Developmental biology最新文献

{"title":"Tbx1-dependent and independent pathways promote six gene expression downstream of retinoic acid signaling to determine cardiomyocyte number in zebrafish","authors":"Tiffany B. Duong ,&nbsp;Andrew T. Fernandes ,&nbsp;Padmapriyadarshini Ravisankar ,&nbsp;Jared C. Talbot ,&nbsp;Joshua S. Waxman","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tight regulation of retinoic acid (RA) levels is critical for normal heart development in vertebrates, with early RA signaling restricting the size of the cardiac progenitor field within the anterior lateral plate mesoderm (ALPM). However, the regulatory networks by which RA signaling limits the size of the cardiac progenitor field and consequently cardiomyocyte (CM) number are not fully understood. Here, we identified that the expression of the transcription factors <em>six1b</em> and <em>six2a</em>, whose orthologs regulate outflow tract (OFT) development in mice, are expanded within the ALPM of RA-deficient zebrafish embryos. At 48 h post-fertilization (hpf), RA-deficient <em>six1b</em>;<em>six2a</em> double mutants, but not single <em>six1b</em> or <em>six2a</em> mutants, had a reduction in the number of surplus CMs relative to RA-deficient wild-type embryos. The expansion of <em>six1b</em>, as well as <em>fgf8a,</em> within the ALPM were dependent on <em>tbx1</em>, a factor that is also expanded within the ALPM of RA-deficient zebrafish embryos. However, the restriction of <em>six2a</em> expression by RA was independent of Tbx1. Consistent with a bifurcation of pathways downstream of RA signaling, loss of function experiments demonstrates that <em>tbx1</em> expansion alone does not contribute to the surplus CMs in RA-deficient embryos. Together, our data indicate that both Tbx1-dependent and independent pathways restrict Six dosage downstream of RA within the ALPM to pattern the CM progenitor field and establish proper heart size.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"524 ","pages":"Pages 17-28"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pax9 drives development of the upper jaw but not teeth in zebrafish","authors":"Sandhya Paudel ,&nbsp;Sarah McLeod ,&nbsp;Stefani Gjorcheska ,&nbsp;Lindsey Barske","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.016","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Loss of dentition has occurred repeatedly throughout vertebrate evolution. Cyprinid fish, including zebrafish, form teeth only deep within the pharynx, not on their oral jaws. However, zebrafish still robustly express transcription factors associated with mammalian tooth development in the neural crest-derived mesenchyme surrounding the mouth. We investigated whether this expression is vestigial or whether these factors contribute to the formation of non-tooth mesenchymal structures in the oral region, using Pax9 as a test case. Zebrafish homozygous for two different <em>pax9</em> mutant alleles develop the normal complement of pharyngeal teeth but fail to form the premaxilla bone, most of the maxilla, and nasal and maxillary barbels. Lack of most of the upper jaw complex does not preclude effective feeding in the laboratory environment. We observe a significant deficit of <em>sp7</em>:EGFP ⁺ osteoblasts and adjacent <em>alx4a</em>:DsRed⁺ condensing mesenchyme around the maxilla, and no accumulation of either in the premaxillary domain. Loss of <em>pax9</em> may prevent osteoprogenitors from maintaining the state of condensation required for full osteogenic differentiation. We conclude that Pax9 is not unequivocally required for all vertebrate tooth development but instead may be involved in the development of a variety of organs forming through mesenchymal condensation around the mouth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"524 ","pages":"Pages 1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inclusion of planetary health in developmental biology education","authors":"Sonja J. McKeown ,&nbsp;Marcus Mohr ,&nbsp;Tara Moynihan ,&nbsp;Beau Cubillo ,&nbsp;Liza Barbour","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Planetary Health is an emerging multidisciplinary research field and paradigm, centred on the interactions and interdependence of human health, animal and plant ecosystems, and the state of the natural environment. In the field of Developmental Biology education, this type of broad perspective aligns with multiple areas and concepts, including the developmental origins of health and disease, effects of teratogens on embryonic development, and the impact of climate change on both animal and human populations. Academics and undergraduate students undertaking a major in Anatomy and Developmental Biology worked together to co-design a workshop for third year undergraduate students on planetary health in a final semester Developmental Biology subject. Pre and post student surveys showed significant improvements in student knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy regarding planetary health, indicating the efficacy of this education activity. This workshop exemplifies how educators can respond to urgent calls to better equip our future workforce. Future iterations of this workshop will emphasise student-led foci on local and feasible changes to improve the sustainability of biomedical science education and research, and expand the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives, critical to improving planetary health. Incorporating knowledge of Planetary Health and Indigenous perspectives into the discipline of Developmental Biology exposes students to critical and global challenges that emerging scientists will need to address.