Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 14, 2025

Electroporation of Sliced Human Cortical Organoids for Studies of Gene Function
Published on: November 29, 2024
Human-specific gene expansions contribute to brain evolution
Daniela C Soto1, José M Uribe-Salazar1, Gulhan Kaya1
1Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
None:
Duplicated genes expanded in the human lineage likely contributed to brain evolution, yet challenges exist in their discovery due to sequence-assembly errors. We used a complete telomere-to-telomere genome sequence to identify 213 human-specific gene families. From these, 362 paralogs were found in all modern human genomes tested and brain transcriptomes, making them top candidates contributing to human-universal brain features. Choosing a subset of paralogs, long-read DNA sequencing of hundreds of modern humans revealed previously hidden signatures of selection, including for T cell marker CD8B. To understand roles in brain development, we generated zebrafish CRISPR "knockout" models of nine orthologs and introduced mRNA-encoding paralogs, effectively "humanizing" larvae. Our findings implicate two genes in possibly contributing to hallmark features of the human brain: GPR89B in dosage-mediated brain expansion and FRMPD2B in altered synapse signaling. Our holistic approach provides insights and a comprehensive resource for studying gene expansion drivers of human brain evolution.
More Related Videos
09:59AAV Deployment of Enhancer-Based Expression Constructs In Vivo in Mouse Brain
Published on: March 31, 2022
08:22A Novel Strategy Combining Array-CGH, Whole-exome Sequencing and In Utero Electroporation in Rodents to Identify Causative Genes for Brain Malformations
Published on: December 1, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Gene Duplication and Divergence
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are...
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Biological Influences on Intelligence
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...