe congenital microcephaly is associated with these neuronal deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi stress in early brain development.
- To explore the hypothesis that ER/Golgi stress contributes to microcephaly.
- To provide an overview of genes involved in these pathways and linked to microcephaly.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent findings on ER and Golgi stress in neurodevelopment.
- Analysis of studies linking cellular stress pathways to microcephaly.
- Compilation of microcephaly-associated genes involved in ER/Golgi homeostasis.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests compromised cortical precursor cell division is a key mechanism in severe microcephaly.
- Pathological ER and Golgi stress are hypothesized to significantly impair cortical development.
- Several genes involved in ER/Golgi stress pathways are implicated in microcephaly.
Conclusions:
- ER and Golgi stress responses play a crucial role in regulating cellular homeostasis and proteostasis during early brain development.
- Dysregulation of these stress pathways may be a significant contributor to the pathogenesis of microcephaly.
- Further research into ER/Golgi stress and associated genes is vital for understanding and potentially treating microcephaly.
Abstract:
Microcephaly is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by a small brain size associated with intellectual deficiency in most cases and is one of the most frequent clinical sign encountered in neurodevelopmental disorders. It can result from a wide range of environmental insults occurring during pregnancy or postnatally, as well as from various genetic causes and represents a highly heterogeneous condition. However, several lines of evidence highlight a compromised mode of division of the cortical precursor cells during neurogenesis, affecting neural commitment or survival as one of the common mechanisms leading to a limited production of neurons and associated with the most severe forms of congenital microcephaly. In this context, the emergence of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus as key guardians of cellular homeostasis, especially through the regulation of proteostasis, has raised the hypothesis that pathological ER and/or Golgi stress could contribute significantly to cortical impairments eliciting microcephaly. In this review, we discuss recent findings implicating ER and Golgi stress responses in early brain development and provide an overview of microcephaly-associated genes involved in these pathways.
Related Concept Videos
Transport Across the Golgi
Golgi Matrix Proteins
One of the first identified Golgi matrix proteins was GM130, a rod-like protein located in the cis-Golgi. Subsequently, many Golgi...
Role of ER in the Secretory Pathway
Components of the secretory pathway
About a third of proteins synthesized in the cell are sorted via the secretory route. They shuffle between different compartments in membrane-bound vesicles until they reach their final destination. The main intracellular compartments involved...
The Endoplasmic Reticulum
Golgi Apparatus
Golgi Apparatus
The Golgi apparatus is a eukaryotic organelle that has a distinctive ribbon-like appearance. It is a primary sorting and dispatch station for cargo arriving from the ER. Newly arriving vesicles enter the cis face of the Golgi, closest to the ER, and are...

