Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Caption: Scanning electron micrograph of a wild-type zebrafish neuromast. Kinocilia (pseudo-coloured pink) and stereocilia (pseudo-coloured red) extend from the apical surface of mechanosensory hair cells, which provide a model for investigating hearing loss. See article by Santra and Amack (dmm048997). Cover image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
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EDITOR'S CHOICE
EDITORIAL
PERSPECTIVE
A zebrafish-centric approach to antiepileptic drug development
Summary: Screening programs using zebrafish could reshape traditional approaches to antiepileptic drug discovery. Here we describe steps to develop zebrafish models that represent human epilepsies, with an emphasis on a zebrafish model of Dravet syndrome.
REVIEWS
Metabolic reprogramming in cancer: mechanistic insights from Drosophila
Summary: Recent research in fruit flies has demonstrated that tumors rewire their metabolism by using diverse strategies that involve feedback regulation, nutrient sensing, intercellular or even inter-organ interactions, yielding new molecules as potential cancer markers or drug targets.
Cell competition from development to neurodegeneration
Summary: This Review presents cell competition as an active selection mechanism, from its more established molecular pathways to the recently proposed ones in neurodegenerative diseases.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
A mechanism linking perinatal 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin exposure to lower urinary tract dysfunction in adulthood
Summary: We describe a new mechanism of benign prostate disease, initiated by fetal chemical exposure, which durably increases prostatic noradrenergic axon density and causes smooth muscle hyperactivity and urinary voiding dysfunction.
Circulating fibroblast growth factor-2 precipitates HIV nephropathy in mice
Editor's choice: We developed a new mouse model of childhood HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) and showed that circulating FGF-2 precipitated HIVAN in young HIV-Tg26 mice by inducing the pERK pathway.
Comparison of the oncogenomic landscape of canine and feline hemangiosarcoma shows novel parallels with human angiosarcoma
Summary: Analysis of canine and feline hemangiosarcoma reveals many genetic similarities to human angiosarcoma, including recurrently mutated driver genes, differing mutational profiles between tissues and UV mutational signature, in some cases.
Loss of vacuolar-type H+-ATPase induces caspase-independent necrosis-like death of hair cells in zebrafish neuromasts
Summary: Vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) mutations cause necrosis-like death of mechanosensory hair cells in zebrafish. This work identifies new cell-type-specific V-ATPase functions and may help understand the causes of sensorineural deafness.
Exercise, programmed cell death and exhaustion of cardiomyocyte proliferation in aging zebrafish
Summary: A zebrafish model for studying how aging and exercise affect cardiomyocyte turnover in the human heart reveals a decrease in the proliferative capacity of the heart, which is not prevented by exercise.
Respiratory dysfunction in a mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7
Summary: A mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) with at least 266 CAG repeats exhibits profound breathing deficits along with respiratory motor neuron degeneration and neuroinflammation.
CRISPR/Cas9-engineered Drosophila knock-in models to study VCP diseases
Summary: We generated a collection of nine Drosophila knock-in models that mimic VCP-related diseases and revealed novel pathologies, including sex-dependent effects and laminopathies.
RESOURCE ARTICLES
Transient, flexible gene editing in zebrafish neutrophils and macrophages for determination of cell-autonomous functions
Summary: We developed new tools for lineage-specific gene editing in neutrophils or macrophages based on leukocyte-specific Cas9 expression, that can be used with injected synthetic gRNAs.
Extramedullary multiple myeloma patient-derived orthotopic xenograft with a highly altered genome: combined molecular and therapeutic studies
Summary: The generation of a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft allowed in-depth molecular and therapeutic studies in aggressive extramedullary multiple myeloma, revealing new cytogenetic aberrations, mutations, hypermethylated genome and drug responses.
FIRST PERSON
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
DMM Journal Meeting 2023: Infectious Diseases Through an Evolutionary Lens
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We are delighted to announce that our 2023 Journal Meeting ‘Infectious Diseases Through an Evolutionary Lens’ will be held from 17-19 October 2023 in London, UK. Registration is open now.
New drugs to squash the spread of malaria

In this Research Article, the Baum lab identify a new class of antimalarials to block Plasmodium gamete formation. This article has been highlighted as our Editor’s Choice, and you can find out more in our interview with first author Sabrina Yahiya.
preLights 5th Birthday webinar

preLights, our preprint highlighting service, is celebrating its 5th birthday this year. To mark the occasion, join us online on 14 March 2023 at 16:00 GMT for a discussion, led by four preLights alumni, on how to identify and navigate the challenges and opportunities while shaping your career as an early-career researcher.
Sex, obesity and melanoma

Emily Montal et al. develop a zebrafish model to investigate the effect of genetic- and diet-induced obesity, as well as sex, on melanoma initiation and progression. Their findings, summarised in this Editor’s Choice article, suggest that melanoma initiation is dependent on both sex and obesity.
Apply for a DMM Conference Travel Grant

DMM Conference Travel Grants support early-career researchers wanting to attend in-person and virtual meetings. Find out when the next application deadline is and hear from past recipients about their experience.