Developmental biology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Regeneration of skeletal muscle relies on the function of muscle satellite cells. Here, Le Roux et al. show that the endocytic adaptor protein Numb promotes skeletal muscle regeneration after injury by preventing a p53-dependent senescence of satellite cells and consequent inflammation and fibrosis.

    • Isabelle Le Roux
    • , Julie Konge
    •  & Shahragim Tajbakhsh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear how cell movements coordinate ventral furrow formation at the start of gastrulation in flies. Here, using multiview light-sheet microscopy and cell immobilization, Rauzi et al.observe differential epithelial cell movements, which contribute to the dynamics and timing of mesoderm internalization.

    • Matteo Rauzi
    • , Uros Krzic
    •  & Maria Leptin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    All forms of diabetes eventually lead to a reduction in insulin-secreting pancreatic β-cells. Here, the authors report aminopyrazine derivatives, which induce proliferation of rodent as well as human β-cells and improve glucose metabolism in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes.

    • Weijun Shen
    • , Brandon Taylor
    •  & Bryan Laffitte

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Generating organized kidney tissues from human pluripotent stem cell is a major challenge. Here, Freedman et al. describe a differentiation system forming spheroids and tubular structures, characteristic of these kidney structures, and using CRISPR/Cas9, delete PKD1/2, to model polycystic kidney disease.

    • Benjamin S. Freedman
    • , Craig R. Brooks
    •  & Joseph V. Bonventre

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Enhancers in differentiated haematopoietic cells are generally believed to be primed prior to lineage commitment. Here, the authors show that early priming and Polycomb group mediated silencing have minor roles in shaping the enhancer repertoire in differentiated B cells and that most active enhancers are generated de novo.

    • Mohamed-Amin Choukrallah
    • , Shuang Song
    •  & Patrick Matthias

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inner ear hair cells are non-regenerative mechanosensory cells essential for hearing. Here, with cell-type-specific expression analyses, the authors identify RFX transcription factors as central mediators of their survival during terminal differentiation and thus essential for hearing in mice.

    • Ran Elkon
    • , Beatrice Milon
    •  & Ronna Hertzano

  • Article |

    How can you increase the success of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation? In mice, Rolls et al. identify sleep in the donor as an important factor, finding that less sleep leads to 50% lower HSC engraftment, via miR-19b and suppressor of cytokine signaling genes, which prevent HSC homing.

    • Asya Rolls
    • , Wendy W. Pang
    •  & Luis de Lecea

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The alternative splicing factor Nova2 is best known for its pivotal function in the brain. Giampietro et al. reveal an important role for Nova2 in the regulation of alternative splicing of transcripts in the vascular endothelium that are crucial for the maintenance of endothelial cell polarity and vessel lumen formation in zebrafish.

    • Costanza Giampietro
    • , Gianluca Deflorian
    •  & Claudia Ghigna

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A variety of signals have been reported to either activate or inhibit the Hippo kinase cascade. Here, Meng et al. show that mitogen activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K) family members function in parallel to and are partially redundant with MST1/2 in regulating LATS in response to upstream signals.

    • Zhipeng Meng
    • , Toshiro Moroishi
    •  & Kun-Liang Guan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear how Notch1 signals regulate both the maintenance of the endothelial fate and the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition in the embryonic aorta. Here the authors show that those cells in which Notch1 ligand Jag1 is out-competed by Dll4 remain endothelial, while higher Jag1 activity leads to generation of hematopoietic stem cells.

    • Leonor Gama-Norton
    • , Eva Ferrando
    •  & Anna Bigas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The specification of positional values along the proximo-distal axis (shoulder to digits) of the vertebrate limb is an unresolved issue. By using heterochronic transplants of distal mesenchyme, the authors show that the zeugopod and autopod (elbow to digits) are progressively specified in an intrinsically timed manner.

    • Patricia Saiz-Lopez
    • , Kavitha Chinnaiya
    •  & Matthew Towers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Selective biallelic expression of certain genes through genomic imprinting are known to play a role in controlling neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain. Here the authors investigate the role of imprinting in the dosage control of Igf2 and its relevance for the function of IGF2 as a neurogenic regulator in the mouse brain.

    • S. R. Ferrón
    • , E. J. Radford
    •  & A. C. Ferguson-Smith

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding human preimplantation development is invaluable for human reproduction and stem cell research. By employing single-cell RNA sequencing in oocytes, zygotes and single blastomeres, Töhönen et al.identify new regulatory factors and sequences that drive early human preimplantation development.

