Developmental Biology

Quantitative computerized analysis demonstrates strongly compartmentalized tissue deformation patterns underlying mammalian heart tube formation

1. Morena Raiola
2. Miquel Sendra Sendra
3. Jorge N Domínguez
4. Miguel Torres

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental work substantially advances our understanding of tissue deformation and growth patterns during the earliest stages of mammalian heart development. One of the strengths of the work is the compelling quantitative approach to analyzing time-lapse imaging data using an original computational pipeline, which goes beyond the current state of the art and provides new insights into heart tube formation. Overall, this rigorous study will be of broad interest to computational and developmental biologists studying tissue dynamics.

Reviewed by eLife

Hox – Meis -relayed gene regulatory transition underlies cardiopharyngeal neural crest diversification

1. Akiyasu Iwase
2. Yasunobu Uchijima
3. Daiki Seya
4. Mayuko Kida
5. Hiroki Higashiyama
6. Kazuhiro Matsui
7. Akashi Taguchi
8. Yukihiro Harada
9. Yunce Wang
10. Shogo Yamamoto
11. Shiro Fukuda
12. Seitaro Nomura
13. Takahide Kohro
14. Chisa Shukunami
15. Haruhiko Akiyama
16. Masahide Seki
17. Akinori Kanai
18. Yutaka Suzuki
19. Teruhisa Kawamura
20. Osamu Nakagawa
21. Hiroto Katoh
22. Shumpei Ishikawa
23. Youichiro Wada
24. Hiroyuki Aburatani
25. Yukiko Kurihara
26. Sachiko Miyagawa-Tomita
27. Hiroki Kurihara

Reviewed by Review Commons

Genotype-phenotype correlations and de novo induction of cancer stem cells in Wilms tumor initiation

1. N.S. Pop
2. D. Koot
3. C.M. Brouwers
4. M.M. Linssen
5. J.W.C. Claassens
6. C.W.J. Cartlidge
7. D.D. Özdemir
8. K.S. Dolt
9. P. Hohenstein

Reviewed by Review Commons

The neurotrophin DNT-2 regulates cell survival and connectivity via the Toll-2 receptor during visual system development of Drosophila

1. Naser Alshamsi
2. Francisca Rojo-Cortés
3. Bangfu Zhu
4. Samaher Fahy
5. Guiyi Li
6. Anna Lassota
7. Marta Moreira
8. Alicia Hidalgo

Reviewed by Review Commons

The co-repressor Groucho limits progression through the early transcription elongation checkpoint in vivo

1. María Lorena Martínez Quiles
2. Barbara H Jennings

Reviewed by Review Commons

Functional Separation of mRNA Domains Coordinates Pluripotent Cell Behavior

1. Ze Yang
2. Shaoyi Ji
3. Kristina Ivanov
4. Priyanka Kadav
5. Mengmeng Song
6. Leonardi Gozali
7. Sophie Parsa
8. Barry Behr
9. Mary A Hynes

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides fundamental insights by demonstrating that the Nanog mRNA coding sequence (CDS) and 3′UTR domains are spatially segregated and functionally distinct in pluripotent stem cells and blastocysts, with 3′UTR-enriched border cells primarily influencing morphogenesis and CDS-enriched inner cells largely regulating transcription and epigenetic programs. The work opens a novel conceptual avenue for understanding how separable mRNA domains can differentially control cell behavior and differentiation. However, the evidence is incomplete, as key aspects of the molecular nature, biogenesis, and precise characterization of the separated 3′UTR and CDS RNA species, as well as causal links between their perturbation and the observed phenotypes (e.g., via rescue and deeper characterization of 3′UTR elements), remain to be fully established.

Reviewed by eLife

The microtubule-binding protein EML3 is required for mammalian embryonic growth and cerebral cortical development, and Eml3 null mice are a model of cobblestone brain malformation

1. Isabelle Carrier
2. Eduardo Diez
3. Valerio E Piscopo
4. Susanne Bechstedt
5. Hans van Bokhoven
6. Myriam Srour
7. Albert M Berghuis
8. Stefano Stifani
9. Yojiro Yamanaka
10. Roderick McInnes

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study is the first characterization of the phenotype caused by a lack of Eml3 expression in mice. Mutant animals present a disrupted pial basement membrane, leading to focal extrusions from the cerebral cortex, called ectopias. The methodology is convincing and the conclusions are solid, although further investigations on the molecular and cellular mechanisms are required to improve the manuscript. This work would be of interest to neural development biologists and human geneticists working on brain disorders.

Reviewed by eLife

Desert Hedgehog mediates stem Leydig cell differentiation through Ptch2/Gli1/Sf1 signaling axis

1. Changle Zhao
2. Yongxun Chen
3. Lei Liu
4. Xiang Liu
5. Hesheng Xiao
6. Feilong Wang
7. Qin Huang
8. Xiangyan Dai
9. Wenjing Tao
10. Deshou Wang
11. Jing Wei

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable contributions to establish canonical Dhh signaling as a primary mediator in the differentiation of Leydig cells and their steroidogenic capacity. Together, the experimental design using their established stem Leydig cell line alongside relevant genetically mutated models, both derived using the relevant Nile tilapia animal system, provided largely convincing evidence to support their conclusions. The work will be of broad interest to developmental biologists interested in differentiation of steroidogenic or hormone producing cells.

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

Reviewed by eLife

Single-cell characterization of anterior segment development in the mouse reveals the cell types, pathways, and signals driving formation of the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm’s canal

1. Revathi Balasubramanian
2. Nicholas Tolman
3. Taibo Li
4. Abdul Hannan
5. Violet Bupp-Chickering
6. Karina Polanco
7. Aakriti Bhandari
8. Sally Zhou
9. Marina Simón
10. John Peregrin
11. Christa Montgomery
12. Krishnakumar Kizhatil
13. Jiang Qian
14. Simon WM John

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work advances our understanding of the development of the visual system. The data presented is compelling and provides a detailed single-cell atlas of post-natal anterior chamber development in mice, highlighting the trabecular meshwork and Schlemm's canal.

Reviewed by eLife

ZNHIT1-dependent H2A.Z deposition at meiotic prophase I underlies pachytene gene expression and meiotic progression during male meiosis

1. Shenfei Sun
2. Yamei Jiang
3. Ning Jiang
4. Qiaoli Zhang
5. Hongjie Pan
6. Fujing Huang
7. Xinna Zhang
8. Yuxuan Guo
9. Xiaoyu You
10. Kai Gong
11. Wei Wei
12. Hanmin Liu
13. Zhenju Song
14. Yuanlin Song
15. Xiaofang Tang
16. Miao Yu
17. Runsheng Li
18. Xinhua Lin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study shows that Znhit1, a regulator of chromatin and of the histone variant H2A.Z, is required for progression through meiotic prophase. It is an important observation that describes the role of epigenetics and gene expression during meiosis. The analysis is based on complementary approaches at the cytological, single-cell, and genomic levels that provide solid evidence for the role of Znhit1 in the control of gene expression and in the loading of H2A.Z in mouse spermatocytes.

Reviewed by eLife