Issues

Summary: This Spotlight summarizes recent work using behavioral analysis methods in embryonic and larval zebrafish that have provided insights into a range of processes crucial for functional nervous system development and refinement.

Summary: A review of our current understanding of urothelial progenitor populations in the contexts of bladder organogenesis, regeneration and tumorigenesis.

Summary: Kidney organoid podocytes generated from human pluripotent stem cells using a hybrid differentiation protocol allow podocyte pathophysiology modeling that leads to congenital as well as idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in patients.

Summary: A cocktail of miR-124-3p and miR-340-5p inhibitors rescues all-trans retinoic acid-induced cleft palate (CP) in mice, suggesting that normalization of pathological miRNA expression might be a preventive intervention for CP.

Summary: The local contour and the extra-embryonic space, the empty space within the eggshell not occupied by embryonic cells, are important geometric constraints in cell arrangement of nematode embryos.

Summary: Genetic analyses in mice show that the WNT7A/WNT7B-FRIZZLED-LRP5/LRP6-GPR124-RECK signaling system, first defined in the context of CNS angiogenesis and barrier development, also functions as an integral unit in limb development.

Summary: Genome-wide transcriptome analysis and functional dissection of transcriptional regulators reveal role of WOX10 and PLT genes in orchestrating rice root architecture.

Summary: A zebrafish transgenic reporter of the endocardium is identified, permitting transcriptomic analysis and identification of new endocardial markers. Epistasis experiments demonstrate npas4l and etv2 act downstream of Bmp signalling to regulate endocardial differentiation.

Highlighted Article: Using genomic engineering in mouse embryos and embryonic stem cells, expression of Xist, which regulates X-inactivation, is found to be sensitive to topological changes in the neighboring TAD.

Highlighted Article: Asymmetry in basal-body associated microtubule organization may play a role in correct positioning of the basal body for left-right symmetry breaking.

Summary: In animals such as Caenorhabditis elegans, a steroid hormone pathway controls both the entry and exit decisions into and out of the developmentally arrested dauer state in response to environmental signaling.

Summary: Different members of the JNK gene family play sequential roles in establishing the left-right axis through early regulation of motile cilia and later restriction of pitx2c expression.

Summary: Fragile X mental retardation protein binds staufen transcript to regulate the Coracle scaffold determining synaptic glutamate receptor accumulation, with intercellular signaling through Mothers against decapentaplegic phosphorylation driving synaptic bouton formation.