    • Virpi Töhönen
    • , Shintaro Katayama
    •  & Juha Kere

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Direct reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes is an attractive strategy for heart regeneration, but it is hampered by the low efficiency of the process. Here the authors show that mouse fibroblasts can be reprogrammed with high efficiency into functional cardiomyocytes when pro-fibrotic signaling is inhibited.

    • Yuanbiao Zhao
    • , Pilar Londono
    •  & Kunhua Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is known to modulate the extracellular matrix and hair follicle morphogenesis. Here, Morgner et al.show that lack of ILK causes an aberrant ratio of basement membrane laminins, activating stem cells and predisposing skin to carcinogenesis.

    • Jessica Morgner
    • , Sushmita Ghatak
    •  & Sara A. Wickström

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Multicolour information is required to study the complex interplay of biological tissues. Here, Jahr et al.acquire spectral information at high resolution for each pixel in a hyperspectral light sheet microscope, while maintaining its perpendicular illumination and low phototoxicity.

    • Wiebke Jahr
    • , Benjamin Schmid
    •  & Jan Huisken

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The heart forms from combining the first with the second heart field, which in mammals creates left and right ventricle. Here transgenic zebrafish and physiology studies reveal that transcription factors controlling septation in mammals already in teleosts guide muscle coupling by controlling the relative contribution of the two fields to the heart.

    • Christian Mosimann
    • , Daniela Panáková
    •  & Leonard I. Zon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) regulate haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) later in development is unclear. Crisan et al.show that long-term repopulating HSCs in murine fetal liver and the bone marrow are of two types: either BMP activated or non-BMP activated, which correlate with different lineage outputs.

    • Mihaela Crisan
    • , Parham Solaimani Kartalaei
    •  & Elaine Dzierzak

  • Article
    | Open Access

    To understand how neuronal networks function, it is important to measure neuronal network activity at the systems level. Here Lemon et al. develop a framework that combines a high-speed multi-view light-sheet microscope, a whole-CNS imaging assay and computational tools to demonstrate simultaneous functional imaging across the entire isolated Drosophilalarval CNS.

    • William C. Lemon
    • , Stefan R. Pulver
    •  & Philipp J. Keller

  • Article |

    The regulatory subunits (RI) of protein kinase A (PKA) form a disulfide bond in response to cellular hydrogen peroxide. Here the authors show that disulfide-activation of PKARIa regulates VEGF-induced angiogenesis in mice and may represent a new therapeutic target in diseases with abnormal angiogenesis.

    • Joseph R. Burgoyne
    • , Olena Rudyk
    •  & Philip Eaton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone marrow contains adipocytes, which have been thought to form one type of marrow adipose tissue (MAT). Here, the authors identify two MAT subpopulations in mice and humans—‘regulated’ and ‘constitute’ MAT—which show distinct phenotypic and cellular traits, and respond differently to cold exposure.

    • Erica L. Scheller
    • , Casey R. Doucette
    •  & Ormond A. MacDougald

  • Article
    | Open Access

    What regulates mRNAs transcript localization in the germ granules in Drosophila is unclear. Here Trcek et al.identify that germ plasm proteins are homogeneously distributed in germ granules but once localized, individual mRNAs form homotypic clusters, contributing structure to the germ granules.

    • Tatjana Trcek
    • , Markus Grosch
    •  & Ruth Lehmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Newts can regenerate amputated limbs via unknown mechanism involving dedifferentiation of cells in the stump into progenitors that contribute to the new appendages. Here the authors show that skeletal muscle dedifferentiation in regenerating newt limbs relies on a diverted programmed cell death response by myofibers.

    • Heng Wang
    • , Sara Lööf
    •  & András Simon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During the formation of vascular sprouts, Notch activation inhibits proliferation of the stalk ECs via unknown mechanism. Here the authors show that PTEN represents a critical mediator of Notch anti-proliferative response in stalk cells via its phosphatase-dependent and -independent activity.

    • Helena Serra
    • , Iñigo Chivite
    •  & Mariona Graupera

  • Article
    | Open Access

    14-3-3 family proteins are adaptor proteins involved in various cellular functions. Here Lim et al. show that 14-3-3ζ regulates adipogenesis in vitro, and the formation of visceral fat in mice, by reducing autophagic degradation of the adipogenic master transcription factor C/EBP-δ.

    • Gareth E. Lim
    • , Tobias Albrecht
    •  & James D. Johnson

  • Article |

    P4-type ATPases flip lipids from one side of a membrane to the other. Here Poulsen et al. show that ALA10, a P4 ATPase from Arabidopsis thaliana, internalizes phospholipids from the outside of plant cells and suggest that this uptake may be physiologically important for lipid signalling events.

