Experimental organisms articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Meiotic crossover (CO) landscape differs inter- and intra-species, as well as between sexes. Here, the authors show that male meiosis produces more COs than female in maize and detect CO maturation inefficiency in some genetic backgrounds, which may help to improve breeding efficiency.

    • Cheng Luo
    • , Xiang Li
    •  & Jianbing Yan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Serine/threonine phosphatases such as PP1 associate with a large array of subunit proteins, such as ASPP (apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53) to achieve selective targeting. Here authors solved the crystal structure of the human ASPP2/PP1 complex and explain how ASPP2 can distinguish between PP1 isoforms.

    • M. Teresa Bertran
    • , Stéphane Mouilleron
    •  & Nicolas Tapon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Calcium signalling downstream of VEGF is essential for VEGF-induced angiogenesis. Here Savage et al. show that Transmembrane Protein 33 (TMEM33) is required for angiogenesis and the endothelial calcium response to VEGF, revealing a function for TMEM33 in multicellular organisms.

    • Aaron M. Savage
    • , Sathishkumar Kurusamy
    •  & Robert N. Wilkinson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    BMP ligands act as retrograde signalling molecules to regulate presynaptic development, and regulation of BMP receptors by endocytosis may be an important component of this signalling pathway. Here, the authors show that Abi-mediated macropinocytosis of BMP receptors in Drosophila larva and contributes to neuromuscular development.

    • Najin Kim
    • , Sungdae Kim
    •  & Seungbok Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human embryonic stem cells can be differentiated in vitro into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) that resemble early primordial germ cells (PGCs). Here the authors transplant PGCLCs generated from rhesus macaque iPSCs into mouse and rhesus macaque seminiferous tubules, which matures these into late PGCs and spermatogonia-like cells.

    • Enrique Sosa
    • , Di Chen
    •  & Amander T. Clark

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Proteome and transcriptome often show poor correlation, hindering the system-wide analysis of post-transcriptional regulation. Here, the authors study proteome and transcriptome dynamics during Drosophila embryogenesis and present basic mathematical models describing the temporal regulation of most protein-RNA pairs.

    • Kolja Becker
    • , Alina Bluhm
    •  & Stefan Legewie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During early embryogenesis, critical cardiac specification events occur. Here the authors isolate cardiac progenitor cells from early zebrafish embryos and characterize accessible chromatin regions specific to this cell population, finding that many of these regions overlap with conserved non-coding elements that are ortholgous to accessible chromatin regions in human.

    • Xuefei Yuan
    • , Mengyi Song
    •  & Michael D. Wilson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Wnt signaling is known to regulate the formation of the blood-brain barrier. Here Hübner et al. dissect the underlying mechanisms using high resolution live imaging in zebrafish, and find that Wnt regulates anastomosis of angiogenic sprouts in the brain by counteracting sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor signaling.

    • Kathleen Hübner
    • , Pauline Cabochette
    •  & Wiebke Herzog

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear how removal of axon debris and initiation of axon regeneration following nerve injury is co-regulated. In this study, the authors show that the extracellular domain (ECD) of the engulfment receptor, CED-1, functions as an adhesion molecule to promote axonal regeneration after injury, independent of its function in phagocytosis

    • Hui Chiu
    • , Yan Zou
    •  & Chieh Chang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Epithelial folding has mainly been linked to forces acting in the apical actomyosin network of cells. Here, the authors show using live imaging that two distinct mechanisms, changes in basal surface tension and changes in lateral surface tension, drive the formation of two folds in the Drosophila wing disc.

    • Liyuan Sui
    • , Silvanus Alt
    •  & Christian Dahmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Classic monodirectional promoters are of limited use for multiple gene co-expression. Here the authors generate a library of 168 bidirectional promoters for the yeast K. phaffii (syn. P. pastoris) with diverse expression profiles to optimize metabolic pathway design.

    • Thomas Vogl
    • , Thomas Kickenweiz
    •  & Anton Glieder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Iridophores interact with other cells to give zebrafish their stripes, but what drives their form shifts is unknown. Here, modelling allows the authors to identify robust cues that may specify iridophore form and to find changes to these cues that likely account for altered patterns on related fish.

    • Alexandria Volkening
    •  & Björn Sandstede

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) hydrolyzes triglycerides to supply free fatty acids (FFAs) to muscle for energy and adipocytes for storage. Here, the authors demonstrate that Lpl and its product, the FFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are required for haematopoietic stem progenitor cell expansion during zebrafish embryogenesis.

    • Chao Liu
    • , Tianxu Han
    •  & Yury I. Miller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The nematode C. elegans is known to alter its behavior in response to UV light. Here, the authors show that visible light triggers photo-oxidative stress and a wider stress response in C. elegans, suggesting that light exposure during routine laboratory handling may influence the outcome of lifespan experiments.

