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.
This issue
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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.
Interview – Savant Thakur
Savant Thakur was a Ph.D. student in Professor Gordon S. Lynch’s lab (The University of Melbourne) working towards understanding the mechanisms of defective muscle repair in muscle diseases and wasting disorders. Sadly, Savant passed away on June 16, 2019 and so one of his supervisors, Professor Lynch, spoke to BiO about Savant's work and character.
A day in the life of a returning spider lab
Back in 2016, two PhD students in Alistair McGregor’s lab at Oxford Brookes shared a day in the life of a spider lab on the Node. Four years and one pandemic later, we caught up with Alistair to find out how his lab has responded to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.