{"title":"Vagal sensory pathway for the gut-brain communication","authors":"Yiyun Cao , Rui Li , Ling Bai","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>The communication between the gut and brain is crucial for regulating various essential physiological functions, such as energy balance, fluid homeostasis, immune response, and emotion. The vagal sensory pathway plays an indispensable role in connecting the gut to the brain. Recently, our knowledge of the vagal gut-brain axis has significantly advanced through </span>molecular genetic<span><span><span> studies, revealing a diverse range of vagal sensory cell types with distinct peripheral innervations, response profiles, and physiological functions. Here, we review the current understanding of how vagal </span>sensory neurons<span> contribute to gut-brain communication. First, we highlight recent transcriptomic and </span></span>genetic approaches that have characterized different vagal sensory cell types. Then, we focus on discussing how different subtypes encode numerous gut-derived signals and how their activities are translated into physiological and behavioral regulations. The emerging insights into the diverse cell types and functional properties of vagal sensory neurons have paved the way for exciting future directions, which may provide valuable insights into potential therapeutic targets for disorders involving gut-brain communication.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 228-243"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9966408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martha Ludwig , James Hartwell , Christine A. Raines , Andrew J. Simkin
{"title":"The Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle in C4 and Crassulacean acid metabolism species","authors":"Martha Ludwig , James Hartwell , Christine A. Raines , Andrew J. Simkin","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is the ancestral CO<sub>2</sub> assimilation pathway and is found in all photosynthetic organisms. Biochemical extensions to the CBB cycle have evolved that allow the resulting pathways to act as CO<sub>2</sub> concentrating mechanisms, either spatially in the case of C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis or temporally in the case of Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). While the biochemical steps in the C<sub>4</sub> and CAM pathways are known, questions remain on their integration and regulation with CBB cycle activity. The application of omic and transgenic technologies is providing a more complete understanding of the biochemistry of C<sub>4</sub> and CAM species and will also provide insight into the CBB cycle in these plants. As the global population increases, new solutions are required to increase crop yields and meet demands for food and other bioproducts. Previous work in C<sub>3</sub> species has shown that increasing carbon assimilation through genetic manipulation of the CBB cycle can increase biomass and yield. There may also be options to improve photosynthesis in species using C<sub>4</sub> photosynthesis and CAM through manipulation of the CBB cycle in these plants. This is an underexplored strategy and requires more basic knowledge of CBB cycle operation in these species to enable approaches for increased productivity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"155 ","pages":"Pages 10-22"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71757398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Allyson Brandon, Daniela Almeida, Kara E. Powder
{"title":"Neural crest cells as a source of microevolutionary variation","authors":"A. Allyson Brandon, Daniela Almeida, Kara E. Powder","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Vertebrates have some of the most complex and diverse features in animals, from varied craniofacial morphologies to colorful pigmentation patterns and elaborate social behaviors. All of these traits have their developmental origins in a multipotent embryonic lineage of neural crest cells. This “fourth germ layer” is a vertebrate innovation and the source of a wide range of adult cell types. While others have discussed the role of neural crest cells in human disease and animal domestication, less is known about their role in contributing to adaptive changes in wild populations. Here, we review how variation in the development of neural crest cells and their derivatives generates considerable phenotypic diversity in nature. We focus on the broad span of traits under natural and sexual selection whose variation may originate in the neural crest, with emphasis on behavioral factors such as intraspecies communication that are often overlooked. In all, we encourage the integration of evolutionary ecology with developmental biology and molecular genetics to gain a more complete understanding of the role of this single cell type in trait covariation, evolutionary trajectories, and vertebrate diversity.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 42-51"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/73/b8/nihms-1912658.PMC10482117.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10231271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Patterns of selection across gene regulatory networks","authors":"Jeanne M.C. McDonald, Robert D. Reed","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.029","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.029","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) are the core engine of organismal development. If we would like to understand the origin and diversification of phenotypes, it is necessary to consider the structure of GRNs in order to reconstruct the links between </span>genetic mutations and phenotypic change. Much of the progress in </span>evolutionary developmental biology, however, has occurred without a nuanced consideration of the evolution of functional relationships between genes, especially in the context of their broader network interactions. Characterizing and comparing GRNs across traits and species in a more detailed way will allow us to determine how network position influences what genes drive adaptive evolution. In this perspective paper, we consider the architecture of developmental GRNs and how positive selection strength may vary across a GRN. We then propose several testable models for these patterns of selection and experimental approaches to test these models.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 60-67"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9374775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clade-specific genes and the evolutionary origin of novelty; new tools in the toolkit","authors":"Longjun Wu, J. David Lambert","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.025","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.025","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Clade-specific (a.k.a. lineage-specific) genes are very common and found at all taxonomic levels and in all clades examined. They can arise by duplication of previously existing genes, which can involve partial truncations or combinations with other protein domains or regulatory sequences. They can also evolve </span><em>de novo</em><span><span> from non-coding sequences, leading to potentially truly novel protein domains. Finally, since clade-specific genes are generally defined by lack of sequence homology with other proteins, they can also arise by sequence evolution that is rapid enough that previous sequence homology can no longer be detected. In such cases, where the rapid evolution is followed by constraint, we consider them to be ontologically non-novel but likely novel at a functional level. In general, clade-specific genes have received less attention from biologists but there are increasing numbers of fascinating examples of their roles in important traits. Here we review some selected recent examples, and argue that attention to clade-specific genes is an important corrective to the focus on the conserved developmental regulatory toolkit that has been the habit of evo-devo as a field. Finally, we discuss questions that arise about the evolution of clade-specific genes, and how these might be addressed by future studies. We highlight the hypothesis that clade-specific genes are more likely to be involved in </span>synapomorphies that arose in the stem group where they appeared, compared to other genes.