    • C. Daniel De Magalhaes Filho
    • , Brian Henriquez
    •  & Andrew Dillin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During meiosis, step-wise release of sister chromatid cohesion mediated by REC-8 cohesin is required for the formation of haploid gametes. Here, the authors show that in C. elegans oocytes, regulated recruitment of Aurora B kinase ensures the correct distribution of REC-8 phosphorylation, which promotes cohesion release.

    • Nuria Ferrandiz
    • , Consuelo Barroso
    •  & Enrique Martinez-Perez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Advances in animal magnetoreception have been limited by a lack of tractable vertebrate laboratory models. Here, the authors demonstrate light-independent magnetoreception in mature zebrafish and medaka, as well as magnetosensitive locomotion in juvenile medaka associated with neuronal activation in the lateral hindbrain.

    • Ahne Myklatun
    • , Antonella Lauri
    •  & Gil G. Westmeyer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is not clear if it is the embryonic origin or anatomical location of cardiomyocytes that restrict their contribution to zebrafish heart regeneration. Here, the authors show a plasticity of embryonic precursors following tbx5a fate mapping and that trabecular cardiomyocytes help to rebuild the cortical myocardium.

    • Héctor Sánchez-Iranzo
    • , María Galardi-Castilla
    •  & Nadia Mercader

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Some wounds trigger regeneration, while others simply heal but how this is regulated is unclear. Here, by manipulating ERK and Wnt signalling pathways, the authors create headless planarians and finless zebrafish and show that wounds that normally only trigger wound healing can activate regeneration of heads and bones.

    • Suthira Owlarn
    • , Felix Klenner
    •  & Kerstin Bartscherer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemical screens can identify small molecules that affect biological development, with potential therapeutic value. Here, the authors use a modular approach in a screen in zebrafish embryos, varying concentration, genotype and timing to target segmentation disorders, birth defects that affect the spinal column.

    • Sandra Richter
    • , Ulrike Schulze
    •  & Andrew C. Oates

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The long-term maintenance of antibody-secreting plasma cells and the requirement for memory B cells are unclear. Here, the authors show that plasma cells and the antibodies secreted are long-lived and maintained over a decade in the absence of memory B cells in non-human primates.

    • Erika Hammarlund
    • , Archana Thomas
    •  & Mark K. Slifka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In the Drosophila embryo, increased cortical contractility in ventral cells causes furrow formation and gastrulation. Here, the authors show that contractility is regulated by Neuralized (an E3 ubiquitin ligase) in ventral cells, and that inhibiting this process with Bearded in the ectoderm causes furrow invagination.

    • Gantas Perez-Mockus
    • , Khalil Mazouni
    •  & François Schweisguth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The diet consumed during development can have long-lasting effects on adult physiology. Here, the authors show that developmental undernutrition in Drosophila extends lifespan by inhibiting the production of toxic lipids, called autotoxins, on the adult body surface.

    • M. Irina Stefana
    • , Paul C. Driscoll
    •  & Alex P. Gould

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In the Drosophila ovary, it is unclear how signalling from the stem cell niche regulates follicle precursor cell fate/differentiation. Here, the authors use quantitative microscopy to define the role of Wnt, Hedgehog and Notch signalling in progenitor cells, showing regulation of cell fate and differentiation.

    • Wei Dai
    • , Amy Peterson
    •  & Denise J. Montell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    KLF family transcription factors (KLFs) regulate many cellular processes, including proliferation, survival and stress responses. Here, the authors position KLFs as important regulators of autophagy and lifespan in C. elegans, a role that may extend to the modulation of age-associated vascular phenotypes in mammals.

    • Paishiun N. Hsieh
    • , Guangjin Zhou
    •  & Mukesh K. Jain

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Βeta-cells have recently been shown to be heterogeneous with regard to morphology and function. Here, the authors show that β-cells in zebrafish switch from proliferative to functional states with increasing time since β-cell birth, leading to functional and proliferative heterogeneity.

    • Sumeet Pal Singh
    • , Sharan Janjuha
    •  & Nikolay Ninov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Clarifying the source of proteins in mixed biological environments, such as after transplantation or parabiosis, remains a challenge. Here, the authors address this need with a mouse strain that incorporates a methionine derivate into proteins, allowing for their detection using click chemistry and antibody arrays.

    • Yan Liu
    • , Michael J. Conboy
    •  & Irina M. Conboy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transcription factor Gcn4 is known to regulate yeast amino acid synthesis. Here, the authors show that Gcn4 also acts as a repressor of protein biosynthesis in a range of conditions that enhance yeast lifespan, such as ribosomal protein knockout, calorie restriction or mTOR inhibition.

    • Nitish Mittal
    • , Joao C. Guimaraes
    •  & Mihaela Zavolan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mitochondrial fission and fusion are important mechanisms to maintain mitochondrial function. Here, the authors report that middle-aged flies have more elongated, or ‘hyper-fused’ mitochondria, and show that induction of mitochondrial fission in midlife, but not in early life, extends the health and life of flies.