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"524 ","pages":"Pages 29-35"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899253","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal ovo represses the expression of transposable elements in adult ovaries","authors":"Makoto Hayashi ,&nbsp;Yuica Koga ,&nbsp;Yasuhiro Kozono ,&nbsp;Satoru Kobayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In germ cells, repressing transposable elements (TEs) is important to maintain genomic integrity. TE expression and transposition are repressed by PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). Although many genes for piRNA synthesis have been described, few transcription factors activating their expression have been identified. We previously reported that a transcription factor, maternal Ovo (Ovo-B) protein activates germline-specific gene expression in progenitors of germ cells. In this study, we found that maternal Ovo also activates several genes, including <em>aubergine</em> (<em>aub</em>), for TE silencing. Knocking down maternal Ovo de-repressed TEs in adult ovaries. In addition, embryonic knockdown of <em>aub</em> caused de-repression of TEs in adult <em>Drosophila</em> ovaries. Surprisingly, embryonic knockdown of maternal Ovo affected neither expression of <em>ovo</em> nor its downstream TE-silencing genes in adult ovaries after growth. These results strongly suggest that maternal Ovo is required for TE silencing in ovaries, via transcriptional activation of genes for piRNA synthesis in embryos.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 111-114"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Canonical Wnt pathway modulation is required to correctly execute multiple independent cellular dynamic programs during cranial neural tube closure","authors":"Amber Huffine Bogart,&nbsp;Eric R. Brooks","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Defects in cranial neural tube closure are among the most common and deleterious human structural birth defects. Correct cranial closure requires the coordination of multiple cell dynamic programs including cell proliferation and cell shape change. Mutations that impact Wnt signaling, including loss of the pathway co-receptor LRP6, lead to defects in cranial neural tube closure, but the cellular dynamics under control of the Wnt pathway during this critical morphogenetic process remain unclear. Here, we use mice mutant for LRP6 to examine the consequences of conditional and global reduction in Wnt signaling and mutants with conditional inactivation of APC to examine the consequences of pathway hyperactivation. Strikingly, we find that regulated Wnt signaling is required for two independent events during cranial neural tube closure. First, global reduction of Wnt leads to a surprising hyperplasia of the cranial neural folds driven by excessive cell proliferation at early pre-elevation stages, with the increased tissue volume creating a mechanical blockade to efficient closure despite normal apical constriction and cell polarization at later stages. Conversely, conditional hyperactivation of the pathway at later elevation stages prevents correct actin organization, blocking apical constriction and neural fold elevation without impacting tissue scaling. Together these data reveal that Wnt signaling levels must be modulated to restrict proliferation at early stages and promote apical constriction at later elevation stages to drive efficient closure of the cranial neural tube.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 115-131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic assimilation, robustness and plasticity are key processes in the development and evolution of novel traits","authors":"H. Frederik Nijhout","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This is a commentary on how C.H. Waddington's experiments in the 1950's, first published in 1953 in a provocatively titled paper “Genetic assimilation of an acquired character,” laid the foundation for the field of phenotypic plasticity, and how the ideas he developed eventually led to new ways of understanding phenotypic robustness, plasticity, and how novel traits develop and evolve. The “acquired characters” that Waddington worked with were based on Goldschmidt's ideas of “phenocopies”: new phenotypes that develop after an environmental stress that resemble the phenotypes of known mutations. The idea behind genetic assimilation, first outlined by Waddington in 1942, is that existing developmental pathways can be rearranged and redirected through selection to stabilize the phenocopy phenotype, without requiring new mutations. In the short term, Waddington's work led to the discovery of heat shock proteins and the role of Hsp90 in masking defective proteins and allowing the accumulation of cryptic genetic variation. Subsequent studies revealed a host of stabilizing systems that operate at all levels of biological organization that make phenotypes robust to genetic and environmental variation. Many of these resemble homeostatic mechanisms that don't require a stress shock but operate under normal physiological conditions and allow for the accumulation of large amounts of cryptic genetic variation. This cryptic genetic variation can be revealed by mutations or environmental factors that destabilize a homeostatic mechanism. Selection can then act on the phenotypic variants that are produced. This scenario corresponds to the modern phenotype-first hypothesis for the evolution of novel traits that was foreseen by Waddington as early as 1942.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 132-138"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143879321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In toto live imaging of Erk signaling dynamics in developing zebrafish hepatocytes","authors":"Faraz Ahmed Butt ,&nbsp;Alessandro De Simone ,&nbsp;Stefano Di Talia ,&nbsp;Kenneth D. Poss","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Regional and tissue-wide regulation of signaling pathways orchestrates cellular proliferation and differentiation during organ development. In this study, we established an imaging platform for longitudinal analysis of liver development in live developing zebrafish. We generated hepatocyte-specific transgenic lines for kinase translocation reporters of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (Jnk) signaling, and with these we captured signaling dynamics that govern rapid expansion of hepatocytes toward creation of the functioning liver at single-cell resolution. Our findings reveal Erk signaling fluctuations as the liver develops and introduce methodology for investigating cell-type specific signaling dynamics during organ morphogenesis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 43-50"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unravelling early hematoendothelial