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Lineage specification of ovarian theca cells requires multicellular interactions via oocyte and granulosa cells
Lineage establishment of theca cells is essential for follicle development and morphogenesis of the ovary. Here the authors provide genetic evidence for the origins of theca progenitor cells and study the mechanisms critical for their differentiation.
- Chang Liu
- , Jia Peng
- & Humphrey H.-C. Yao
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| Open AccessDevelopmental genetic bases behind the independent origin of the tympanic membrane in mammals and diapsids
The evolution of the amniote middle ear remains unclear. Here, the authors show that inactivation of the Edn1-Dlx5/6 cascade during development results in loss of the tympanic membrane in mouse and duplication in chicken, which suggests independent evolution of the tympanic membrane in different amniotes.
- Taro Kitazawa
- , Masaki Takechi
- & Hiroki Kurihara
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| Open AccessDynamic imaging of the growth plate cartilage reveals multiple contributors to skeletal morphogenesis
It is largely unknown how individual cell behaviours translate into collective cell action that underlies bone morphogenesis. Here the authors perform quantitative imaging of the long bone cartilage growth plate and identify the key cellular mechanisms of cartilage morphogenesis.
- Yuwei Li
- , Vikas Trivedi
- & Scott E. Fraser
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| Open AccessGlobal analysis of fungal morphology exposes mechanisms of host cell escape
Several pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans undergo transitions between single-celled forms and multicellular filaments. Here the authors perform a genome-scale analysis of C. albicansand show that, contrary to common belief, filamentation is not required for escape from host immune cells.
- Teresa R. O’Meara
- , Amanda O. Veri
- & Leah E. Cowen
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ANKS6 is the critical activator of NEK8 kinase in embryonic situs determination and organ patterning
Protein kinase NEK8 is important for cilliary function, but the mechanism by which it acts is unknown. Czarnecki et al. identify the cilliary protein ANKS6 as a target and crucial activator of NEK8 and describe the importance of this protein interaction in embryonic development and organogenesis.
- Peter G. Czarnecki
- , George C. Gabriel
- & Jagesh V. Shah
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A narrow window of cortical tension guides asymmetric spindle positioning in the mouse oocyte
Asymmetric spindle positioning in female mouse meiosis depends on the assembly of actin networks. Here, Chaigne et al. show by theoretical modelling and artificial manipulation of the oocyte cortex that a narrow stiffness regime is required to correctly position the spindle during meiosis I in the mouse oocyte.
- A. Chaigne
- , C. Campillo
- & M. E. Terret
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Filopodia-based Wnt transport during vertebrate tissue patterning
Distribution of Wnt morphogens in tissues is often graded, but it is unclear how these secreted factors move to form concentration gradients. Here, the authors show that Wnt8a is transported on actin-based filopodia, known also as cytonemes, that contact the signal-receiving cells during zebrafish gastrulation.
- Eliana Stanganello
- , Anja I. H. Hagemann
- & Steffen Scholpp
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Epithelial rotation promotes the global alignment of contractile actin bundles during Drosophila egg chamber elongation
During Drosophilaoogenesis, migration of follicle cells causes the egg chamber to rotate, changing the shape of the egg chamber from spherical to oval. Here the authors show, using live imaging, that lamellopodia on the follicle cells are required for this rotation and alignment of contractile actin bundles.
- Maureen Cetera
- , Guillermina R. Ramirez-San Juan
- & Sally Horne-Badovinac
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FAK transduces extracellular forces that orient the mitotic spindle and control tissue morphogenesis
Orientation of the mitotic spindle is influenced by extracellular forces acting on the cell cortex. Here Petridou et al.identify FAK as a key transducer of mechanical forces in this context and as a result is a key regulator of spindle orientation controlling tissue architecture and morphogenesis.
- Nicoletta I. Petridou
- & Paris A. Skourides
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Drosophila Strip serves as a platform for early endosome organization during axon elongation
Endosomes are critical for regulating the amount and localization of cell surface molecules. Here the authors performed a genetic screen in Drosophilaand identified the protein, Strip, as a molecular linker between retrograde transport and fusion of early endosomes, which is required for axonal growth.
