Developmental Biology

Drosophila medulla neuroblast termination via apoptosis, differentiation, and gliogenic switch is scheduled by the depletion of the neuroepithelial stem cell pool

1. Phuong-Khanh Nguyen
2. Louise Y Cheng

Reviewed by Review Commons

Pial collaterals develop through mosaic colonization of capillaries by arterial and microvascular endothelial cells

1. Tijana Perovic
2. Irene Hollfinger
3. Stefanie Mayer
4. Janet Lips
5. Monika Dopatka
6. Christoph Harms
7. Holger Gerhardt

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study provides insights into the developmental origin of endothelial cells found in blood vessels called pial collaterals. The work is important, as collateral capacity can strongly influence the trajectory of outcomes with vascular blockage, and the approaches are novel and overall convincing; however, some mechanistic claims are only partially supported, and collateral characterization is incomplete. Given the clear positive correlation between pial collateral flow and improved stroke outcome, this study will be of interest to vascular biologists and clinicians caring for stroke patients.

Reviewed by eLife

ROS-mediated TNFR Wengen activation in response to apoptosis

1. José Esteban-Collado
2. Mar Fernàndez-Mañas
3. Manuel Fernández-Moreno
4. Ignacio Maeso
5. Montserrat Corominas
6. Florenci Serras

Reviewed by Review Commons

Touch receptor end-organ innervation and function require sensory neuron expression of the transcription factor Meis2

1. Simon Desiderio
2. Frederick Schwaller
3. Kevin Tartour
4. Kiran Padmanabhan
5. Gary R Lewin
6. Patrick Carroll
7. Frederic Marmigere

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This fundamental study identifies the homeodomain transcription factor Meis2 as a transcriptional regulator of maturation and end-organ innervation of low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of mice. The authors use histology, behavioral tests, RNA-sequencing, and electrophysiological recordings to provide evidence that conditional deletion of Meis2 in postmitotic DRG neurons causes gene expression changes together with targeting errors and altered sensory neuron responses, ultimately resulting in reduced sensitivity to light touch in mutant animals. The data presented are convincing, the discussion comprehensive, and the conclusions drawn justified.

Reviewed by eLife

Fetal growth delay caused by loss of non-canonical imprinting is resolved late in pregnancy and culminates in offspring overgrowth

1. Ruby Oberin
2. Sigrid Petautschnig
3. Ellen G Jarred
4. Zhipeng Qu
5. Tesha Tsai
6. Neil A Youngson
7. Gabrielle Pulsoni
8. Thi T Truong
9. Dilini Fernando
10. Heidi Bildsoe
11. Rheannon O Blücher
12. Maarten van den Buuse
13. David K Gardner
14. Natalie A Sims
15. David L Adelson
16. Patrick S Western

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Using a genetically controlled experimental setting, the authors find that the lack of Polycomb-dependent epigenetic programming in the oocyte and early embryo influences the developmental trajectory through gestation in the mouse. By showing a two-phase outcome of early growth restriction followed by enhancement, the authors address previous inconsistencies in the field. However, the link with placenta function and gene misregulation is not yet fully supported.

Reviewed by eLife

Lipotype acquisition during neural development in vivo is not recapitulated in stem cell-derived neurons

1. Anusha B. Gopalan
2. Lisa van Uden
3. Richard R. Sprenger
4. Nadine Fernandez-Novel Marx
5. Helle Bogetofte
6. Pierre Neveu
7. Morten Meyer
8. Kyung-Min Noh
9. Alba Diz-Muñoz
10. Christer S. Ejsing

Reviewed by Review Commons

Styxl2 regulates de novo sarcomere assembly by binding to non-muscle myosin IIs and promoting their degradation

1. Xianwei Chen
2. Yanfeng Li
3. Jin Xu
4. Yong Cui
5. Qian Wu
6. Haidi Yin
7. Yuying Li
8. Chuan Gao
9. Liwen Jiang
10. Huating Wang
11. Zilong Wen
12. Zhongping Yao
13. Zhenguo Wu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This paper presents an important finding: that Styxl2, a poorly characterized pseudo-phosphatase, plays a role in the sarcomere assembly by promoting the degradation of non-muscle myosins. The genetic evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling, although future work will be needed to elucidate the functional role and biochemical mechanism of autophagic degradation of non-muscle myosins. This work will be of interest to biologists studying muscle development, cell biology, and proteolysis.

Reviewed by eLife

Splicing factor SRSF1 is essential for homing of precursor spermatogonial stem cells in mice

1. Longjie Sun
2. Zheng Lv
3. Xuexue Chen
4. Rong Ye
5. Shuang Tian
6. Chaofan Wang
7. Xiaomei Xie
8. Lu Yan
9. Xiaohong Yao
10. Yujing Shao
11. Sheng Cui
12. Juan Chen
13. Jiali Liu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  In this valuable study, the authors characterize the role of splicing factor SRSF1 during spermatogenesis with a conditional knockout of Srsf1 in male germ cells. The phenotype and molecular role of SRSF1 in regulating alternative splicing in precursor spermatogonial stem cells in juvenile testes are convincingly supported. The paper also provides convincing evidence that the mRNA encoding Tial, a factor relevant to spermatogonial maintenance and male fertility, is alternatively spliced in testis and that this splicing is regulated by SRSF1. The work will be of interest to the fields of reproductive biology, stem cell biology, and alternative splicing.

Reviewed by eLife

Gcn5 – mTORC1 – TFEB signalling axis mediated control of autophagy regulates Drosophila blood cell homeostasis

1. AR Arjun
2. Suraj Math
3. Laxmi Kata
4. Rohan Jayant Khadilkar

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript shows that manipulating the expression of the histone acetyltransferase Gcn5 affects blood cell homeostasis in the Drosophila larval hematopoietic organ. The data suggest a link between autophagy and the mTOR pathway, as could be expected from the literature. The authors use several genetic manipulations as well as some chemical modulators to generate solid evidence supporting most of their conclusions, but some of the analyses are inadequate and would benefit from improvement.

Reviewed by eLife

Comparative Hox genes expression within the dimorphic annelid Streblospio benedicti reveals patterning variation during development

1. Jose Maria Aguilar-Camacho
2. Nathan D. Harry
3. Christina Zakas

Reviewed by Arcadia Science