{"title":"Developmental Biology in Greece.","authors":"N. Zagris","doi":"10.1387/ijdb.220039nz","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.220039nz","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:p />","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77839283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aristotle (384-322 BC): the beginnings of Embryology.","authors":"N. Zagris","doi":"10.1387/ijdb.220040nz","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.220040nz","url":null,"abstract":"Aristotle made important contributions to many fields-biology, physics, metaphysics, logic, ethics, rhetoric, psychology, aesthetics, poetry- that are now cultivated by specialized experts, but he never lost sight of the aim of unifying knowledge, of understanding the world as an organized whole. Aristotle was the first to combine wet, field biology with daring cosmological thinking. He is the father of natural history and the first embryologist known to history. Aristotle's classic treatises History of Animals/Περί ζῴων ἱστορίαι, and On the Generation of Animals/ Περί ζῴων γενέσεως \"enjoyed for more than fifteen hundred years an authority altogether without parallel\". Over the last four decades, the introduction of molecular techniques has gradually overturned the entire structure of the biological sciences. Biology, initially a science of inventory and classification in the hands of the 19th-century comparative naturalists, has become a science of codes and regulatory circuits. Aristotle was the first to codify laws of pure logic, and so he founded what is today known as ' proof theory' in mathematics. Aristotle was an inveterate collector and a classifier, the master scientist of his time. His main concern was to classify \"the ultimate furniture of the world\", under basic headings and categories, a powerful human strategy to organize knowledge for comprehension and action. This was part of Aristotle's attempt to create a theory of reality, one strongly opposed to Plato's otherworldly doctrine of the ideal 'forms'. To many generations of thinkers in the great era of Scholastic philosophy, Aristotle was known simply as \"The Philosopher\".","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83441353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molecular characterization of the prostaglandin E receptor subtypes 2a and 4b and their expression patterns during embryogenesis in zebrafish.","authors":"Yongjun Han, Hongbo Chang, Hong Wu","doi":"10.1387/ijdb.210003w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.210003w","url":null,"abstract":"The molecular expression profiles of zebrafish ep2a and ep4b have not been defined to-date. Phylogenetic trees of EP2a and EP4b in zebrafish and other species revealed that human EP4 and zebrafish EP4b were more closely related than EP2a. Zebrafish EP2a is a 281 amino acid protein with high identity to that of human (43%), mouse (44%), rat (43%), dog (44%), cattle (41%), and chicken (41%). Zebrafish EP4b encoded a precursor of 497 amino acids with high amino acid identity to that of mammals, including human (57%), mouse (54%), rat (55%), dog (55%), cattle (56%), and chicken (54%). Whole-mount in situ hybridization revealed that ep2a was robustly expressed in the anterior four somites at the 10-somites stages, but was absent in the somites at 19 hpf. It was observed again in the pronephric duct at 24 hpf, in the intermediate cell mass located in the trunk, and in the rostral blood island at 30 hpf. Ep2a was also expressed in the notochord at 48 hpf. During somitogenesis, ep4b was highly expressed in the eyes, somites, and the trunk neural crest. From 30 to 48 hpf, ep4b could be detected in the posterior cardinal vein and the neighboring ICM. From these data, we conclude that ep2a and ep4b are conserved in vertebrates and that the presence of ep2a and ep4b transcripts during developmental stages infers their role during early zebrafish larval development. In addition, the variable expression of the two receptor isoforms was strongly suggestive of divergent roles of molecular regulation.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73325440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rui-fang Li, Guo-xin Nan, Dan Wang, Chang Gao, Juan Yang, T. He, Zhong-lin Zhang
{"title":"SV40T reprograms Schwann cells into stem-like cells that can re-differentiate into terminal nerve cells.","authors":"Rui-fang Li, Guo-xin Nan, Dan Wang, Chang Gao, Juan Yang, T. He, Zhong-lin Zhang","doi":"10.21203/rs.2.24550/v1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.2.24550/v1","url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\u0000The specific effect of SV40T on neurocytes has been rarely investigated by the researchers. We transfected Schwann cells (SCs) that did not have differentiation ability with MPH 86 plasmid containing SV40T in order to explore the effects of SV40T on Schwann cells.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000SCs were transfected with MPH 86 plasmid carrying the SV40T gene and cultured in different media, as well as co-cultured with neural stem cells (NSCs). In our study, SCs overexpressing SV40T were defined as SV40T-SCs. The proliferation of these cells was detected by WST-1, and the expression of different biomarkers was analyzed by qPCR and immunohistochemistry.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000SV40T induced the characteristics of NSCs, such as the ability to grow in suspension, form spheroid colonies and proliferate rapidly, in the SCs, which were reversed by knocking out SV40T by the Flip-adenovirus. In addition, SV40T upregulated the expressions of neural crest-associated markers Nestin, Pax3 and Slug, and down-regulated S100b as well as the markers of mature SCs MBP, GFAP and Olig1/2. These cells also expressed NSC markers like Nestin, Sox2, CD133 and SSEA-1, as well as early development markers of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) like BMP4, c-Myc, OCT4 and Gbx2. Co-culturing with NSCs induced differentiation of the SV40T-SCs into neuronal and glial cells.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000SV40T reprograms Schwann cells to stem-like cells at the stage of neural crest cells (NCCs) that can differentiate to neurocytes.