- Chisako Sakuma
- , Takeshi Kawauchi
- & Takahiro Chihara
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| Open AccessSnf2h-mediated chromatin organization and histone H1 dynamics govern cerebellar morphogenesis and neural maturation
The chromatin remodelling proteins Snf2h and Snf2l regulate nucleosome spacing. Here, the authors show that Snf2hablation impairs chromatin organization of neuronal lineages during mouse embryonic and post-natal cerebellar development.
- Matías Alvarez-Saavedra
- , Yves De Repentigny
- & David J. Picketts
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AmotL2 links VE-cadherin to contractile actin fibres necessary for aortic lumen expansion
Cell–cell adhesion molecules and the cytoskeleton determine endothelial cell shape during the formation of blood vessels. Here the authors show that the scaffold protein, amotL2, couples adherens junctions to contractile cytoskeletal proteins to coordinate cellular morphogenesis with aortic lumen expansion.
- Sara Hultin
- , Yujuan Zheng
- & Lars Holmgren
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MYPT1 regulates contractility and microtubule acetylation to modulate integrin adhesions and matrix assembly
Regulation of adhesion during cell migration requires coordinated control of both microtubule acetylation and actomyosin-dependent contractility. Joo and Yamada show that these systems are reciprocally regulated by myosin phosphatase through its interactions with HDAC6 and myosin light chain respectively.
- E. Emily Joo
- & Kenneth M. Yamada
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EphrinB2 affects apical constriction in Xenopus embryos and is regulated by ADAM10 and flotillin-1
ADAM metalloproteases cleave ephrin signalling proteins and their receptors. Here, the authors show that ADAM10-mediated cleavage of ephrinB2 is inhibited by the lipid raft protein flotillin-1 and that ephrinB2 regulates apical constriction during neural tube closure in Xenopusembryos.
- Yon Ju Ji
- , Yoo-Seok Hwang
- & Ira O. Daar
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Kctd10 regulates heart morphogenesis by repressing the transcriptional activity of Tbx5a in zebrafish
T-box transcription factors such as Tbx5 have essential roles during cardiac development. Here the authors show that a member of the potassium channel tetramerization domain-containing family, Kctd10 is required for zebrafish heart development and represses the transcriptional activity of Tbx5.
- Xiangjun Tong
- , Yao Zu
- & Bo Zhang
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| Open AccessGuidance of subcellular tubulogenesis by actin under the control of a synaptotagmin-like protein and Moesin
The terminal branches of the Drosophilatracheal network have intracellular tubules that grow through elongation of membrane invaginations. Here, the authors identify the synaptotagmin-like protein Bitesize as a regulator of actin-dependent luminal membrane morphogenesis.
- N. JayaNandanan
- , Renjith Mathew
- & Maria Leptin
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Polycystin-1 binds Par3/aPKC and controls convergent extension during renal tubular morphogenesis
Loss-of-function mutations in PKD1, the gene encoding the plasma membrane receptor Polycystin-1, lead to renal cyst formation in polycystic kidney disease. Here, Castelli et al. show that Polycystin-1 interacts with the Par3 polarity complex and has a role in the morphogenesis of kidney tubules during mouse development.
- Maddalena Castelli
- , Manila Boca
- & Alessandra Boletta
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Bcl-wav and the mitochondrial calcium uniporter drive gastrula morphogenesis in zebrafish
Ca2+ is an intracellular messenger that has a critical role in zebrafish development. Here Prudent et al. show that during gastrulation, the newly identified Bcl-2 homologue, Bcl-wav and the mitochondrial calcium uniporter regulate cell migration by controlling mitochondrial Ca2+storage.
- Julien Prudent
- , Nikolay Popgeorgiev
- & Germain Gillet
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| Open AccessTubular endocytosis drives remodelling of the apical surface during epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila
During epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila, the villous apical cell surface is flattened. Fabrowski et al. show that this flattening depends on a dramatic increase in endocytosis associated with the formation of tubular invaginations, revealing a role for membrane trafficking in morphological remodelling.
- Piotr Fabrowski
- , Aleksandar S. Necakov
- & Stefano De Renzis
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DPP6 regulation of dendritic morphogenesis impacts hippocampal synaptic development
Dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 is implicated in different neuropsychiatric pathologies. Lin and colleagues genetically delete dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 in mice and find that this results in impaired development of dendritic filopodia, as well as a reduction in the dendritic tree size, spine density and functional synapses.
