Developmental Biology

Dynamics of bicoid mRNA localisation and translation dictate morphogen gradient formation

1. T. Athilingam
2. E.L. Wilby
3. P. Bensidoun
4. A. Trullo
5. M. Verbrugghe
6. X. Shi
7. M. Lagha
8. T.E. Saunders
9. T.T. Weil

Reviewed by Review Commons

The Fd4 transcription factor translates transient spatial cues in progenitors into long-term lineage identity

1. Sen-Lin Lai
2. Chris Q Doe

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of neuronal diversity. Taking advantage of a well-defined neuroblast lineage in Drosophila, the authors provide convincing evidence that two transcription factors of the conserved forkhead box (FOX) family offer a mechanistic link between transient spatial cues that specify neuroblast identity and terminal selector genes that define post-mitotic neuron identity. The findings will be of interest to developmental neurobiologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Massively parallel reporter assay for mapping gene-specific regulatory regions at single nucleotide resolution

1. Alastair J Tulloch
2. Ryan N Delgado
3. Rinaldo Catta-Preta
4. Constance L Cepko

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript presents a valuable methodological approach to investigating context-dependent activity of cis-regulatory activity within defined genomic loci. The authors combine a locus-specific massively parallel reporter assay, enabling unbiased and high-coverage profiling of enhancer activity across large genomic regions, with a degenerate reporter assay to identify nucleotides critical for enhancer function. The data supporting the conclusions are solid, highlighted by successful identification and characterization of both previously known and new regulatory elements across multiple developmental stages, cell types, and species. While the approach has inherent limitations in sensitivity, and indirect assignment of regulatory elements to target genes, it provides a flexible platform for nominating candidate cis-regulatory elements across defined loci.

Reviewed by eLife

Mouse germline cysts contain a fusome that mediates oocyte development

1. Madhulika Pathak
2. Allan C Spradling

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript provides evidence that mouse germline cysts develop an asymmetric Golgi, ER, and microtubule-associated structure that resembles the fusome in Drosophila germline cysts. This fundamental study provides new evidence that fusome-like structures exist in germ cell cysts across species. Overall, the data are convincing and represent a significant advance in our understanding of germ cell biology.

Reviewed by eLife

Human spinal cord organoids reveal cell intercalation as a conserved mechanism for secondary neurulation

1. José Blanco-Ameijeiras
2. Yara El Majzoub
3. Mar García-Valero
4. Mariana M Faustino
5. Elena Rebollo
6. Javier Macho-Rendón
7. Jorge Corbacho
8. Juan Ramón Martínez-Morales
9. Elisa Martí

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents a valuable human stem cell-derived organoid model that captures key morphological and cellular features of spinal cord development and provides evidence for a YAP-dependent mechanism of lumen formation relevant to secondary neurulation. Overall, the evidence is convincing, using strong and validated approaches consistent with the current state of the art, including systematic protocol optimisation across multiple cell lines and quantitative analysis of tissue architecture. However, some claims regarding precise anterior-posterior and dorsoventral spinal cord identity, as well as several novelty claims, are at times overstated and would benefit from more direct validation and more careful positioning. The work will be of interest to developmental biologists and researchers studying neural tube defects.

Reviewed by eLife

Patient-specific iPSC models of neural tube defects identify underlying deficiencies in neuroepithelial cell shape regulation and differentiation

1. Ioakeim Ampartzidis
2. Elliott M Thompson
3. Yashica Gupta
4. Andrea Krstevski
5. Nicola Elvassore
6. Eirini Maniou
7. Paolo de Coppi
8. Gabriel L Galea

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The authors used genetic mutations in VANGL2 to study cell morphological changes during differentiation of hPSCs and understand the mechanisms underlying neural tube closure defects. The findings are important as they establish a quantitative, reproducible 2D human iPSC-to-neural-progenitor platform for analyzing cell-shape dynamics during differentiation. The convincing evidence provided, combined with the relative simplicity of the model and its tractability as a patient-specific and reverse genetic platform, make it attractive.

  [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

Bruce suppresses autophagy-regulated caspase activity and wing tissue growth in Drosophila

1. Natsuki Shinoda
2. Yutaro Hama
3. Nozomi Hanawa
4. Masayuki Miura

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study reports insights into how the caspase Dcp-1, best known for cell death, can also promote tissue growth in Drosophila, extending the authors' earlier work by identifying regulatory factors that shape this non-lethal activity. The valuable findings identify new Dcp-1-interacting proteins Sirt1, Fkbp59, Debcl, Buffy, Atg2, and Atg8a, and help broaden understanding of how growth and death pathways intersect. The evidence is solid, but some conclusions would be strengthened by additional studies, particularly regarding the nature of the cell death observed and the involvement of autophagy.

Reviewed by eLife

Permissive and instructive Hox codes govern limb positioning

1. Yajun Wang
2. Maik Hintze
3. Jinbao Wang
4. Hengxun Tao
5. Patrick Petzsch
6. Karl Köhrer
7. Longfei Cheng
8. Peng Zhou
9. Jianlin Wang
10. Zhaofu Liao
11. Xufeng Qi
12. Dongqing Cai
13. Thomas Bartolomaeus
14. Karl Schilling
15. Joerg Wilting
16. Stefanie Kuerten
17. Georgy Koentges
18. Ketan Patel
19. Qin Pu
20. Ruijin Huang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study provides the first putative evidence that alteration of the Hox code in neck lateral plate mesoderm is sufficient to induce ectopic development of forelimb buds at neck level. The authors use both gain-of-function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) approaches in chick embryos to test the roles of Hox paralogy group (PG) 4-7 genes in limb development. The GOF data provide strong evidence that overexpression of Hox PG6/7 genes are sufficient to induce forelimb buds at neck level. However, the experiments using dominant negative constructs are lacking some key controls that are needed to demonstrate the specificity of the LOF effect rendering the work as a whole incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived macrophages modify development of human kidney organoids

1. Filipa M. Lopes
2. Ioannis Bantounas
3. Alexandra Sarov
4. Adrian S. Woolf
5. Susan J. Kimber

Reviewed by preLights

Progressive mural cell deficiencies across the lifespan in a foxf2 model of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

1. Merry Faye E Graff
2. Emma EM Heeg
3. David A Elliott
4. Sarah J Childs

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides important insights into mural cell dynamics and vascular pathology using a zebrafish model of cerebral small vessel disease. The authors present convincing evidence that partial loss of foxf2 function results in progressive, cell-autonomous defects in pericytes accompanied by endothelial abnormalities across the lifespan. By leveraging advanced in vivo imaging and genetic approaches, the work establishes zebrafish as a powerful and relevant model for dissecting the cellular mechanisms underlying cerebral small vessel disease.

Reviewed by eLife