Issues

Summary: The lateral plate mesoderm is the origin of several major cell types and organ systems in the vertebrate body plan. How this mesoderm territory emerges and partitions into its downstream fates provides clues about vertebrate development and evolution.

Summary: This Review provides an overview of cochlear development and discusses recent studies related to key aspects of cochlear formation including cell fate, outgrowth and patterning.

Highlighted Article: Characterization of human skeletal muscle development in vitro using scRNA-seq of a FACS-sorted PAX7-YFP iPSC reporter line shows the developmental stages of the PAX7⁺ precursors and their myogenic potential.

Summary: This study reveals a previously unappreciated role of RA signaling within the NEUROG3-expressing endocrine progenitor population that impairs β cell differentiation and induces ectopic expression of crucial δ cell genes.

Summary: E2A is usually a permissive partner for instructive transcription factors. Expression and genome editing assays revealed that E2A goes it alone as a homodimer to dominantly impose neural identity on pluripotent cells.

Summary: Notch signaling regulates the initial emergence of medullary thymic epithelial sublineage, implicating Notch in the maintenance of primitive thymic epithelial progenitors and uncovering its cross-interaction with Foxn1.

Summary: Using a fluorescent reporter for Stat3 activity, we have identified the stem cells of zebrafish intestine and characterized their Wnt requirements and responsiveness.

Summary: Single-cell RNA-sequencing identifies a repertoire of genetically defined developmental states conserved by embryonic and postembryonic retinal neurogenesis.

Summary: The diencephalon plays a role in the correct organization of thalamocortical axons. The thalamic environment is instructive for their correct medial-lateral position, while prethalamic pioneer axons help to avoid premature fasciculation.

Summary: A screen-based and chemical genetics approach in zebrafish reveals that statin, an inhibitor of the mevalonate pathway, and Rac GTPases regulate the poorly understood process of early tendon development.

Summary: Through genetic analysis in zebrafish, we characterize a pleiotropic role for Hippo signaling in development and maintenance of the hepatopancreatic ductal system, while providing insight into regulation of the signaling pathway.

Summary: Medullary thymic epithelial cell lineage specification and progenitor formation in the fetal thymus require notch signaling via notch 1 receptors, whereas further differentiation requires notch 1 to be downregulated.

Highlighted Article: Blood flow and cardiac contractility generate crucial cues that drive the essential cellular mechanisms responsible for creating the specific dimensions of the cardiac outflow tract.

Summary: The timing of pubertal mammary gland development is determined by availability of the chemokine CCL7, balanced by the scavenging receptor ACKR2 and the macrophage receptor CCR1.

Highlighted Article: Molecular chaperones are known to protect cells from stress; the Hsp90 chaperone negatively regulates neuronal differentiation when the ubiquitylation-proteasome system is compromised.

Summary: The H3K4 methyltransferase paralogs MLL3 and MLL4 have strikingly different null phenotypes during mouse development; MLL3 is required for lung maturation, whereas MLL4 is required for migration of the anterior visceral endoderm.

Highlighted Article: The two reelin receptors have distinct functions during neocortical development: VLDLR controls suppression of neuronal invasion into the marginal zone, whereas ApoER2 promotes neuronal aggregation.

Summary: Combining the light-inducible GAVPO transactivator with a cytotoxic channel enables robust cell ablation in zebrafish embryos with spatial and temporal precision.