IN THIS ISSUE
SPOTLIGHT
- An interview with David McClay
Summary: David McClay – recipient of the 2016 Society for Developmental Biology Lifetime Achievement Award – talks to us about his career, his research with sea urchins, and his thoughts on mentorship.
HYPOTHESIS
- A common framework for EMT and collective cell migration
Summary: This Hypothesis article poses that EMT and collective migration can be viewed as extreme cases of a general continuum, with cells displaying arrays of epithelial and mesenchymal features, and migratory behaviours.
REVIEW
- Cycling through developmental decisions: how cell cycle dynamics control pluripotency, differentiation and reprogramming
Summary: This Review article discusses how cell fate decisions in development are linked to the cell cycle, and the key molecular components thereof.
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATION
- DNA damage-induced Lok/CHK2 activation compromises germline stem cell self-renewal and lineage differentiation
Highlighted article: DNA damage disrupts stem cell self-renewal and differentiation in a CHK2 kinase-dependent manner, which may be due to reduced BMP signaling and cell adhesion in the Drosophila ovary.
- Cooperative binding of AP-1 and TEAD4 modulates the balance between vascular smooth muscle and hemogenic cell fate
Highlighted article: AP-1 activates the expression of vascular genes in hemogenic endothelial cells and is required for de novo binding of the Hippo signaling transcription factor TEAD4.
- Interplay between SOX7 and RUNX1 regulates hemogenic endothelial fate in the yolk sac
Highlighted article: In mouse hemogenic endothelium, SOX7 inhibits the expression of RUNX1 target genes by directly interacting with RUNX1 and inhibiting its transcriptional activity.
- Specification of osteoblast cell fate by canonical Wnt signaling requires Bmp2
Summary: Osteoblast specification requires regulatory inputs from BMP2 at the Runx2/Osx1 transition by a mechanism that is not compensated for by canonical Wnt signaling and involves Grhl3.
- Tankyrase inhibition promotes a stable human naïve pluripotent state with improved functionality
Summary: A broad repertoire of conventional human ESCs and transgene-independent iPSC lines can be reverted to stable naive states using WNT, MEK/ERK and tankyrase inhibition.
- Distinct capacity for differentiation to inner ear cell types by progenitor cells of the cochlea and vestibular organs
Summary: Progenitor cells isolated from different regions of the inner ear show distinct capacities for differentiation, acquiring phenotypic properties of their respective compartments of origin.
- Contribution of Polycomb group proteins to olfactory basal stem cell self-renewal in a novel c-KIT+ culture model and in vivo
Summary: Adult c-KIT+ olfactory basal stem cells may be propagated as expansion-competent BMI1+ progenitors in culture and provide insight into olfactory homeostasis.
- Optimized inducible shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9 platforms for in vitro studies of human development using hPSCs
Highlighted article: Novel optimized inducible knockdown and knockout platforms are developed and used to assess gene function in human pluripotent stem cells and their differentiated progeny.
RESEARCH REPORTS
- Cytokinin response factors integrate auxin and cytokinin pathways for female reproductive organ development
Summary: CRF2, CRF3 and CRF6 are required to regulate PIN1 expression in the inflorescence and this regulation is necessary for correct pistil elongation and ovule number.
- Ovary-derived precursor gibberellin A9 is essential for female flower development in cucumber
Summary: During cucumber female flower development, ovaries produce the gibberellin precursor GA9, which is translocated to the sepal/petals and converted into bioactive GA4.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Ligament versus bone cell identity in the zebrafish hyoid skeleton is regulated by mef2ca
Highlighted article: Phenotypic variation in zebrafish mef2ca mutants is due to cells switching fate, from ligament to bone, possibly as a result of variable transposon epigenetic silencing.
- Syndecan 4 controls lymphatic vasculature remodeling during mouse embryonic development
Highlighted article: Perturbation of syndecan 4 in mouse embryos reveals a new mechanism of fluid shear stress-mediated signaling involving syndecan 4-dependent upregulation of the PCP protein Vangl2.
