Developmental Biology

Corneal lens curvature depends on localized chitin secretion

1. Neha Ghosh
2. Jessica E. Treisman

Reviewed by Review Commons

HoxB-derived hoxba and hoxbb clusters are essential for the anterior–posterior positioning of zebrafish pectoral fins

1. Morimichi Kikuchi
2. Renka Fujii
3. Daiki Kobayashi
4. Yuki Kawabe
5. Haruna Kanno
6. Sohju Toyama
7. Farah Tawakkal
8. Kazuya Yamada
9. Akinori Kawamura

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study advances our understanding of vertebrate forelimb development, specifically the contribution of Hox genes to zebrafish pectoral fin formation. The authors have employed a robust and extensive genetic approach to tackle a key and unresolved question. The findings are overall convincing and will be of broad interest to developmental and evolutionary biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Spectraplakin cooperates with noncentrosomal microtubule regulators to orient dendritic microtubules in Drosophila

1. Matthew Davies
2. Neeraja Sanal
3. Neele Wolterhoff
4. Ulrike Gigengack
5. Yitao Shen
6. Ines Hahn
7. Sebastian Rumpf

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Davies et al. present a valuable study proposing that Shot can act as a molecular linker between microtubules and actin during dendrite pruning, suggesting an intriguing role in non-centrosomal microtubule organization. However, the experimental evidence is incomplete and does not robustly support these claims, and the lack of a cohesive model connecting the findings weakens the overall impact. While the data suggest that Shot, actin, and microtubule nucleation contribute to dendritic pruning, their precise interplay remains unresolved.

Reviewed by eLife

ANKEF1 is a key axonemal component essential for murine sperm motility and male fertility

1. Shuntai Yu
2. Guoliang Yin
3. Peng Jin
4. Weilin Zhang
5. Yingchao Tian
6. Xiaotong Xu
7. Tianyu Shao
8. Yushan Li
9. Fei Sun
10. Yun Zhu
11. Fengchao Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study reports a critical role of the axonemal protein ANKRD5 in sperm motility and male fertility. Convincing data were presented to support the main conclusion. This work will be of interest to biomedical researchers who study ciliogenesis, sperm biology, and male fertility.

Reviewed by eLife

Endogenous FGFs drive ERK-dependent cell fate patterning in 2D human gastruloids

1. Kyoung Jo
2. Zong-Yuan Liu
3. Gauri Patel
4. Zhiyuan Yu
5. LiAng Yao
6. Seth Teague
7. Craig Johnson
8. Jason Spence
9. Idse Heemskerk

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work is an important contribution to understanding the role of FGF signaling in the induction of primitive-like cells in a 2D system of human gastrulation. The authors provide compelling evidence showing that endogenous FGF ligands, acting through FGF receptors localized basolaterally, are determinant in the acquisition of specific cell fates. These observations will be of broad relevance to the FGF field.

Reviewed by eLife

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived atrioventricular node-like pacemaker cells exhibit biological conduction bridge properties in vitro and in vivo

1. Michelle Lohbihler
2. Amos A. Lim
3. Stéphane Massé
4. Maggie Kwan
5. Omar Mourad
6. Olya Mastikhina
7. Brandon M. Murareanu
8. Malak Elbatarny
9. Renu Sarao
10. Beiping Qiang
11. Wahiba Dhahri
12. Matthew L. Chang
13. Alice L.Y. Xu
14. Amine Mazine
15. Shahryar Khattak
16. Sara S. Nunes
17. Kumaraswamy Nanthakumar
18. Michael A. Laflamme
19. Stephanie Protze

Reviewed by preLights

SLC35G3 is a UDP-N-acetylglucosamine transporter for sperm glycoprotein formation and underpins male fertility in mice

1. Daisuke Mashiko
2. Shingo Tonai
3. Haruhiko Miyata
4. Martin M Matzuk
5. Masahito Ikawa

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study reports the physiological function of a putative transmembrane UDP-N-acetylglucosamine transporter called SLC35G3 in spermatogenesis. The conclusion that SLC35G3 is a new and essential factor for male fertility in mice and probably in humans is supported by convincing data. This study will be of interest to reproductive biologists and physicians working on male infertility.

Reviewed by eLife

Glial betaPix is essential for blood vessel development in the zebrafish brain

1. Shihching Chiu
2. Qinchao Zhou
3. Chenglu Xiao
4. Linlu Bai
5. Xiaojun Zhu
6. Wanqiu Ding
7. Jing-Wei Xiong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable manuscript presents findings supported by solid data to identify a surprising glia-exclusive function for betapix in vascular integrity and angiogenesis. The manuscript also describes the optimisation of a modified CRISPR-based Zwitch approach to generate conditional knockouts in zebrafish

Reviewed by eLife

Transcriptional Repression of reaper by Stand Still Safeguards Female Germline Development in Drosophila

1. Masaya Matsui
2. Shinichi Kawaguchi
3. Toshie Kai

Reviewed by Review Commons

Smed-pou4-2 regulates mechanosensory neuron regeneration and function in planarians

1. Ryan A McCubbin
2. Mohammad A Auwal
3. Shengzhou Wang
4. Sarai Alvarez Zepeda
5. Roman Sasik
6. Robert W Zeller
7. Kelly G Ross
8. Ricardo M Zayas

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a valuable study that explores the role of the conserved transcription factor POU4-2 in the maintenance, regeneration, and function of planarian mechanosensory neurons. The authors present convincing evidence provided by gene expression and functional studies to demonstrate that POU4-2 is required for the maintenance and regeneration of mechanosensory neurons and mechanosensory function in planarians. Furthermore, the authors identify conserved genes associated with human auditory and rheosensory neurons as potential targets of this transcription factor.

Reviewed by eLife