Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

Heide, Michael, Dr. rer. nat.


  • 2005–2010: Studies in Biology, University of Tübingen, Germany
  • 2010–2014: PhD student in the lab of Gonzalo Alvarez-Bolado, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
  • 2015–2021: Postdoc in the lab of Wieland Huttner, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Dresden, Germany
  • Since 2022: ERC starting grant funded Junior Research Group Leader at the German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany


Major Research Interests

We are interested in the development and the evolution of the primate neocortex. Specifically, we would like to identify the genetic basis of how different neocortex morphology (i.e., size and folding differences) within the primate clade is established. Neocortex morphology is primarily determined by cortical neural stem and progenitor cells. These cells produce nearly all the neurons of the neocortex during fetal development. Therefore, the activity and behavior of these cells determine neuron number and thus neocortex size and its degree of folding. We first aim to identify genes that regulate the activity and behavior of cortical neural stem and progenitor cells. Especially, we are interested in identifying genes, which have evolved specifically within the primate-clade, so-called primate-specific genes. Second, we would like to functionally study these genes in brain organoids of different primate species including human, chimpanzee, rhesus macaque and common marmoset.


Homepage Department/Research Group
https://www.dpz.eu/en/unit/nwg-brain-development-and-evolution/about-us.html


Selected Recent Publications


  • Fischer, J., Fernandez Ortuno E., Marsoner, F., Artioli, A., Peters, J., Namba, T., Eugster Oegema, C., Huttner, W.B., Ladewig, J. and Heide, M. (2022) Human-specific ARHGAP11B ensures human-like basal progenitor levels in hominid cerebral organoids. EMBO Rep. e54728. doi:10.15252/embr.202254728.

  • Heide, M., Haffner, C., Murayama, A., Kurotaki, Y., Shinohara, H., Okano H., Sasaki, E. and Huttner W.B. (2020). Human-specific ARHGAP11B increases size and folding of primate neocortex in the fetal marmoset. Science 369, 546-550. doi:10.1126/science.abb2401.

  • Kanton, S., Boyle, M.J., He, Z., Santel, M., Weigert, A., Calleja, F.S., Guijarro, P., Sidow, L., Fleck, J.S., Han, D., Qian, Z., Heide, M., Huttner, W.B., Khaitovich, P., Pääbo, S., Treutlein, B. and Camp, J.G. (2019). Organoid single-cell genomic atlas uncovers human-specific features of brain development. Nature 574, 418-422. doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1654-9.

  • Heide, M., Huttner, W.B. and Mora-Bermudez, F. (2018). Brain organoids as models to study human neocortex development and evolution. Curr Opin Cell Biol 55, 8-16. doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2018.06.006.

  • Florio, M., Heide, M., Pinson A., Brandl, H., Albert, M., Winkler, S., Wimberger, P., Huttner, W.B. and Hiller, M. (2018). Evolution and cell-type specificity of human-specific genes preferentially expressed in progenitors of fetal neocortex. eLife 7:e32332. doi: 10.7554/eLife.32332.