Issues

Summary: People from underrepresented groups are less likely to obtain research funding and secure senior academic positions. Systemic change requires organisational-level action, a diverse workplace, strong leadership and robust support networks in place.

Summary: Brain organoids recapitulate human brain cytoarchitecture in vitro, and are likely to become key models to disentangle the neuropathology of acute and long COVID, and other potential long-term sequelae of COVID-19.

Summary: We discuss which mechanisms govern the embryonic susceptibility window for Zika virus infection, how congenitally infected patients' neurological disorders develop, and how developmental biology studies unveil the mechanisms of viral spread.

Summary: Our study reveals diverse cerebellar phenotypes of Inpp4a mutant mouse lines and could provide insights into the role of INPP4A mutations in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis.

Summary: Oxidative stress from iron loading in retinal pigment epithelial cells induces lysosomal accumulation and impairs lysosomal function, leading to lysosomal membrane permeabilization, ceramide accumulation and cell death.

Summary: ARPC5 deficiency leads to a severe autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency, featuring immune disease, multiple congenital anomalies and early postnatal death.

Summary: Overexpression of ceramide synthases compensated ceramide levels in a retinal dystrophy mouse model. Different ceramide species had different impacts on retinal cells, highlighting the importance of maintaining overall ceramide profile for retinal functions.

Summary: This study demonstrates close homology in urinary tract anatomy between zebrafish and human, including the presence of a distinct adult urinary bladder capable of periodic micturition.

Summary: We assembled and validated a novel multi-model system platform that enables the rapid evaluation of the pro-arrhythmogenic potential of genes associated with human arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation.

Summary: Knocking out the ferroxidase ceruloplasmin in an iron-overloaded mouse model of hereditary hemochromatosis increases the rate and severity of retinal pigment epithelium damage and retinal degeneration.

Summary: This study investigates the mechanical-metabolic uncoupling of dystrophic myofibers and the possible alteration of liver kinase B1, as a key player in modulating metabolism and epigenetic regulation of skeletal muscle.

Editors' choice: Using a new zebrafish model of combined saposin deficiency, a lysosomal storage disease, we examine both pharmacological and genetic approaches toward sphingolipidosis treatment.

Summary: This study highlights the need for improved data reporting in preclinical cancer cachexia literature to effectively compare outcomes between studies and increase translatability to the human condition.