Developmental Biology

Neural control of growth and size in the axolotl limb regenerate

1. Kaylee M Wells
2. Kristina Kelley
3. Mary Baumel
4. Warren A Vieira
5. Catherine D McCusker

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  It has long been known that nerves regulate the early formation of the blastema during limb regeneration through the promotion of cell proliferation. The manuscript by Wells-Enright et al. provides an interesting new role for nerves during salamander limb regeneration by showing that nerves also determine how much tissue to regenerate. They demonstrate that increased nerve abundance makes bigger limbs while a decrease in nerve abundance generates smaller limbs. Size regulation of organs is a broadly interesting and clinically important problem, which is why this manuscript should be of interest to a large general audience.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

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Single-cell RNA analysis identifies pre-migratory neural crest cells expressing markers of differentiated derivatives

1. Ezra Lencer
2. Rytis Prekeris
3. Kristin Bruk Artinger

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript is of interest to researchers interested in specification and differentiation of the neural crest. This work presents a small single-cell RNAseq dataset from zebrafish trunk neural crest cells during the early stages of migration that identifies the subpopulations of trunk neural crest cells, new genetic markers and a subset of Rohon-Beard neurons. The paper confirms and extends previous work and reports expression of differentiated pigment cell types in the pre-migratory neural crest populations.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

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Translation-dependent mRNA localization to Caenorhabditis elegans adherens junctions

1. Cristina Tocchini
2. Michèle Rohner
3. Laurent Guerard
4. Poulomi Ray
5. Stephen E. Von Stetina
6. Susan E. Mango

Reviewed by Review Commons

Cell-to-cell heterogeneity in Sox2 and Bra expression guides progenitor motility and destiny

1. Michèle Romanos
2. Guillaume Allio
3. Myriam Roussigné
4. Léa Combres
5. Nathalie Escalas
6. Cathy Soula
7. François Médevielle
8. Benjamin Steventon
9. Ariane Trescases
10. Bertrand Bénazéraf

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study is of potential interest to biologists interested in developmental patterning and the link between cellular identity and behavior. The authors perform experiments in the progenitor zone of avian embryos to propose that heterogeneity of cellular behaviors may drive morphogenesis and underlie cell fate choices. The work is nicely done but might need some additional experimental validation of the proposed hypothesis.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

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Ciliary and extraciliary Gpr161 pools repress hedgehog signaling in a tissue-specific manner

1. Sun-Hee Hwang
2. Bandarigoda N Somatilaka
3. Kevin White
4. Saikat Mukhopadhyay

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper will be of interest to scientists interested in the biology of the G-protein-coupled receptor Gpr161 and its ciliary regulation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling. The phenotypes observed in a new GPR161 mutant mouse carrying a hypomorphic allele provide additional information showing which developing tissues are more sensitive to Gpr161 function. However, the data at this stage are insufficient to support the main novel conclusion: the ciliary function of Gpr161 is to regulate Gli3 repressor while the extra-ciliary function is to regulate Gli activator.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Acquisition of cellular properties during alveolar formation requires differential activity and distribution of mitochondria

1. Kuan Zhang
2. Erica Yao
3. Biao Chen
4. Ethan Chuang
5. Julia Wong
6. Robert I Seed
7. Stephen L Nishimura
8. Paul J Wolters
9. Pao-Tien Chuang

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This paper explores the under-investigated role of mitochondrial activity and subcellular distribution for alveolar formation by using a variety of transgenic mouse models to delete two specific mitochondrial proteins. The data suggest a new concept for mitochondrial dysfunction driving lung injury and potentially human disease. With some further evidence to support the potential cell-specific role for the observed outcomes and additional mitochondrial assessment, this paper will be of interest to a large group of scientists interested in mitochondrial metabolism in general as well as lung development and disease in particular.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Embryonic hyperglycemia perturbs the development of specific retinal cell types, including photoreceptors

1. Kayla F. Titialii-Torres
2. Ann C. Morris

Reviewed by Review Commons

Control of spinal motor neuron terminal differentiation through sustained Hoxc8 gene activity

1. Catarina Catela
2. Yihan Chen
3. Yifei Weng
4. Kailong Wen
5. Paschalis Kratsios

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript will be of interest to developmental geneticists interested in neuroscience, as it demonstrates how spinal motor neurons maintain their unique identities in adulthood after fate decisions are made in the embryo. The work here suggests that a Hox transcription factor acts as a terminal selector to control motor neuron identity, thus mirroring recent studies in C. elegans, and pointing towards this type of gene regulation as important in building diverse nervous systems.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

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Age-dependent changes in protein incorporation into collagen-rich tissues of mice by in vivo pulsed SILAC labelling

1. Yoanna Ariosa-Morejon
2. Alberto Santos
3. Roman Fischer
4. Simon Davis
5. Philip Charles
6. Rajesh Thakker
7. Angus KT Wann
8. Tonia L Vincent

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Capturing the rate and degree of protein turnover in tissues rich in collagen, proteoglycans and glycoproteins over the life span provides valuable information about how these tissues age and can increase our understanding of age-related disease. Using a Stable Isotope Labeling (SILAC) method to examine protein retention, new protein incorporation and protein turnover in three high collage content tissues, the authors show that turnover is low in older mice in these tissues, but the depth of the data generated provide a detailed examination of what low turnover means at a level we have not previously had. This paper would be of interest to a broad range of scientists studying connective tissues in the context of development and ageing.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Modelling the impact of decidual senescence on embryo implantation in human endometrial assembloids

1. Thomas M Rawlings
2. Komal Makwana
3. Deborah M Taylor
4. Matteo A Molè
5. Katherine J Fishwick
6. Maria Tryfonos
7. Joshua Odendaal
8. Amelia Hawkes
9. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
10. Geraldine M Hartshorne
11. Jan J Brosens
12. Emma S Lucas

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This manuscript is of broad interest to scientists in the field of reproduction and has clinical relevance. It builds on innovative studies interrogating the impact of cell senescence on stromal cell differentiation and embryo implantation. It presents the development of a novel co-culture system taking advantage of organoid technology to study cell-specific interactions and outcomes.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewers #1, #2, and #3 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife