Developmental Biology

UNC-6/Netrin promotes both adhesion and directed growth within a single axon

1. Ev L Nichols
2. Joo Lee
3. Kang Shen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  These studies make a fundamental contribution to our understanding of axon-guidance mechanisms, focusing on the role of UNC-6/Netrin in the long-range growth and targeting of axons. Using state-of-the-art genetics and in vivo imaging, the authors provide compelling support for the finding that UNC-6/Netrin can act via both chemotaxis and haptotaxis. This work will be of interest to a wide variety of cell and developmental biologists and neuroscientists.

Reviewed by eLife

GLE1 dysfunction compromises cellular homeostasis, spatial organization, and peripheral axon branching

1. T Zárybnický
2. S Lindfors
3. S Metso
4. Z Szabo
5. R Valtonen
6. M Tulppo
7. J Magga
8. S Saarimäki
9. S Bläuer
10. I Miinalainen
11. R Kerkelä
12. J Väänänen
13. R Kivelä
14. FP Zhang
15. P Sipilä
16. R Hinttala
17. S Kuure

Reviewed by Review Commons

Comprehensive profiling of migratory primordial germ cells reveals niche-specific differences in non-canonical Wnt and Nodal-Lefty signaling in anterior vs posterior migrants

1. Rebecca G Jaszczak
2. Jay W Zussman
3. Daniel E Wagner
4. Diana J Laird

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study answers an essential question about how migratory primordial germ cells mobilize based on their anterior or posterior location. Convincing data support the model that interactions of migrating mouse PGCs with their niches influences their proliferation, cytoskeletal regulation, epigenetic state and pluripotent state. Rigorous methodology and analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing of migratory primordial germ cells and surrounding somatic cells result in datasets which will be valuable to developmental biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Mechanical forces pattern endocardial Notch activation via mTORC2-PKC pathway

1. Yunfei Mu
2. Shijia Hu
3. Xiangyang Liu
4. Xin Tang
5. Jiayi Lin
6. Hongjun Shi

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Notch1 is expressed uniformly throughout the mouse endocardium during the initial stages of heart valve formation, yet it remains unclear how Notch signaling is activated specifically in the AVC region to induce valve formation. To answer this question, the authors used a combination of in vivo and ex vivo experiments in mice to demonstrate ligand-independent activation of Notch1 by circulation induced-mechanical stress and provide evidence for stimulation of a novel mechanotransduction pathway involving post-translational modification of mTORC2 and Protein Kinase C (PKC) upstream of Notch1. These findings represent an important advance in our understanding of valve formation and the conclusions are supported by convincing data.

Reviewed by eLife

Integration of ATAC and RNA-sequencing identifies chromatin and transcriptomic signatures in classical and non-classical zebrafish osteoblasts and indicates mechanisms of entpd5a regulation

1. Kleio Petratou
2. Martin Stehling
3. Ferenc Müller
4. Stefan Schulte-Merker

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This fundamental work describes for the first time the combined gene expression and chromatin structure at the genome level in isolated chondrocytes and classical (cranial) and non-classical (notochordal) osteoblasts. In a compelling analysis of RNA-Seq and ATAC data, the authors characterize the two osteoblast populations relative to their associated chondrocyte cells and further proceed with a convincing analysis of the crucial entpd5a gene regulatory elements by investigating their respective transcriptional activity and specificity in developing zebrafish.

Reviewed by eLife

Emerging cooperativity between Oct4 and Sox2 governs the pluripotency network in early mouse embryos

1. Yanlin Hou
2. Zhengwen Nie
3. Qi Jiang
4. Sergiy Velychko
5. Sandra Heising
6. Ivan Bedzhov
7. Guangming Wu
8. Kenjiro Adachi
9. Hans R Scholer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents a valuable finding on how the interplay between transcription factors SOX2 and OCT4 establishes the pluripotency network in early mouse embryos. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, although inclusion of additional omics data would further strengthen the study. The work will be of interest to biologists working on embryonic development and gene regulation.

Reviewed by eLife

Planar cell polarity coordination in a cnidarian embryo provides clues to animal body axis evolution

1. Julie Uveira
2. Antoine Donati
3. Marvin Léria
4. Marion Lechable
5. François Lahaye
6. Christine Vesque
7. Evelyn Houliston
8. Tsuyoshi Momose

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This analysis of the formation of the oral-aboral body axis in cnidarians, the sister group of bilaterians, is a significant and fundamental contribution to the field of Wnt signalling and planar cell polarity. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling and has the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the origin and evolution of Wnt signalling in metazoans. These findings will be of broad interest to developmental and evolutionary biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

Sex chromosomes shape the transcriptional landscape of the preimplantation mouse embryo

1. Daniel M. Snell
2. Wazeer Varsally
3. Aurélien Courtois
4. Sergio Menchero
5. Prabhakaran Munusamy
6. Richelle Rietdijk
7. Obah A. Ojarikre
8. Stephanie Strohbuecker
9. Haskan Kaya
10. Mahesh N. Sangrithi
11. James M.A. Turner

Reviewed by preLights

The chromatin remodeler DEK promotes proliferation of mammary epithelium and is associated with H3K27me3 epigenetic modifications

1. Megan Johnstone
2. Ashley Leck
3. Taylor Lange
4. Katherine Wilcher
5. Miranda S. Shephard
6. Aditi Paranjpe
7. Sophia Schutte
8. Susanne Wells
9. Ferdinand Kappes
10. Nathan Salomonis
11. Lisa M. Privette Vinnedge

Reviewed by Review Commons

Gene regulatory dynamics during craniofacial development in a carnivorous marsupial

1. Laura E Cook
2. Charles Y Feigin
3. John Hills
4. Davide M Vespasiani
5. Andrew J Pask
6. Irene Gallego Romero

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study of regulatory elements and gene expression in the craniofacial region of the fat-tailed dunnart shows that, compared to placental mammals, marsupial craniofacial tissue develops in a precocious manner, with enhancer regulatory elements as primary driver of this difference. While the results are overall solid, addressing concerns regarding the liftover methods in the context of low conservation of alignable enhancers between dunnart and mouse would benefit the work, enhancing its value for uncovering mechanisms that drive heterochronic processes and as a reference for future mammalian evolution studies.

Reviewed by eLife