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 52-59"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9266251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development and regeneration of the vagus nerve","authors":"Adam J. Isabella , Cecilia B. Moens","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2023.07.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>The vagus nerve, with its myriad constituent axon branches and innervation targets, has long been a model of anatomical complexity in the nervous system. The branched architecture of the vagus nerve is now appreciated to be highly organized around the topographic and/or molecular identities of the neurons that innervate each target tissue. However, we are only just beginning to understand the developmental mechanisms by which heterogeneous vagus neuron identity is specified, patterned, and used to guide the axons of particular neurons to particular targets. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the complex topographic and molecular organization of the vagus nerve, the developmental basis of neuron specification and patterned </span>axon guidance that supports this organization, and the regenerative mechanisms that promote, or inhibit, the restoration of vagus nerve organization after nerve damage. Finally, we highlight key unanswered questions in these areas and discuss potential strategies to address these questions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"156 ","pages":"Pages 219-227"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9934841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Structuralism and Adaptationism: Friends? Or foes?","authors":"Rachael L. Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.022","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.022","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Historically, the empirical study of phenotypic diversification has fallen into two rough camps; (1) \"structuralist approaches\" focusing on developmental constraint, bias, and innovation (with evo-devo at the core); and (2) \"adaptationist approaches\" focusing on adaptation, and natural selection. Whilst debates, such as that surrounding the proposed \"Extended\" Evolutionary Synthesis, often juxtapose these two positions, this review focuses on the grey space in between. Specifically, here I present a novel analysis of structuralism which enables us to take a more nuanced look at the motivations behind the structuralist and adaptationist positions. This makes clear how the two approaches can conflict, and points of potential commensurability. The review clarifies (a) the value of the evo-devo approach to phenotypic diversity, but also (b) how it properly relates to other predominant approaches to the same issues in evolutionary biology more broadly.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 13-21"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9312198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reframing research on evolutionary novelty and co-option: Character identity mechanisms versus deep homology","authors":"James DiFrisco , Günter P. Wagner , Alan C. Love","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.030","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.03.030","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A central topic in research at the intersection of development and evolution is the origin of novel traits. Despite progress on understanding how developmental mechanisms underlie patterns of diversity in the history of life, the problem of novelty continues to challenge researchers. Here we argue that research on evolutionary novelty and the closely associated phenomenon of co-option can be reframed fruitfully by: (1) specifying a conceptual model of mechanisms that underwrite character identity, (2) providing a richer and more empirically precise notion of co-option that goes beyond common appeals to “deep homology”, and (3) attending to the nature of experimental interventions that can determine whether and how the co-option of identity mechanisms can help to explain novel character origins. This reframing has the potential to channel future investigation to make substantive progress on the problem of evolutionary novelty. To illustrate this potential, we apply our reframing to two case studies: treehopper helmets and beetle horns.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 3-12"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9674311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kory M. Evans, Thaddaeus J. Buser, Olivier Larouche, Matthew A. Kolmann
{"title":"Untangling the relationship between developmental and evolutionary integration","authors":"Kory M. Evans, Thaddaeus J. Buser, Olivier Larouche, Matthew A. Kolmann","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.026","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.026","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Patterns of integration and modularity among organismal traits are prevalent across the tree of life, and at multiple scales of biological organization. Over the past several decades, researchers have studied these patterns at the developmental, and evolutionary levels. While their work has identified the potential drivers of these patterns at different scales, there appears to be a lack of consensus on the relationship between developmental and evolutionary integration. Here, we review and summarize key studies and build a framework to describe the conceptual relationship between these patterns across organismal scales and illustrate how, and why some of these studies may have yielded seemingly conflicting outcomes. We find that among studies that analyze patterns of integration and modularity using morphological data, the lack of consensus may stem in part from the difficulty of fully disentangling the developmental and functional causes of integration. Nonetheless, in some empirical systems, patterns of evolutionary modularity have been found to coincide with expectations based on developmental processes, suggesting that in some circumstances, developmental modularity may translate to evolutionary modularity. We also advance an extension to Hallgrímsson et al.’s palimpsest model to describe how patterns of trait modularity may shift across different evolutionary scales. Finally, we also propose some directions for future research which will hopefully be useful for investigators interested in these issues.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 22-27"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9689047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deep conservation and co-option of programmed cell death facilitates evolution of alternative phenotypes at multiple biological levels","authors":"Lisa Hanna, Ehab Abouheif","doi":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.024","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.024","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Alternative phenotypes, such as polyphenisms and sexual dimorphisms, are widespread in nature and appear at all levels of biological organization, from genes and cells to morphology and behavior. Yet, our understanding of the mechanisms through which alternative phenotypes develop and how they evolve remains understudied. In this review, we explore the association between alternative phenotypes and programmed cell death, a mechanism responsible for the elimination of superfluous cells during development. We discuss the ancient origins and deep conservation of programmed cell death (its function, forms and underlying core regulatory gene networks), and propose that it was co-opted repeatedly to generate alternative phenotypes at the level of cells, tissues, organs, external morphology, and even individuals. We review several examples from across the </span>tree of life to explore the conditions under which programmed cell death is likely to facilitate the evolution of alternative phenotypes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":21735,"journal":{"name":"Seminars in cell & developmental biology","volume":"145 ","pages":"Pages 28-41"},"PeriodicalIF":7.3,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9689046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}