Xenopus
- Broad applicability of a streamlined ethyl cinnamate-based clearing procedure
Summary: The non-toxic, broadly applicable and simplified protocol of 2Eci tissue clearing makes it possible for non-specialist labs to use clearing approaches on conventional inverted microscopes.
- The RhoGEF protein Plekhg5 regulates apical constriction of bottle cells during gastrulation
Highlighted Article: The RhoGEF plekhg5 is identified as a blastopore lip-specific gene that, through the organization of actomyosin activity, induces apical constriction, which is required for bottle cell formation during Xenopus gastrulation.
- WDR5 regulates left-right patterning via chromatin-dependent and -independent functions
Highlighted Article: The candidate congenital heart disease gene WDR5 is essential for left-right patterning via its role in ciliogenesis. WDR5, a chromatin modifier, regulates transcription of foxj1 but also has a nonchromatin role at the ciliary base.
- Fam46a regulates BMP-dependent pre-placodal ectoderm differentiation in Xenopus
Summary: The newly identified placode gene Fam46a is required for the differentiation of the pre-placodal ectoderm (PPE) in early Xenopus development through its interaction with Smad1/Smad4 and its regulation of BMP signaling.
- RPSA, a candidate gene for isolated congenital asplenia, is required for pre-rRNA processing and spleen formation in Xenopus
Summary: Mutations in RPSA cause isolated congenital asplenia in humans; this paper presents the first animal model of RPSA-mediated asplenia and explores the role of RPSA in vertebrate spleen formation.
- RARγ is required for mesodermal gene expression prior to gastrulation in Xenopus
Summary: RARγ is indispensable for the expression of early mesoderm markers and is, therefore, an obligatory factor in mesodermal competence and/or maintenance.
- Histone deacetylase activity has an essential role in establishing and maintaining the vertebrate neural crest
Highlighted Article: HDAC activity is essential for the pluripotency of naïve blastula cells and formation of neural crest stem cells, and increasing HDAC activity enhances reprogramming to a neural crest state.
- Notch1 is asymmetrically distributed from the beginning of embryogenesis and controls the ventral center
Summary: During early embryogenesis, ventrally enriched Notch1 participates in the control of initial DV polarity by promoting the development of the ventral center and by destabilizing transcriptionally active β-catenin.
- Head formation requires Dishevelled degradation that is mediated by March2 in concert with Dapper1
Summary: The E3 ubiquitin ligase March2 and the Dsh-interacting protein Dapper1 cooperatively regulate turnover of Dsh via lysosomal degradation to antagonize Wnt signaling and contribute to Xenopus head formation.
- Xenopus ADAM19 regulates Wnt signaling and neural crest specification by stabilizing ADAM13
Summary: The metalloproteinase ADAM19 non-proteolytically interacts with ADAM13 and inhibits ADAM13 turnover to regulate Wnt signaling snail2 expression and neural crest specification in Xenopus.