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Body patterning defines the processes occurring during early animal development that determine the animal’s basic body plan and direct morphogenesis. Body patterning ensures that the correct cell types and consequently body parts will develop at the correct relative positions of the body.
Authors explore the biological mechanisms underlying a missing digit joint in Brachydactyly type A1. They showed that excess Indian Hedgehog proteins suppress the apoptosis level needed for the progression of digit joint development in a mouse model.
An insertion of an Alu element into an intron of the TBXT gene is identified as a genetic mechanism of tail-loss evolution in humans and apes, with implications for human health today.
The authors identified a cell population in Drosophila follicles that elaborate filopodia penetrating the oocyte they are contacting. These somatic cells are essential during oogenesis to regulate polarity and germline development of the future embryo.
RNA tomography and in situ hybridization in echinoderms suggest a new ambulacral-anterior model to relate echinoderm pentaradial symmetry to the ancestral bilateral symmetry.
Iga et al. perform single-cell RNA sequencing and identify a distinct bone marrow endothelial cell subtype that contributes to the acquisition of bone strength and offers a distinct haematopoietic stem cell niche.
Here the authors reveal that a neomorphic mutation in chromatin protein SMCHD1 enhances SMCHD1-mediated gene silencing, including at the FSHD disease-relevant locus, while depleting SMCHD1-mediated chromatin interactions, suggesting these SMCHD1 functions are unlinked.
Analysis of cells shed from the mouse gut, using bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, as well as single-molecule FISH and intravital imaging, revealed that shed cells are diverse, remain viable for a few hours and upregulate anti-microbial gene expression programs.
Bone marrow endothelial cells deliver oxygen and nutrients and regulate bone formation and haematopoiesis in the surrounding microenvironment. A new study identifies a subtype of capillary that occurs exclusively in the epiphysis and displays unique characteristics that have a role in balancing osteogenesis and haematopoiesis.
Ong et al. uncover a role for the YAP/TAZ–TEAD transcriptional pathways in retinal angiogenesis via the regulation of amino acid transporters and assessed mTORC activation. These findings establish the mechanism through which endothelial cells regulate nutrient acquisition and consumption.
Two studies in Developmental Cell report the generation of mice with longer and shorter than normal tails, respectively, giving insight into developmental programmes and key genes involved in mouse tail development.
Cytoplasmic flows are essential for various cellular processes. However, tools to manipulate these flows within cells are still lacking. Now research shows that an optical tool allows for control of cytoplasmic flows and can be used as a subcellular rheometer.