    • Anil Rana
    • , Matheus P. Oliveira
    •  & David W. Walker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Non-invasive cell tracking is a powerful method to visualize cells in vivo under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Here Thunemann et al. generate a mouse model for in vivo tracking and quantification of specific cell types by combining a PET reporter gene with Cre-dependent activation that can be exploited for any cell population for which a Cre mouse line is available.

    • Martin Thunemann
    • , Barbara F. Schörg
    •  & Robert Feil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Animal lifespan is plastic and is regulated by conserved signalling pathways. Here, Tikuet al.show that longevity-enhancing mutations or interventions are associated with reduced nucleolar size in worms, flies, mice and humans, and that nucleolar size can predict life-expectancy in individual worms.

    • Varnesh Tiku
    • , Chirag Jain
    •  & Adam Antebi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hematopoietic sites in theDrosophilalarva require the local peripheral nervous system for blood cells (hemocytes) to survive and proliferate, but how this is mediated is unclear. Here, the authors identify Activin-β from sensory neurons as signalling to hemocytes, affecting proliferation and adhesion.

    • Kalpana Makhijani
    • , Brandy Alexander
    •  & Katja Brückner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Systemic dissection of sexually dimorphic phenotypes in mice is lacking. Here, Karp and the International Mouse Phenotype Consortium show that approximately 10% of qualitative traits and 56% of quantitative traits in mice as measured in laboratory setting are sexually dimorphic.

    • Natasha A. Karp
    • , Jeremy Mason
    •  & Jacqueline K. White

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glycogen is a storage form of glucose in cells. Here, Gusarovet al. show that glycogen-derived glucose can be used to quickly regenerate the antioxidant glutathione and that inhibiting glycogen synthesis extends C. eleganslifespan, whereas glycogen accumulation drives organismal ageing in worms.

    • Ivan Gusarov
    • , Bibhusita Pani
    •  & Evgeny Nudler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Asymmetric segregation of cell fate determinants during cell division governs daughter cell fate. Here the authors show that Sara endosomes, known to regulate Notch signalling, are targeted to the mitotic spindle and once phosphorylated are asymmetrically dispatched into a daughter cell to determine cell fate.

    • Sylvain Loubéry
    • , Alicia Daeden
    •  & Marcos Gonzalez-Gaitan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The emergence of the adult fruit flies from the pupae is jointly regulated by the central and peripheral clocks. Selchoet al. show that synchronization of the two clocks is mediated by the master clock brain neurons producing sNPF, and non-clock PTTH neurons that regulate the peripheral clock producing the steroid moulting hormone, ecdysone.

    • Mareike Selcho
    • , Carola Millán
    •  & John Ewer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite its wide use in ageing research, the contribution of specific age-associated pathologies toC. elegansmortality is not well understood. Here the authors identify two types of death in worms, with either a swollen or a shrunken pharynx, that are differentially affected by age and mutations that extend worm lifespan.

    • Yuan Zhao
    • , Ann F. Gilliat
    •  & David Gems

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The decline of DNA and protein quality control contributes to organismal ageing. Here, Sonet al. report that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, a RNA quality control mechanism, is enhanced in long-lived daf-2 mutant worms and contributes to their longevity by regulating expression of the yars-2/tyrosyl tRNA synthetase.

    • Heehwa G. Son
    • , Mihwa Seo
    •  & Seung-Jae V. Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stress response JNK signalling is important for cell death-induced regeneration. Here the authors show in adultDrosophilaenterocytes that ATF3 regulates the expression of Raw, a JNK antagonist, to control intestinal regeneration and barrier function in response to infection.

    • Jun Zhou
    • , Bruce A. Edgar
    •  & Michael Boutros

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Irreproducibility of biological findings is a major challenge for drug development. Here the authors examine the lifespans of 22 worm strains in three different laboratories and the effects of ten known chemicals to assess reproducibility in the face of variations in genetic background, chemical treatment and lab environment.

    • Mark Lucanic
    • , W. Todd Plummer
    •  & Patrick C. Phillips

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mild heat stress has beneficial effects on organismal health and survival. Here, Kumstaet al. show that a mild heat shock and HSF-1 overexpression induce autophagy in multiple tissues of C. elegansand autophagy-related genes are essential for both heat shock-induced and HSF-1–mediated stress resistance and longevity.

    • Caroline Kumsta
    • , Jessica T. Chang
    •  & Malene Hansen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Probiotic bacteria can improve host health, but the mechanisms underlying such beneficial effects are often unclear. Here, the authors show that biofilm formation of the probiotic bacteriumB. subtilis extends the lifespan of its host, the nematode C. elegans, by reducing insulin-like signalling.

    • Verónica Donato
    • , Facundo Rodríguez Ayala
    •  & Roberto Grau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Caloric restriction (CR) delays ageing of model organisms, but whether it works in nonhuman primates has been controversial. Here, the authors pool and reanalyse data from two long-running CR primate studies, concluding that moderate CR indeed improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys.

    • Julie A. Mattison
    • , Ricki J. Colman
    •  & Rozalyn M. Anderson

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