Developmental Biology

In situ mutational screening and CRISPR interference define apterous cis-regulatory inputs during compartment boundary formation

1. Gustavo Aguilar
2. Michèle Sickmann
3. Dimitri Bieli
4. Gordian Born
5. Markus Affolter
6. Martin Müller

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important paper presents the discovery of the molecular basis of differential apterous expression during early Drosophila wing disc development. The evidence supporting these conclusions is compelling, ranging from classical genetic approaches to state-of-the-art genetic engineering techniques. By opening new questions, this paper is expected to be of broad interest to developmental biologists and geneticists working on transcriptional regulation.

Reviewed by eLife

Mural cells protect the adult brain from hemorrhage but do not control the blood-brain barrier in developing zebrafish

1. Oguzhan F Baltaci
2. Andrea Usseglio Gaudi
3. Stefanie Dudczig
4. Weili Wang
5. Scott Paterson
6. Maria Cristina Rondon-Galeano
7. Ye-Wheen Lim
8. James Rae
9. Anne Lagendijk
10. Robert G Parton
11. Alison Farley
12. Benjamin M Hogan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study addresses the contribution of pericytes to the organization and permeability control of the zebrafish blood-brain barrier (BBB). By analyzing pdgfrb mutant zebrafish that lack brain pericytes, the authors reveal that the resulting cerebrovascular network is abnormally patterned. Remarkably, however, the barrier retains its restrictive permeability during larval and juvenile stages. More pronounced vascular defects become evident in adults, where localized BBB leakage coincides with hemorrhages and aneurysm formation. Based on convincing and beautifully documented imaging data, the authors argue that, unlike what has been reported in rodent systems, pdgfrb-dependent pericytes are not essential for maintaining BBB integrity in the zebrafish brain.

Reviewed by eLife

Prickle and Ror modulate Dishevelled-Vangl interaction to regulate non-canonical Wnt signaling during convergent extension in Xenopus

1. Hwa-seon Seo
2. Deli Yu
3. Ivan K Popov
4. Jiahui Tao
5. Allyson R Angermeier
6. Fei Yang
7. Sylvie Marchetto
8. Jean-Paul Borg
9. Bingdong Sha
10. Jeffrey D Axelrod
11. Chenbei Chang
12. Jianbo Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study addresses mechanisms of feedback inhibition between planar cell polarity protein complexes during convergent extension movements in Xenopus embryos. The authors propose a conceptually new model, in which non-canonical Wnt ligand stimulates transition of Dishevelled from its complex with Vangl to Frizzled, with essential roles of Prickle and Ror in this process. The main observations supporting molecular interactions rely on modest but significant changes in protein association in response to Wnt11. While the study is limited due to insufficient phenotypic analysis at the cellular level and the use of exogenously supplied proteins, this work is convincing and will be of broad interest to cell and developmental biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

A novel 3D visualization method in mice identifies the periportal lamellar complex (PLC) as a key regulator of hepatic ductal and neuronal branching morphogenesis

1. Tongtong Xu
2. Fujun Cao
3. Ruihan Zhou
4. Qin Chen
5. Jian Zhong
6. Yulin Wang
7. Chaoxin Xiao
8. Banglei Yin
9. Chong Chen
10. Chengjian Zhao

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important methodological advance-Liver-CUBIC combined with multicolor metallic nanoparticle perfusion-that enables high-resolution 3D visualization of the liver's complex multi-ductal architecture. The identification of the Periportal Lamellar Complex (PLC) as a novel perivascular structure with distinct cellular composition and low-permeability characteristics is convincing, supported by rigorous imaging data. The observed scaffolding role during fibrosis offers intriguing biological insights, though the functional claims would benefit from direct experimental validation.

Reviewed by eLife

Heterogeneity of Sonic Hedgehog response dynamics and fate specification in single neural progenitors

1. Fengzhu Xiong
2. Andrea R Tentner
3. Sandy Nandagopal
4. Tom W Hiscock
5. Peng Huang
6. Sean G Tsung-Megason

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important study of the relationship between morphogen signaling and cell fate choices in the forming zebrafish neural tube, addressing a topical question in developmental biology. The authors provide a solid characterization of the precision limit for gene regulatory networks interpreting Shh, with single-cell resolution and state-of-the-art in vivo approaches. While the depth of analysis is restricted, particularly by the number of cell traces, the study will be of interest to developmental biologists interested in cellular decision-making.

Reviewed by eLife

Dual contributions of Xrp1 to genome integrity through the DNA damage response and cell competition

1. Chaitali Khan
2. Nasser M Rusan
3. Nicholas E Baker

Reviewed by Review Commons

Rejuvenation-Responsive and Senolytic-Sensitive Muscle Stem Cells Unveiled by CD200 and CD63 in Geriatric Muscle

1. Ye Lynne Kim
2. Young-Woo Jo
3. Takwon Yoo
4. Kyusang Yoo
5. Ji-Hoon Kim
6. Myungsun Park
7. In-Wook Song
8. Hyun Kim
9. Yea-Eun Kim
10. Sang-Hyeon Hann
11. Jong-Eun Park
12. Daehyun Baek
13. Young-Yun Kong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable insights into aged muscle stem cell biology by revealing phenotypic and functional heterogeneity within the geriatric MuSC pool and proposing a VCam-low/negative subpopulation that may account for the reported decline in MuSC numbers with age. These findings have implications for understanding aging-related changes in stem cell maintenance and for improving strategies to isolate or rejuvenate aged MuSCs. However, the evidence supporting the main claims is incomplete, key analyses such as absolute MuSC quantification, fate assessment of VCam-low/negative cells, inclusion of standard aged cohorts, and validation of proposed surface markers are still needed to confirm that overall MuSC abundance is maintained and that a distinct subpopulation has been identified.

Reviewed by eLife

The protein-tyrosine phosphatase Shp2 is essential for lymphatic endothelial cell differentiation in zebrafish

1. Daniëlle T.J. Woutersen
2. Andreas van Impel
3. Stefan Schulte-Merker
4. Jeroen den Hertog

Reviewed by Review Commons

Transcriptional repression of central spindle factors controls endomitosis in the C. elegans intestine

1. Ramon Barrull-Mascaró
2. Sonia Veltkamp
3. Samia Boutaibi
4. Lotte M. van Rijnberk
5. Rebecca Lippmann
6. Matilde Galli

Reviewed by Review Commons

Chromatin priming and Hunchback recruitment integrate spatial and temporal cues in Drosophila neuroblasts

1. Ayanthi Bhattacharya
2. Hemalatha Rao
3. Sonia Q Sen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The study provides an important advance towards understanding how spatial and temporal transcriptional programs are integrated to regulate lineage-specific chromatin and enhancer activation. The functional evidence is currently incomplete, but the current data provide a solid correlative and conceptual foundation. Functional experiments directly linking Gsb occupancy to chromatin state and regulation of some lineage-specific targets would further strengthen the causal interpretation of the model. Clarifying the scope of conclusions and explicitly acknowledging the technical limitations of current chromatin assays would provide a more balanced interpretation of the manuscript.

Reviewed by eLife