development through the chick model: Insights and future perspectives","authors":"Lydia Pouncey,&nbsp;Gi Fay Mok","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The chicken embryo has been an important model in advancing our understanding of early hematoendothelial development, particularly in the formation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT). The accessibility and ease of manipulation of chicken embryos have made them an invaluable tool for researching development of blood and endothelial cells. Early research using this model provided pivotal insights, demonstrating that intra-embryonic regions, such as the dorsal aorta (DA), are primary sources of HSCs, rather than the yolk sac (YS), as previously believed. The identification of intra-aortic hematopoietic clusters (IAHCs) and the process of EHT in the chicken embryo laid the foundation for similar discoveries in other vertebrate species, including mice and zebrafish. Recent advances in genetic tools, such as transgenic chickens expressing fluorescent proteins, have further enhanced the precision of cell lineage tracing and real-time imaging of dynamic cellular processes. This review highlights both historical contributions and contemporary advancements facilitated by the chicken model, underscoring its continued relevance in developmental biology. By examining key findings and methodological innovations, we aim to demonstrate the importance of the chicken embryo as a model system for understanding hematoendothelial development and its potential for informing therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine and blood disorders. Finally, we will underscore potential applications of the chicken model for comparative and omics-level studies in conjunction with other model systems and what future directions lie ahead.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 20-31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143828888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reproductive adaptation of Astyanax mexicanus under nutrient limitation","authors":"Fanning Xia,&nbsp;Ana Santacruz ,&nbsp;Di Wu,&nbsp;Sylvain Bertho,&nbsp;Elizabeth Fritz,&nbsp;Pedro Morales-Sosa,&nbsp;Sean McKinney,&nbsp;Stephanie H. Nowotarski,&nbsp;Nicolas Rohner","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reproduction is a fundamental biological process for the survival and continuity of species. Examining changes in reproductive strategies offers valuable insights into how animals have adapted their life histories to different environments. Since reproduction is one of the most energy-intensive processes in female animals, nutrient scarcity is expected to interfere with the ability to invest in gametes. Lately, a new model to study adaptation to nutrient limitation has emerged; the Mexican tetra <em>Astyanax mexicanus</em>. This fish species exists as two different morphs, a surface river morph and a cave-dwelling morph. The cave-dwelling morph has adapted to the dark, lower biodiversity, and nutrient-limited cave environment and consequently evolved an impressive starvation resistance. However, how reproductive strategies have adapted to nutrient limitations in this species remains poorly understood. Here, we compared breeding activities and maternal contributions between laboratory-raised surface fish and cavefish. We found that cavefish produce different clutch sizes of eggs with larger yolk compared to surface fish, indicating a greater maternal nutrient deposition in cavefish embryos. To systematically characterize yolk compositions, we used untargeted proteomics and lipidomics approaches to analyze protein and lipid profiles in 2-cell stage embryos and found an increased proportion of sphingolipids in cavefish compared to surface fish. Additionally, we generated transcriptomic profiles of surface fish and cavefish ovaries using a combination of single cell and bulk RNA sequencing to examine differences in maternal contribution. We found that genes essential for hormone regulation were upregulated in cavefish follicular somatic cells compared to surface fish. To evaluate whether these differences contribute to their reproductive abilities under natural-occurring stress, we induced breeding in starved female fish. Remarkably, cavefish maintained their ability to breed under starvation, whereas surface fish largely lost this ability. We identified <em>insulin-like growth factor 1a receptor</em> (<em>igf1ra</em>) as a potential candidate gene mediating the downregulation of ovarian development genes, potentially contributing to the starvation-resistant fertility of cavefish. Taken together, we investigated the female reproductive strategies in <em>Astyanax mexicanus</em>, which will provide fundamental insights into the adaptations of animals to environments with extreme nutrient deficit.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 82-98"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PCP-dependent polarized mechanics in the cortex of individual cells during convergent extension","authors":"Shinuo Weng ,&nbsp;Caitlin C. Devitt ,&nbsp;Bill M. Nyaoga ,&nbsp;José Alvarado ,&nbsp;John B. Wallingford","doi":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.04.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Convergent extension (CE) is a key process for tissue elongation during vertebrate development and is driven by polarized cell behaviors. Here, we used a novel image-based technique to investigate the mechanical properties of individual cells undergoing CE. Our results suggest a PCP- and Septin-dependent mechanical gradient, where cortical tension is higher at the anterior face of the cells compared with their posterior face. Disruption of PCP protein Vangl2 or its downstream effector Septin7 eliminates this mechanical polarity. These findings demonstrate a link between actin organization, PCP signaling, and mechanical polarization, providing new avenues into the mechanochemical regulation of cellular behaviors during CE.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11070,"journal":{"name":"Developmental biology","volume":"523 ","pages":"Pages 59-67"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143839508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}