    • Lisbeth R. Poulsen
    • , Rosa L. López-Marqués
    •  & Michael Palmgren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transcription factor estrogen-related receptor beta, Esrrb, regulates pluripotency genes in embryonic stem cells, but how it acts in trophoblast stem (TS) cells is unclear. Here, the authors identify Esrrb as a primary target of Fgf/Mek signaling and outline a unique TS cell-specific interactome to sustain stemness.

    • Paulina A. Latos
    • , Angela Goncalves
    •  & Myriam Hemberger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Primary cilia are essential conveyors of signals underlying major cellular functions but their role in brain development is not completely understood. Here the authors compiled a shRNA library targeting ciliopathy genes known to cause brain disorders, and used it to query how ciliopathy genes affect distinct stages of mouse cortical development.

    • Jiami Guo
    • , Holden Higginbotham
    •  & E.S. Anton

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Organogenesis is orchestrated by biochemical and biophysical stimuli. Here, Ma et al. generate a micro-patterned surface that provides mechanical cues which, when combined with biochemical signals, drive human pluripotent stem cells’ differentiation into beating cardiac microchambers resembling primitive hearts.

    • Zhen Ma
    • , Jason Wang
    •  & Kevin E. Healy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pseudogene derived long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate the expression of their ancestral genes. Here, the authors show that the Oct4 pseudogene OctP4lncRNA plays an important role in inducing and maintaining silencing of the ancestral Oct4 gene in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells.

    • Michele Scarola
    • , Elisa Comisso
    •  & Roberta Benetti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Erosion of telomeres eventually causes replicative senescence, but mechanisms underlying the variability and dynamics of the pathway are not known. Here, the authors examine senescence in single yeast cells with inactivated telomerase to reveal two mechanistically distinct routes to senescence.

    • Zhou Xu
    • , Emilie Fallet
    •  & Maria Teresa Teixeira

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reprogramming holds great promise for regenerative medicine but the molecular mechanisms governing the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells remain unclear. Here, the authors reveal functions for the axonal guidance cue Netrin-1 in constraining apoptosis at the early stage of reprogramming and in established pluripotent cells.

    • Duygu Ozmadenci
    • , Olivier Féraud
    •  & Fabrice Lavial

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Kidlins are proteins found in cell focal adhesion sites where they regulate integrins, and in the nucleus where their role is unknown. Here the authors show that Kindlin-2 controls chondrogenesis by regulating integrin b1 activation and Sox9 and TGF-β nuclear signalling.

    • Chuanyue Wu
    • , Hongli Jiao
    •  & Guozhi Xiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aneuploidy may be fatal for the embryo, hence predicting its occurrence is important for successfulin vitrofertilization. Here the authors monitor development of human preimplantation embryos in real-time and correlate the blastomere ploidy with cleavage dynamics and gene expression, identifying 12-transcript signature that determines ploidy.

    • Maria Vera-Rodriguez
    • , Shawn L. Chavez
    •  & Carlos Simon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Development involves dynamic transcriptional changes. By serial ChIP- and RNA-sequencing, here, the authors show that GtaC, a GATA type transcription factor, exhibits temporally distinctive DNA binding and regulation of gene expression concordant with the development in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum.

    • Balaji Santhanam
    • , Huaqing Cai
    •  & Mariko Katoh-Kurasawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Insulin signaling governs many physiological processes but the molecular and neural mechanisms of its regulation are largely unknown. Here the authors describe a novel molecular pathway controlling sNPF regulation of insulin signalling in the fruit fly, which is mediated by the evolutionary conserved miR-9a.

    • Yoon Seok Suh
    • , Shreelatha Bhat
    •  & Kweon Yu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Blood vessel development depends upon endothelial cell migration and adhesion, which are regulated by Rho-GTPases. Here the authors identify Rho-GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factors that specifically control lateral filopodial contacts and are required for lumen formation during angiogenesis.

    • Sabu Abraham
    • , Margherita Scarcia
    •  & Georgia Mavria

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As oocytes age the frequency of chromosome segregation errors during meiosis I increases. Here the authors use live imaging of oocytes from naturally aged mice to provide direct evidence that bivalent separation into univalents is the primary defect responsible for age-related aneuploidy.

    • Yogo Sakakibara
    • , Shu Hashimoto
    •  & Tomoya S. Kitajima

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