Developmental Biology

Genetic requirement of dact1/2 to regulate noncanonical Wnt signaling and calpain 8 during embryonic convergent extension and craniofacial morphogenesis

1. Shannon H Carroll
2. Sogand Schafer
3. Kenta Kawasaki
4. Casey Tsimbal
5. Amelie M Jule
6. Shawn A Hallett
7. Edward Li
8. Eric C Liao

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This in several parts valuable study confirms the roles of Dact1 and Dact2, two factors involved in Wnt signaling, during zebrafish gastrulation and demonstrates their genetic interactions with other Wnt components to modulate craniofacial morphologies. Unfortunately, there are several limitations associated with the study, making it challenging to distinguish the primary and secondary effects of each factor, and their roles in craniofacial morphogenesis. The findings of a new potential target of dact1/2-mediated Wnt signaling are potentially of value; however, experimental evidence supporting their functional significance remains incomplete due to inconsistent results and limitations inherent to the overexpression approach.

Reviewed by eLife

Diverse somatic Transformer and sex chromosome karyotype pathways regulate gene expression in Drosophila gonad development

1. Sharvani Mahadevaraju
2. Soumitra Pal
3. Pradeep Bhaskar
4. Brennan D McDonald
5. Leif Benner
6. Luca Denti
7. Davide Cozzi
8. Paola Bonizzoni
9. Teresa M Przytycka
10. Brian Oliver

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study offers a valuable genomic dataset, analyses, and functional studies on gonadal sex determination and development. The work addresses long-standing questions regarding the role of the Drosophila sex determination hierarchy, sex chromosomes, and the interaction between the sex determination hierarchy and sex chromosome composition in gonad development. Although this convincing work has been conducted rigorously, the authors missed some key opportunities in their analysis.

Reviewed by eLife

Modeling corticotroph deficiency with pituitary organoids supports the functional role of NFKB2 in human pituitary differentiation

1. Thi Thom Mac
2. Teddy Fauquier
3. Nicolas Jullien
4. Pauline Romanet
5. Heather Etchevers
6. Anne Barlier
7. Frederic Castinetti
8. Thierry Brue

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study examines the effects of NFKB2 mutations on pituitary gland development through hypothalamic-pituitary organoids. The evidence supporting the main conclusions is solid, although analysis of additional clones to exclude inter-clone variability would strengthen the conclusions. This is a revised study, but insight into the mechanism of action of NFKB2 during pituitary development is incomplete. This work will be of interest to endocrinologists and biologists working on pituitary gland development and disease.

Reviewed by eLife

Extramacrochaetae regulates Notch signaling in the Drosophila eye through non-apoptotic caspase activity

1. Sudershana Nair
2. Nicholas E Baker

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work presents data showing that all non-proneural phenotypes of the Inhibitor of DNA binding (Id) protein Emc are mediated through inappropriate nonapoptotic caspase activity. Using the developing Drosophila retina as a model the authors show that Emc acts by transcriptionally regulating the Death-Associated Inhibitor of Apoptosis 1 (diap1) gene, which impacts on Notch signaling by caspase-dependent increase of Delta protein. These are compelling findings, interesting for the caspase/apoptosis field as they add more non-apoptotic functions of caspases to the list, as well as for the Id field, which examines how Id proteins inhibit cell differentiation.

Reviewed by eLife

Marcks and Marcks-like 1 proteins promote spinal cord development and regeneration in Xenopus

1. Mohamed El Amri
2. Abhay Pandit
3. Gerhard Schlosser

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work addresses the role of Marcks/Markcksl during spinal cord development and regeneration. The study is exceptional in combining molecular approaches to understand the mechanisms of tissue regeneration with behavioural assays, which is not commonly employed in the field. The data presented is convincing and comprehensive, using many complementary methodologies.

Reviewed by eLife

Inhibition of the Notch signal transducer CSL by Pkc53E-mediated phosphorylation to fend off parasitic immune challenge in Drosophila

1. Sebastian Deichsel
2. Lisa Frankenreiter
3. Johannes Fechner
4. Bernd M Gahr
5. Mirjam Zimmermann
6. Helena Mastel
7. Irina Preis
8. Anette Preiss
9. Anja C Nagel

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study focuses on the regulation of Notch signaling during the immune response in Drosophila. The authors provide solid evidence in support of roles for Su(H) and Pkc53E-induced phosphorylation in Drosophila immunity. The work will be of interest to colleagues in immunity and receptor signaling.

Reviewed by eLife

The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF220 maintains hindbrain Hox expression patterns through regulation of WDR5 stability

1. Huishan Wang
2. Xingyan Liu
3. Yamin Liu
4. Chencheng Yang
5. Yaxin Ye
6. Xiaomei Yu
7. Nengyin Sheng
8. Shihua Zhang
9. Bingyu Mao
10. Pengcheng Ma

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study focuses on gene regulatory mechanisms essential for hindbrain development. Through molecular genetics and biochemistry, the authors propose a new mechanism for the control of Hox genes, which encode highly conserved transcription factors essential for hindbrain development. The strength of evidence is solid, as most claims are supported by the data. This work will be of interest to developmental biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Axis reset is rate limiting for onset of whole-body regenerative abilities during planarian development

1. Clare L.T. Booth
2. Brian C. Stevens
3. Clover A. Stubbert
4. Neil T. Kallgren
5. Erin L. Davies

Reviewed by preLights

An atypical basement membrane forms a midline barrier during left-right asymmetric gut development in the chicken embryo

1. Cora Demler
2. John C Lawlor
3. Ronit Yelin
4. Dhana Llivichuzcha-Loja
5. Lihi Shaulov
6. David Kim
7. Megan Stewart
8. Frank K Lee
9. Natalia Shylo
10. Paul A Trainor
11. Thomas M Schultheiss
12. Natasza A Kurpios

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study reports the fundamental discovery of a novel structure in the developing gut that acts as a midline barrier between left and right asymmetries. Some of the evidence supporting the dynamics, composition, and function of this novel basement membrane in the chick is solid, some is even convincing, but investigation of its origin and impact on asymmetric organogenesis remains challenging and is not yet conclusive. This careful work is of broad relevance to patterning mechanisms, the importance of the extracellular matrix, and laterality disorders.

Reviewed by eLife

Svep1 orchestrates distal airway patterning and alveolar differentiation in murine lung development

1. Nicole Foxworth
2. Julie Wells
3. Sara Ocaña-Lopez
4. Sandrine Muller
5. Pooja Bhayani
6. James Denegre
7. Kristina Palmer
8. Wendy Memishian
9. Teresa McGee
10. Steven A Murray
11. Patricia K Donahoe
12. Carol J Bult
13. Maria Loscertales

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is an important piece of work that sheds light on our understanding of early lung development. There is solid evidence that there is a key new role for Svep1, which may be acting via FGF9. A more precise understanding of the interactions between Svep1 and FGF9, with a possibility of other ECM factors, would add value.

Reviewed by eLife