Microcephaly Modeling of Kinetochore Mutation Reveals a Brain-Specific Phenotype

Most genes mutated in microcephaly patients are expressed ubiquitously, and yet the brain is the only major organ compromised in most patients. Why the phenotype remains brain specific is poorly understood. In this study, we used in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to monitor the effect of a point mutation in kinetochore null protein 1 (KNL1; CASC5), identified in microcephaly patients, during in vitro brain development. We found that neural progenitors bearing a patient mutation showed reduced KNL1 levels, aneuploidy, and an abrogated spindle assembly checkpoint. By contrast, no reduction of KNL1 levels or abnormalities was observed in fibroblasts and neural crest cells. We established that the KNL1 patient mutation generates an exonic splicing silencer site, which mainly affects neural progenitors because of their higher levels of splicing proteins. Our results provide insight into the brain-specific phenomenon, consistent with microcephaly being the only major phenotype of patients bearing KNL1 mutation. [Display omitted] •KNL1c.6673−19T > A patient mutation disrupts a splicing enhancer site•Mutant cells differentiate prematurely into neurons and astrocytes•The mutation affects splicing and mimics microcephaly in 3D neural spheroids•Though expressed ubiquitously, the KNL1 mutant causes only microcephaly Using 3D neural spheroids, Javed et al. investigate a mutation in KNL1 that causes microcephaly. Their study shows that, despite ubiquitous mutant KNL1 expression, KNL1 mRNA processing is affected only in neural precursors due to difference in splicing protein levels, offering insights into why the phenotype remains brain specific in patients.