ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Embryonic Development
This article is part of the Research TopicEarly Embryonic Development LineageView all 5 articles
Tissue Block-Resolved Developmental Transcriptomic Atlas of Human Fetal Brainstem Reveals Gene Modules with Implications for Neurological Disorders
Provisionally accepted
Chengxin Liu1
Wenjuan Zhou1Xin Xing2Jiachen Chen1Chenxi Sun1Shizhou Liu1Yunxia Lou3Jianfen Jiao3Haoling Cao1
Baoxia Cui3Shuhui Hong2Niloufar Ahmadi1Yuchun Tang1*- 1Shandong University Cheeloo College of Medicine, Jinan, China
- 2Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, China
- 3Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
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The brainstem is a critical hub connecting the cerebrum and spinal cord. however, the gene regulatory dynamics during fetal brainstem development remain incompletely characterized. This study employed RNA-seq to map transcriptomes across 107 tissue blocks from 18 human fetal brainstems (gestational weeks 9-33). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) identified 22 functionally annotated modules. We quantitatively assessed their spatiotemporal activity gradients and systematically classified genes exhibiting significant temporal trajectories based on phase-specific signatures. Our integrated approach constructs a developmental transcriptomic profile, revealing stage-specific regulatory networks and dynamic transcriptional trajectories governing ontogeny. Crucially, we validated the expression of neurodevelopmental disorder-associated genes within fetal brainstem tissues. This work advances our understanding of brainstem development and provides a foundational resource for research into neurological disorders.
Keywords: Fetal gene expression, Fetal Development, brainstem, RNA sequencing, gene regulation
Received: 28 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Zhou, Xing, Chen, Sun, Liu, Lou, Jiao, Cao, Cui, Hong, Ahmadi and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yuchun Tang, 201093000006@sdu.edu.cn
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