Issues
-
Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: The African turquoise killifish is an extremely short-lived and rapidly ageing vertebrate with the potential to become a powerful model system to study the biology of ageing. These fish rapidly reach sexual maturation (by 4 weeks of age), and within 4 months develop cancer, undergo neurodegeneration, develop learning deficits and progressively lose fecundity. The image shows the colourful tails of two healthy adult male individuals, characterised by a typical terminal colour flag. During the ageing process, fish colour loses intensity and the tail pattern fades away. In the Review, the authors discuss the features that make this species a promising new model system. See article by Kim et al. on page 115.
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of contents
- PDF Icon PDF LinkIssue info
EDITORIALS
Disease Models & Mechanisms in 2016: a publisher's brief perspective
Summary: DMM announces changes to its Senior Editor team and thanks its many reviewers.
Using the mouse to model human disease: increasing validity and reproducibility
Summary: Raising standards for carrying out and reporting mouse model studies will improve reproducibility and relevance to human disease research.
REVIEWS
Echoes of the embryo: using the developmental biology toolkit to study cancer
Summary: This article reviews the similarities between embryogenesis and cancer progression and discusses how the concepts and techniques of developmental biology are being applied to provide insight into all aspects of tumorigenesis.
The short-lived African turquoise killifish: an emerging experimental model for ageing
Summary: The short-lived African turquoise killifish is an emerging experimental vertebrate model organism, ideal for studies aimed at discovering the basic mechanisms underlying vertebrate ageing and adult phenotypes.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Use of a genetically engineered mouse model as a preclinical tool for HER2 breast cancer
Editors' choice: This study demonstrates the utility of a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer to define mechanisms of resistance to a pan-HER family inhibitor and identifies a link with EMT.
Inhibition of signaling between human CXCR4 and zebrafish ligands by the small molecule IT1t impairs the formation of triple-negative breast cancer early metastases in a zebrafish xenograft model
Summary: CXCR4-expressing human tumor cells respond to zebrafish cognate ligands and initiate metastatic events in a zebrafish xenograft model. The CXCR4 antagonist IT1t has promising tumor inhibitory effects.
Live imaging of osteoclast inhibition by bisphosphonates in a medaka osteoporosis model
Summary: Live imaging in the medaka, a popular fish model for human bone research, shows that osteoclast inhibition by bisphosphonates triggers an efficient repair of bone defects by redistributed osteoblasts.
ER stress and basement membrane defects combine to cause glomerular and tubular renal disease resulting from Col4a1 mutations in mice
Summary: Structural and compositional basement membrane defects and ER stress due to Col4a1 mutations cause glomerular and tubular kidney disease, and indicate cell-type-specific disease mechanisms for collagen diseases.
A new gestational diabetes mellitus model: hyperglycemia-induced eye malformation via inhibition of Pax6 in the chick embryo
Summary: Hyperglycemia inhibited Pax6 via oxidative stress and impaired eye development in the chick embryo, a new gestational diabetes mellitus model.
Innate immune responses to gut microbiota differ between oceanic and freshwater threespine stickleback populations
Summary: We developed a gnotobiotic threespine stickleback system to identify the cellular and genetic bases for variation in inflammatory responses to microbiota.
RESOURCE ARTICLES
Standardized orthotopic xenografts in zebrafish reveal glioma cell-line-specific characteristics and tumor cell heterogeneity
Summary: This zebrafish xenotransplant model of glioblastoma enables in vivo imaging of tumor cells and rapid screening for anti-glioma agents. It provides standardization of a model that is easily replicated across laboratories.
Generation of brain tumours in mice by Cre-mediated recombination of neural progenitors in situ with the tamoxifen metabolite endoxifen
Summary: An active tamoxifen derivative can be used for the in vivo induction of recombination in situ in mice by CreERT2. We show how this method can be used to generate brain tumours through recombination of tumour suppressor genes in the subventricular zone.
Pulmonary transcriptome analysis in the surgically induced rabbit model of diaphragmatic hernia treated with fetal tracheal occlusion
Summary: Rabbit fetuses with induced diaphragmatic hernia and treated with prenatal tracheal occlusion have a similar pulmonary transcriptome as unaffected controls. This study describes a valuable database of gene expressions in this model.
Call for papers – In Vitro Models of Human Disease to Inform Mechanism and Drug Discovery

We invite you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue: In Vitro Models of Human Disease to Inform Mechanism and Drug Discovery, coordinated by DMM Editor Vivian Li (The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK), alongside Guest Editors Austin Smith (University of Exeter, UK) and Joseph Wu (Stanford University School of Medicine, USA).The deadline for submitting articles is 6 October 2025.
The Company of Biologists Workshops

For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Read & Publish Open Access publishing: what authors say

We have had great feedback from authors who have benefitted from our Read & Publish agreement with their institution and have been able to publish Open Access with us without paying an APC. Read what they had to say.
Fast & Fair peer review

Our sister journal Biology Open has recently launched the next phase of their Fast & Fair peer review initiative: offering high-quality peer review within 7 working days. To learn more about BiO’s progress and future plans, read the Editorial by Daniel Gorelick, or visit the Fast & Fair peer review page.
A new perspective on disease research
DMM publishes perspectives - peer-reviewed articles that provide expert analysis of a topic important to the disease research community. Read our collection from authors presenting new or potentially controversial ideas or hypotheses, to help address future challenges and forge new directions.