- Lin Lin
- , Wei Sun
- & Dax A. Hoffman
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Involvement of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in neurectoderm architecture in Platynereis dumerilii
The Wnt/β-catenin pathway has important roles during neurogenesis in bilaterian animals. The authors show that this pathway regulates the transition from proliferating neural progenitors to differentiating neurons in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii, suggesting a conserved role in the last common bilaterian ancestor.
- Adrien Demilly
- , Patrick Steinmetz
- & Michel Vervoort
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| Open AccessDeletion of cavin genes reveals tissue-specific mechanisms for morphogenesis of endothelial caveolae
Cavin proteins are key components of mammalian caveolae and are expressed from four genes in a tissue-specific manner. Gram Hansen et al. demonstrate that caveolae in the endothelia of different tissues are remarkably heterogeneous, and reveal a role for cavin 2 in determining the apparent size of cavin complexes.
- Carsten Gram Hansen
- , Elena Shvets
- & Benjamin James Nichols
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| Open AccessRab9 and retromer regulate retrograde trafficking of luminal protein required for epithelial tube length control
The development of biological tubes is regulated by mutual interactions between cells and luminal extracellular matrix. Donget al. show that retrograde recycling of luminal chitin deacetylase regulates Drosophila tracheal tubule geometry by restricting length independently of diameter.
- Bo Dong
- , Ken Kakihara
- & Shigeo Hayashi
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Rapid adaptation to food availability by a dopamine-mediated morphogenetic response
Food availability elicits behavioural and developmental responses. Adamset al. show that, in sea urchin larvae, food availability mediates developmental plasticity by regulating changes in arm length through dopamine signalling, a pathway widely used to mediate food-induced behavioural responses.
- Diane K. Adams
- , Mary A. Sewell
- & Lynne M. Angerer
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| Open AccessA shift of the TOR adaptor from Rictor towards Raptor by semaphorin in C. elegans
What controls the binding partner selection of the target of rapamycin protein, TOR, is unknown. Using theCaenorhabditis elegans tail as a model, Nukazuka et al. determine that signals of semaphorin through plexin control the binding partner selection of TOR and are required for the correct organization of rays in the tail.
- Akira Nukazuka
- , Shusaku Tamaki
- & Shin Takagi
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| Open AccessNeural crest cells organize the eye via TGF-β and canonical Wnt signalling
In the developing eye, the lens and retina are derived from different embryonic tissues, and how these two structures develop next to each other is of interest. In this study, the authors show that transforming growth factor-β secreted by neural crest cells is critical for the positioning of the lens next to the retina.
- Timothy Grocott
- , Samuel Johnson
- & Andrea Streit
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Human TSC2-null fibroblast-like cells induce hair follicle neogenesis and hamartoma morphogenesis
Mutations inTSC2 lead to the formation of benign tumours called hamartomas. In this study, using a mouse xenograft model, the authors demonstrate that fibroblasts from patients carrying TSC2mutations can induce keratinocytes to form both hair follicles and hamartoma-like growths with active mTOR signalling.
- Shaowei Li
- , Rajesh L. Thangapazham
- & Thomas N. Darling
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| Open AccessDynamic evolution of precise regulatory encodings creates the clustered site signature of enhancers
InDrosophila development, DNA enhancers drive gene expression in response to morphogen gradients. Here, Crocker et al. study the evolution of sequences that bind a Dorsal morphogen complex and demonstrate how evolutionary changes in threshold levels have resulted in complex site clustering of DNA elements.
- Justin Crocker
- , Nathan Potter
- & Albert Erives
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| Open AccessBlending of animal colour patterns by hybridization
Many animals have complex body patterns, which are fixed in some species and flexible in others. Here, using reaction-diffusion mathematical models, together with salmonid fish crosses, intermediate patterns are shown to occur in hybrid animals produced by mating species with different flexible patterns.
- Seita Miyazawa
- , Michitoshi Okamoto
- & Shigeru Kondo
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| Open AccessDivergent transcriptional activities determine limb identity
The embryonic development of forelimbs and hindlimbs is regulated by transcription factors, including Pitx1, Tbx4 and Tbx5. In this study, the contributions of Tbx4 and Tbx5 to limb identity are further delineated, resulting in the demonstration of a role for Tbx4 in hindlimb skeletal and muscle patterning.
- Jean-François Ouimette
- , Marisol Lavertu Jolin
- & Jacques Drouin