Subject collection: Neural development
- Apical constriction is driven by a pulsatile apical myosin network in delaminating Drosophila neuroblasts
Highlighted Article: Quantitative differences in medial myosin pulse intensity and frequency are critical to distinguish delaminating neuroblasts from their neighbors.
- Regulation of neuromuscular junction organization by Rab2 and its effector ICA69 in Drosophila
Summary: An RNAi screen in Drosophila identifies the BAR-domain protein ICA69 as a regulator of neuromuscular junction organization and glutamate receptor clustering. ICA69 levels are in turn controlled by Rab2.
- COUP-TFI mitotically regulates production and migration of dentate granule cells and modulates hippocampal Cxcr4 expression
Summary: Mice mutant for the COUP-TFI transcription factor show severe growth defects in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, due to impaired proliferation, precocious differentiation and abnormal migration of granule cells.
- Sec71 functions as a GEF for the small GTPase Arf1 to govern dendrite pruning of Drosophila sensory neurons
Summary: The Arf1/Sec71-dependent secretory pathway governs Golgi integrity and dendrite pruning in Drosophila sensory neurons.
- Novel role of Rac-Mid1 signaling in medial cerebellar development
Summary: Double knockout of Rac1 and Rac3 in cerebellar granule neurons impairs their tangential migration and final differentiation. Rac depleted cells exhibit decreased levels of Mid1 and impaired mTORC1 signaling.
- Excitatory neurons sculpt GABAergic neuronal connectivity in the C. elegans motor circuit
Highlighted Article: A non-cell-autonomous mechanism regulates inhibitory neuron synapse formation at the neuromuscular junction.
- Regulation of Brn3b by DLX1 and DLX2 is required for retinal ganglion cell differentiation in the vertebrate retina
Summary: Dlx1/2 homeobox genes regulate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) differentiation by directly activating Brn3b expression; accordingly, Dlx1/Dlx2/Brn3b triple-knockout mice exhibit near complete RGC loss.