- Demethylation of ERECTA receptor genes by IBM1 histone demethylase affects stomatal development
Summary: The histone demethylase IBM1 regulates Arabidopsis stomatal development by suppressing DNA methylation on the gene body region of ERECTA receptors.
- Six3 dosage mediates the pathogenesis of holoprosencephaly
Summary: Analysis of a hypomorphic Six3 allele reveals that variability in Six3 dosage is sufficient to generate mice exhibiting a spectrum of holoprosencephaly forms in a non-strain-specific manner.
- Neural specificity of the RNA-binding protein Elav is achieved by post-transcriptional repression in non-neural tissues
Summary: Elav – the canonical Drosophila marker for post-mitotic neurons – has a previously unrecognized component of ubiquitous expression that is suppressed by the microRNA pathway, including by miR-279/996.
- Widespread failure to complete meiosis does not impair fecundity in parthenogenetic whiptail lizards
Summary: The fecundity of unisexual whiptail lizards is similar to bisexual relatives despite pseudo-tetraploid oocytes being exceedingly rare and diploid oocytes failing to proceed past the pairing stage of meiosis.
- Gata2 and Gata3 regulate the differentiation of serotonergic and glutamatergic neuron subtypes of the dorsal raphe
Summary: Dorsal raphe neurons in mice exhibit functionally significant heterogeneity that is established early during their differentiation via the actions of Gata2 and Gata3.
- Filamin A- and formin 2-dependent endocytosis regulates proliferation via the canonical Wnt pathway
Summary: Loss of filamin and formin causes multiple developmental defects, highlighting roles for these two proteins in Wnt signaling, Lrp6 endocytosis, Gsk3 activation and target gene expression.
- Sensory evolution in blind cavefish is driven by early embryonic events during gastrulation and neurulation
Summary: The analysis of Shh signaling, Fgf8 signaling and Bmp4 expression dynamics in cavefish embryos reveals subtle modifications in these pathways that lead to a change in lens versus olfactory fate.
- Identification and in silico modeling of enhancers reveals new features of the cardiac differentiation network
Summary: The analysis of chromatin landscapes, complemented by a machine learning approach, identifies active promoters and enhancers in Drosophila cardiomyocytes, including many new enhancers and their associated transcription factor motifs.
- Drosophila Crumbs prevents ectopic Notch activation in developing wings by inhibiting ligand-independent endocytosis
Summary: In developing Drosophila wings, the apical determinant Crumbs stabilises the Notch receptor on apical membranes via direct interaction between their extracellular domains.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST IN OUR OTHER JOURNALS
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Kathryn Virginia Anderson (1952-2020)
Developmental geneticist Kathryn Anderson passed away at home on 30 November 2020. Tamara Caspary, a former postdoc and friend, remembers Kathryn and her remarkable contribution to developmental biology.
Zooming into 2021
In a new Editorial, Editor-in-Chief James Briscoe and Executive Editor Katherine Brown reflect on the triumphs and tribulations of the last 12 months, and look towards a hopefully calmer and more predictable year.
Read & Publish participation extends worldwide
Over 60 institutions in 12 countries are now participating in our Read & Publish initiative. Here, James Briscoe explains what this means for his institution, The Francis Crick Institute. Find out more and view our full list of participating institutions.
Upcoming special issues
Imaging Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration
Submission deadline: 30 March 2021
Publication: mid-2021
The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
Guest editors: Florent Ginhoux and Paul Martin
Submission deadline: 1 September 2021
Publication: Spring 2022
Both special issues welcome Review articles as well as Research articles, and will be widely promoted online and at key global conferences.
Development presents...
Our successful webinar series continues into 2021, with early-career researchers presenting their papers and a chance to virtually network with the developmental biology community afterwards. Sign up to join our next session:
10 February
Time: 13:00 (GMT)
Chaired by: preLights