脑发育相关疾病是一类影响大脑或中枢神经系统生长和发育的疾病。常染色体隐性遗传小头畸形(autosomal recessive primary microcephaly, MCPH)是一种神经系统发育障碍疾病,病人主要表现为头围减小,并伴随一定程度的智力衰退。迄今为止已发现至少有25个基因突变都会导致MCPH,根据它们发现的顺序分别命名为MCPH1~25。MCPH蛋白作为重要的成份参与调控大脑发育相关信号通路。本文对目前发现的25个MCPH相关蛋白的表达模式、细胞定位、分子生物学功能、表型及动物模型进行了综述,旨在提升人们对脑发育相关疾病的致病机制的认知,促进对神经元生成、脑尺寸大小及脑功能调控等分子机制的研究。

Brain development diseases refer to a group of diseases that affect the development of the brain or the central nervous system. Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a typical neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a decreased brain size, mental retardation and abnormal behaviors. To date, at least 25 genes have been discovered to cause MCPH when mutated. These genes were named MCPH1-25 according to the discovery order. MCPH proteins play important roles in regulating brain developmental signaling pathways. Here, we provide a timely review of the expression patterns, cellular localization, molecular functions, phenotypes, as well as animal models of these 25 MCPH proteins that will expedite our understanding of the pathogenesis of brain disorders at both molecular and cellular levels.