RESEARCH ARTICLES
- A role for planar cell polarity during early endoderm morphogenesis
Summary: Here we characterise endodermal morphogenesis during somitogenesis stages, and show that PCP signalling plays a mixed role in endoderm development during these stages.
- A novel proteolytic event controls Hedgehog intracellular sorting and distribution to receptive fields
Summary: Hedgehog is a morphogen and oncogene, but what controls its distribution to release sites? We describe a novel, conserved, proteolytic event in Hedgehog processing that controls delivery to target cells.
- Calpain mobilizes Atg9/Bif-1 vesicles from Golgi stacks upon autophagy induction by thapsigargin
Summary: ER stress triggers calpain-dependent Bif-1 activation and induction of autophagosome maturation by promoting ATG9/Bif-1 vesicle trafficking and fusion with LC3 bodies.
- mTORC1 signalling mediates PI3K-dependent large lipid droplet accumulation in Drosophila ovarian nurse cells
Summary: Signalling by the nutrient-sensitive mTORC1 pathway mediates the effects of elevated insulin-dependent PI3K on large lipid droplet formation in nutrient-storing nurse cells of the Drosophila ovary.
- Sulphated glycosaminoglycans support an assortment of planarian rhabdite structures
Summary: We show that the slime secreted by planarian flatworms is supported by a complex meshwork of sulphated polysaccharides. These form an assortment of geodesic structures. Similar structures could be used to provide novel biomimetic drug delivery vehicles.
- Reduced β-catenin expression affects patterning of bone primordia, but not bone maturation
Summary: The correct allocation and patterning of skeletal elements during development requires a higher dosage of β-catenin than the maturation and mineralization of these primordia.
- Adhesion and friction of the smooth attachment system of the cockroach Gromphadorhina portentosa and the influence of the application of fluid adhesives
Summary: Friction and adhesion of a cockroach are analysed in an experimental approach that focuses on the function of the tarsal adhesion-mediating secretion.
- Mouse embryonic dorsal root ganglia contain pluripotent stem cells that show features similar to embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
Summary: We showed that mouse embryonic dorsal root ganglia contain pluripotent stem cells. We found significant similarities between pluripotent stem cells and neural crest-derived stem cells.
- Investigation of span-chordwise bending anisotropy of honeybee forewings
Summary: The span-chordwise bending anisotropy is due to the distribution of resilin patches, the corrugation along the span and the leading edge vein of the venation.
- Differences in swimming ability and its response to starvation among male and female Gambusia affinis
Summary: The study explored the causes of variation in swimming performance with respect to morphological and physiological characteristics, which provides further information about environmental adaptive ability in Gambusia affinis.
- Alteration of swing leg work and power during human accelerated sprinting
Summary: The roles of respective swing leg joints intricately change with increases in running speed during accelerated sprinting.
- Does air-breathing meet metabolic demands of the juvenile snakehead, Channa argus, in multiple conditions
Summary: The snakehead could survive out of water by breathing air for varying lengths of time, depending on ambient temperature and metabolic demand.
- Do you see what I see? Optical morphology and visual capability of ‘disco’ clams (Ctenoides ales)
Summary: ‘Disco’ clams are known for their vivid flashing displays. Their vision was examined to see if their display is visible to other disco clams as a signal.
- Cross-linking mass spectrometry identifies new interfaces of Augmin required to localise the γ-tubulin ring complex to the mitotic spindle
Summary: A map of subunit positional restrictions in Drosophila Augmin shows that Dgt3, Dgt5 and Dgt6 are all required to localise gamma-TuRC to mitotic spindles.
- Trehalose metabolism genes of Aphelenchoides besseyi (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) in hypertonic osmotic pressure survival
Summary: Trehalose metabolism genes should play a role in osmobiosis regulation and also function within a restricted time frame. Silence of any of these genes will cut down the nematode survival under hypertonic osmotic condition.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
- Parallel in vivo monitoring of pH in gill capillaries and muscles of fishes using microencapsulated biomarkers
Summary: An optical technique for the simultaneous in vivo monitoring of pH in the blood of gill capillaries and interstitial fluid of muscles developed and tested in zebrafish.
- Visualizing endoderm cell populations and their dynamics in the mouse embryo with a Hex-tdTomato reporter
Summary: A red fluorescent reporter under the regulatory control of the mouse Hex gene permits identification of different endodermal populations and visualization of dynamic cellular behaviors driving endoderm specification and morphogenesis.
- Modelling pulmonary microthrombosis coupled to metastasis: distinct effects of thrombogenesis on tumorigenesis
Summary: Induction of pulmonary microthrombosis by three distinct methods enhances HIF-a expression and tumour formation; increases in tumorigenesis that are induced by these thrombotic insults occur in a time- and mode-dependent manner.
- WRN conditioned media is sufficient for in vitro propagation of intestinal organoids from large farm and small companion animals
Summary: Culturing methods for the propagation of crypt-derived mouse and human enteroids are applicable to large farm and small companion animals, demonstrating conservation of the crypt signaling microenvironment.
- Culture time of vitrified/warmed zygotes before microinjection affects the production efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock-in mice
Summary: We report variable production efficiencies of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock-in mice depending on a series of microinjection timings using vitrified, warmed, and cultured zygotes created via ultra-superovulation and in vitro fertilization.
- Analysis of axonal trafficking via a novel live-imaging technique reveals distinct hedgehog transport kinetics
Summary: A novel method to directly visualize Hedgehog transport in the photoreceptor neurons of living animals offers unprecedented positional and temporal detail of complex phenotypes in real time.