RESEARCH ARTICLES
- The yeast cell wall protein Pry3 inhibits mating through highly conserved residues within the CAP domain
Summary: Overexpression of Pry3, a GPI-anchored cell wall protein inhibits the yeast mating reaction. Here we show that this mating inhibition depends on highly conserved residues within the CAP/SCP/TAPS domain of Pry3.
- Neural crest cells require Meis2 for patterning the mandibular arch via the Sonic hedgehog pathway
Summary: Wnt1-Cre2;Meis2fl/fl mutants have perturbed Shh activity in the oral region of the mandibular arch, which leads to specification failure of NCCs in the tongue primordium and ectopic ossification at the expense of glossogenesis, which are hallmarks of several mouse mutants with eliminated Shh activity.
- Overexpression of Wnt7a enhances radiosensitivity of non-small-cell lung cancer via the Wnt/JNK pathway
Summary: The radiosensitizing effect of Wnt7a in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Microtubule assembly and pole coalescence: early steps in Caenorhabditis elegans oocyte meiosis I spindle assembly
Summary: This paper documents requirements for several regulators of microtubule assembly and stability during the early steps of acentrosomal meiotic spindle assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans oocytes.
- lncRNA NEAT1 mediates sepsis progression by regulating Irak2 via sponging miR-370-3p
Summary: Knockdown of NEAT1 hampered sepsis progression by downregulating Irak2 via interacting with miR-370-3p in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 and HL-1 cells.
- Specificity, redundancy and dosage thresholds among gata4/5/6 genes during zebrafish cardiogenesis
Summary: Targeted mutations were generated for each of the three gata4/5/6 genes in zebrafish to define functions for individual or combinations of these related transcription factors during cardiogenesis.
- Characterization of MORN2 stability and regulatory function in LC3-associated phagocytosis in macrophages
Summary: MORN2, whose stability is regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, functions as a limiting factor for LAP via the regulation of SNAP-23 membrane trafficking for ROS production within macrophage phagosomes.
- Site-1 protease ablation in the osterix-lineage in mice results in bone marrow neutrophilia and hematopoietic stem cell alterations
Summary: Ablation of S1P in the osterix-lineage downregulates bone development due to hematopoietic progenitor alterations that increase bone marrow neutrophils with accompanying increases in stefin proteins with osteogenic inhibitory activity.
- Bumblebees land remarkably well in red–blue greenhouse LED light conditions
Summary: Red–blue LED lights are being used in greenhouses to improve plant growth. The changed light spectrum may affect pollinators. We studied how these lights affect landing performance of foraging bumblebees.
- A new rat model of treatment-naive quiescent choroidal neovascularization induced by human VEGF165 overexpression
Summary: We developed a new treatment-naive quiescent rat choroidal neovascularization model by VEGF overexpression, allowing the long-term investigation of new drugs.
- Lizard colour plasticity tracks background seasonal changes
Summary: Our study shows seasonal variation in lizard dorsal colour as a potential adaptive trait in response to environmental background change, and highlights the importance of collecting colour data throughout the year.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
- A machine vision system for tracking population behavior of zooplankton in small-scale experiments: a case study on salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer, 1838) copepodite population responses to different light stimuli
Summary: A suggested method for tracking large populations (n=200) of small (<1 mm length) zooplankton for behavior study when exposed to stimuli.
- Model selection versus traditional hypothesis testing in circular statistics: a simulation study
Summary: Model selection-based statistics is a promising new avenue for analyzing circular data. We describe a procedure to control the type I error rate.
- A fully automated deep learning pipeline for high-throughput colony segmentation and classification
Summary: We have developed a computational pipeline, using neural networks, which enables automated high-throughput adenine auxotrophy-based screening and quantification. Our pipeline speeds up white/red color quantification by 100-fold with very high accuracy and can be smoothly integrated into existing protocols.
- A gum Arabic assisted sustainable drug delivery system for adult Drosophila
Summary: Drug insolubility and a lack of a continuous delivery system are big challenges for large-scale compound screenings in flies. The authors developed a U-GLAD system that can successfully solve these issues.
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.