RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Morphology and distribution of taste papillae and oral denticles in the developing oropharyngeal cavity of the bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum
Summary: Characterisation of taste buds in the developing bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum, reveals that taste papillae are functional, innervated units, allowing the shark to seek out food in utero, at birth or following hatching.
- Polyglutamine length-dependent toxicity from α1ACT in Drosophila models of spinocerebellar ataxia type 6
Summary: The spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) protein, α1ACT, causes polyglutamine length-dependent toxicity and aggregation in new Drosophila transgenic lines, opening the door for additional studies of this disease.
- New SigD-regulated genes identified in the rhizobacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42
Summary: New SigD-regulated genes were identified in the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB42, which is closely related to the model organism B. subtilis.
- Biochemical pathways supporting beta-lactam biosynthesis in the springtail Folsomia candida
Summary: Analysis of phosphopantetheinyl transferases and metabolic pathways for L-α-aminoadipic acid that are required for beta-lactam biosynthesis in the arthropod Folsomia candida.
- DRH1, a p68-related RNA helicase gene, is required for chromosome breakage in Tetrahymena
Summary: The p68-related Drh1protein is essential for both growth and development of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila. It localizes to meiotic nuclei and is required for chromosome breakage of developing somatic chromosomes.
- Temperature and evaporative water loss of leaf-sitting frogs: the role of reflection spectra
Summary: We show that the presence of a reflection peak in the NIR in some frogs can contribute to a temperature difference of up to 3.2°C, which extends the period they can go without rehydration by over an hour (22.7%).
- Strigolactone regulates shoot development through a core signalling pathway
Summary: Strigolactones signal through D14 to regulate shoot development by targeting SMXL6-clade proteins, but not BES1 or DELLA proteins, for degradation. BRC1 and PIN1 plausibly act downstream to regulate branching.
- Early molecular events during retinoic acid induced differentiation of neuromesodermal progenitors
Summary: The findings here demonstrate that the signaling molecule retinoic acid (RA) plays an early role in determining how embryonic progenitor cells decide to differentiate into either mesodermal or neural tissues.
- BMP4 acts as a dorsal telencephalic morphogen in a mouse embryonic stem cell culture system
Summary: Using mouse embryonic stem cell cultures, we show BMP4 sufficiency to specify two cell fates and appropriate temporal patterning of the dorsal telencephalon, i.e. evidence for BMP4 as a dorsal telencephalic morphogen.
- The Coprinopsis cinerea Tup1 homologue Cag1 is required for gill formation during fruiting body morphogenesis
Summary: Cag1, a Tup1 homologue in Coprinopsis cinerea, is required for gill formation in fruiting body development and is highly expressed in the central region of gills.
- Boundary layer control by a fish: Unsteady laminar boundary layers of rainbow trout swimming in turbulent flows
Summary: The boundary layer laminarization of rainbow trout swimming in turbulent flows was confirmed. The results suggested an energy-efficient swimming strategy of this species in the turbulent flow environment.
- Using sounds for making decisions: greater tube-nosed bats prefer antagonistic calls over non-communicative sounds when feeding
Summary: In this study we used sound playback to test the importance of communication sounds of bats as contextual information for decision making for place preference during feeding.
- Relationship between the grades of a learned aversive-feeding response and the dopamine contents in Lymnaea
Summary: Severely food-deprived snails cannot acquire conditioned taste aversion, because this conditioning is thought to be mitigated by a high content of a reward transmitter, dopamine, in these snails.
- Molecular insights into Adgra2/Gpr124 and Reck intracellular trafficking
Summary: This work uncovers molecular determinants of Adgra2/Gpr124 and Reck trafficking to the plasma membrane where the partners meet to act as potent Wnt7-specific Wnt/β-catenin signaling co-activators required for brain vascularization.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
- Systematic and general method for quantifying localization in microscopy images
Summary: We evaluate a metric for quantifying localization in microscopy images, termed the threshold overlap score, which is simple to calculate and interpret, generally applicable, and suitable for mixed localization patterns.
This issue
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
Biology Open and COVID-19
We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on researchers worldwide. The Editors of all The Company of Biologists’ journals have been considering ways in which we can alleviate concerns that members of our community may have around publishing activities during this time. Read about the actions we are taking at this time.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the Editorial Office if you have any questions or concerns.
New funding scheme supports sustainable events
As part of our Sustainable Conferencing Initiative, we are pleased to announce funding for organisers that seek to reduce the environmental footprint of their event. The next deadline to apply for a Scientific Meeting grant is 26 March 2021.
Future Leader Review – early neurodegeneration of Alzheimer’s disease
A new Future Leader Review from Olayemi Olajide, Marcus Suvanto and Clifton Andrew Chapman evaluates the molecular mechanisms that may explain the vulnerability and susceptibility of the entorhinal cortex to early neurodegeneration during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
Find out more about our Future Leader Reviews – they are an exclusive opportunity for early-career researchers who want to establish themselves in their field.
First author interviews
Catch up on our latest first author interviews to go behind the scenes of our latest research, find out more about the authors and hear from early-career researchers themselves how they’re finding life at the bench.
Retinal degeneration in Drosophila
Thank you to Elisabeth Knust and her team for their confocal image of a longitudinal section of an adult Drosophila retina, which brightens the cover of our latest issue. Read the research behind the cover.