REVIEW
- Gap junctions: historical discoveries and new findings in the Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system
Summary: Studies from C. elegans have illustrated many roles of gap junctions in neural connectivity and circuit regulation, during normal conditions and under stress.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Effect of serotonin modulation on dystrophin-deficient zebrafish
Summary: Phenotypic screening of serotonin pathway modulators has been performed in DMD zebrafish in order to identify small-molecules that limit the dystrophic muscle phenotype and lengthen the lifespan as potential therapeutics.
- Functionally distinct roles for T and Tbx6 during mouse development
Summary: Mouse Tbx6 fails to compensate for heterozygous loss of T; instead ectopic Tbx6 in the T expression-domain in knockin embryos generates T null-like phenotypes suggestive of competition.
- Vps54 regulates Drosophila neuromuscular junction development and interacts genetically with Rab7 to control composition of the postsynaptic density
Summary: The retrograde vesicle tethering factor, Vps54, regulates development of the Drosophila larval NMJ. Moreover, presynaptic Vps54 interacts genetically with the small GTPase, Rab7, to control NMJ growth and postsynaptic density composition.
- Vardenafil increases intracellular accumulation of the most prevalent mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CTFR) in human bronchial epithelial cells
Summary: Our findings support the view that vardenafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, partially rescues F508del protein through cGMP/PKG-independent mechanisms in cystic fibrosis cell line.
- Compartment and cell-type specific hypoxia responses in the developing Drosophila brain
Summary: A fluorescent biosensor reveals cell type specific hypoxia levels in the Drosophila brain in unprecedented detail. It paves the way for further functional studies addressing the role of oxygen in neural stem cell maintenance and differentiation.
- Water transport mediated by murine urea transporters: implications for urine concentration mechanisms
Summary: Renal urea transporters can transport both urea and water, which could have direct effects on renal function, especially the production of concentrated urine.
- The protective effects of human milk-derived peptides on the pancreatic islet biology
Summary: Human mild contains bioactive peptides – β-casomorphins (BCM) – that influence β-cell biology. Specifically human BCM increased the insulin domain of expression in zebrafish embryos and did not interfere with β-cell regeneration. This may have relevance for breastfeeding practices.
- Comparative interactomics analysis reveals potential regulators of α6β4 distribution in keratinocytes
Summary: Comparative interactomics analysis reveals close proximity of HDs, FAs and CMSCs, and a role of CD151 in linking α3β1 and α6β4 together in an alternative type II HD-like adhesion complex.
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.