Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: A male Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea) on the slopes of the Arctowski Mountain on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in early spring. This bird is endemic to the Svalbard archipelago in the high Arctic where it remains year-round, making it the world's most northerly-distributed land bird. Nord and Folkow show that handling of this well-insulated bird caused stress-induced hyperthermia even in severe cold, as predicted from studies of other large endotherms. Thus, pronounced body cooling during handling in low temperature, as previously reported in small and poorly-insulated birds, probably reflects failure to withstand increased heat-loss rate. Image (C) Andreas Nord, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
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RESEARCH ARTICLES
Krüppel-like factor 6 mediates pulmonary angiogenesis in rat experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome and is aggravated by bone morphogenetic protein 9
Summary: Krüppel-like factor 6, which is triggered by pulmonary injury and promoted by bone morphogenetic protein 9, mediates pulmonary angiogenesis in rat experimental hepatopulmonary syndrome and then aggravates lung dysfunction.
Overexpression of long noncoding RNA GAS5 suppresses tumorigenesis and development of gastric cancer by sponging miR-106a-5p through the Akt/mTOR pathway
Summary: GAS5, a tumor suppressor, was confirmed to suppress tumorigenesis and development of gastric cancer by sponging miR-106a-5p through the Akt/mTOR pathway, which provides a novel regulatory axis of GC progression.
Ambient temperature effects on stress-induced hyperthermia in Svalbard ptarmigan
Summary: Handling in severe cold causes hyperthermia in well-insulated Svalbard ptarmigan. Hence, pronounced cooling in cold-handled poorly insulated birds likely reflects high heat-loss rate rather than a different physiological response.
Ubiquitin-mediated proteasome degradation regulates optic fissure fusion
Summary: Optic fissure fusion, a key retinal morphogenic event highly sensitive to developmental signaling, is directly regulated by ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation uncovering a novel regulatory pathway potentially correlated to incidence of coloboma.
The Drosophila protein, Nausicaa, regulates lamellipodial actin dynamics in a Cortactin-dependent manner
Summary: The Drosophila Cortactin-binding protein Nausicaa regulates actin branching and lamellipodial dynamics through its anchoring of Cortactin in the lamellipodia.
Spring-loaded inverted pendulum goes through two contraction-extension cycles during the single-support phase of walking
Summary: We quantitatively evaluate a simple model for human walking based on two-spring and find that this model describes many features of human walking.
Intraspecific variation in metabolic rate and its correlation with local environment in the Chinese scorpion Mesobuthus martensii
Summary: Metabolic rate variation is observed between the two sexes and among populations in the Chinese scorpion, with the latter being correlated negatively with local mean temperature and positively with annual days of rainfall.
Is blood cortisol or vateritic otolith composition associated with natal dispersal or reproductive performance on the spawning grounds of straying and homing hatchery-produced chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in Southeast Alaska?
Summary: Straying mediates ecological interactions and gene flow between salmon populations. Understanding physiological controls and underlying causes of straying by hatchery-produced salmon may help managers minimize deleterious interactions.
Effectors of the spindle assembly checkpoint are confined within the nucleus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Summary: The effectors of the spindle assembly checkpoint are confined with the nuclear compartment of budding yeast, and cannot exchange between nuclei in a binucleate zygote.
Cell recovery by reversal of ferroptosis
Summary: Programmed cell death is generally assumed to be irreversible. Interestingly, we discovered reversible apoptosis. Here, we further demonstrate reversible ferroptosis, thereby adding a new example of reversible programmed cell death.
Influence of arm swing on cost of transport during walking
Summary: Excessive arm swing reduces the vertical angular momentum and ground reaction moment, but not necessarily the energetic cost of transport.
Eyes and negative phototaxis in juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster species complex
Summary: The juvenile crown-of-thorns starfish has much smaller eyes than adults do, which results in worse spatial resolution. Still, they use the eyes for negative phototaxis seeking shelter.
Evidence of dietary protein restriction regulating pupation height, development time and lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster
Summary: In studying protein-restricted diet-mediated interplay between major traits during pre-adult to adult stages in Drosophila melanogaster, we found various existing positive and negative correlations being challenged and supported upon differing diets.
Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) shift toward aerodynamically efficient flight kinematics in response to an artificial load
Summary: When equipped with an artificial load, zebra finch diverge from their typical flap-bounding pattern of flight, potentially reducing their muscular efficiency, and adopt more aerodynamically efficient kinematics.
Suppressor of Fused regulates the proliferation of postnatal neural stem and precursor cells via a Gli3-dependent mechanism
Summary: Conditional deletion of Sufu causes dramatic expansion of neural stem/precursor cells in the neonatal ventricular-subventricular (SVZ) zone. This defect occurs through a Gli3-dependent mechanism resulting in the downregulation of Shh signaling.
Fgf3 is crucial for the generation of monoaminergic cerebrospinal fluid contacting cells in zebrafish
Summary: This study highlights Fgf3 in a novel context where it is part of a signalling pathway of critical importance for development of hypothalamic monoaminergic cells in zebrafish.
An essential role of the mouse synapse-associated protein Syap1 in circuits for spontaneous motor activity and rotarod balance
Summary: Knockout of the Syap1 gene in mice causes a distinct motor behaviour phenotype characterised by reduced initial locomotor activity and impaired rotarod performance.
METHODS & TECHNIQUES
Establishing simple image-based methods and a cost-effective instrument for toxicity assessment on circadian rhythm dysregulation in fish
Summary: A cost-effective device and two methods to measure the circadian rhythm in diurnal and nocturnal fish, providing a reliable entry point for toxicity assessment on circadian rhythm dysregulation in fish.
An instrumented centrifuge for studying mouse locomotion and behaviour under hypergravity
Summary: We present a system for exposing mice to hypergravity and measuring the effects on their locomotion and activity. We include details of the design and implementation, and example experimental data.
FIRST PERSON
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A new Editor-in-Chief and new future for Biology Open

Find out more about the changes at the helm of Biology Open from departing Editor-in-Chief Steve Kelly and Director of The Company of Biologists Laura Machesky. The first Editorial from our new Editor-in-Chief Daniel Gorelick can be read here.
A Year at the Forefront Review

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Basement membrane dynamics and mechanics in tissue morphogenesis

Read one of our most recent Future Leader Reviews by Uwe Töpfer which provides an overview of the mechanisms by which Basement membranes can be remodeled to regulate the shape of tissues and organs.
Future Leader Reviews
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Read & Publish Open Access publishing: what authors say

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