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84277330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"In Memoriam - Antony Durston.","authors":"M. Cohen, V. Nanjundiah, C. Weijer, K. Zhu","doi":"10.1387/ijdb.200236vn","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.200236vn","url":null,"abstract":"Antony Durston, Tony to friends and colleagues, died on February 21, 2020 following sepsis caused by an underlying medical condition. He made important and highly original contributions to our understanding of the principles that underlie multicellular organisation and development (see Supplementary Material). The attitude which he brought to bear while doing science is as noteworthy as his research. What follows is a brief sketch of his career and persona. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree with Botany as his major from the University of Nottingham in 1965, Tony joined Neville Symonds to do a PhD in bacteriophage genetics at the University of Sussex, where he was influenced as well by Brian Goodwin and John Maynard Smith. It was Symonds who inspired him to develop his natural tendency to think outside the box.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72646487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Sannino, A. M. Kolinjivadi, G. Baldi, V. Costanzo
{"title":"Studying essential DNA metabolism proteins in Xenopus egg extract.","authors":"V. Sannino, A. M. Kolinjivadi, G. Baldi, V. Costanzo","doi":"10.1387/IJDB.160103VC","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/IJDB.160103VC","url":null,"abstract":"The correct duplication of genetic information is essential to maintain genome stability, which is lost in cancer cells. Replication fork integrity is ensured by a number of DNA metabolism proteins that assist replication of chromatin regions difficult to replicate due to their intrinsic DNA sequence composition, coordinate repair of DNA molecules resulting from aberrant replication events or protect replication forks in the presence of lesions impairing their progression. Some DNA metabolism genes involved in DNA repair are essential in higher eukaryotes even in unchallenged conditions, suggesting the existence of biological processes requiring these specialized functions in organisms with complex genomes. The impact on cell survival of null mutants of many DNA metabolism genes has precluded complete in depth analysis of their function. Cell free extracts represent a fundamental tool to overcome survival issues. The Xenopus laevis egg cell free extract is an ideal system to study replication-associated functions of essential genes. We are taking advantage of this system together with innovative imaging and proteomic based experimental approaches to characterize the molecular function of essential DNA metabolism proteins. Using this approach we have uncovered the role of some essential homologous recombination and fork protection proteins in chromosomal DNA replication and we have characterized some of the factors required for faithful replication of specific vertebrate genomic regions. This approach will be instrumental to study the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of a number of essential DNA metabolism proteins involved in the maintenance of genome stability in complex genomes.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82285023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Aurora-A: an expedition to the pole of the spindle in Xenopus egg extracts.","authors":"J. Kubiak, C. Prigent","doi":"10.1387/IJDB.160189JK","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/IJDB.160189JK","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this short review is to describe the contribution of Xenopus laevis egg extracts to the discovery and understanding of the regulation and function of the serine/threonine kinase Aurora-A. The power of these extracts to recapitulate cell cycle events makes them a precious tool to decipher complex biological processes at the molecular level, including the mechanisms that affect Aurora-A (post-translational modifications) and mechanisms in which Aurora-A plays a crucial role (bipolar spindle assembly). We focus on the results obtained in cell-free extracts, but we also give an updated overview of Aurora A functions found in other systems.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74498907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Dȩbowski, Mohammed El Dika, J. Malejczyk, R. Zdanowski, C. Prigent, J. Tassan, M. Kloc, M. Lachowicz, J. Kubiak
{"title":"Flexibility vs. robustness in cell cycle regulation of timing of M-phase entry in Xenopus laevis embryo cell-free extract.","authors":"M. Dȩbowski, Mohammed El Dika, J. Malejczyk, R. Zdanowski, C. Prigent, J. Tassan, M. Kloc, M. Lachowicz, J. Kubiak","doi":"10.1387/IJDB.160134JK","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/IJDB.160134JK","url":null,"abstract":"During the cell cycle, cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) play major roles in the regulation of mitosis. CDK1 phosphorylates a series of substrates triggering M-phase entry. Most of these substrates are dephosphorylated by PP2A. To allow phosphorylation of CDK1 substrates, PP2A is progressively inactivated upon M-phase entry. We have shown previously that the interplay between these two activities determines the timing of M-phase entry. Slight diminution of CDK1 activity by the RO3306 inhibitor delays M-phase entry in a dose-dependent manner in Xenopus embryo cell-free extract, while reduction of PP2A activity by OA inhibitor accelerates this process also in a dose-dependent manner. However, when a mixture of RO3306 and OA is added to the extract, an intermediate timing of M-phase entry is observed. Here we use a mathematical model to describe and understand this interplay. Simulations showing acceleration and delay in M-phase entry match previously described experimental data. CDC25 phosphatase is a major activator of CDK1 and acts through CDK1 Tyr15 and Thr14 dephosphorylation. Addition of CDC25 activity to our mathematical model was also consistent with our experimental results. To verify whether our assumption that the dynamics of CDC25 activation used in this model are the same in all experimental variants, we analyzed the dynamics of CDC25 phosphorylation, which reflect its activation. We confirm that these dynamics are indeed very similar in control extracts and when RO3306 and OA are present separately. However, when RO3306 and OA are added simultaneously to the extract, activation of CDC25 is slightly delayed. Integration of this parameter allowed us to improve our model. Furthermore, the pattern of CDK1 dephosphorylation on Tyr15 showed that the real dynamics of CDK1 activation are very similar in all experimental variants. The model presented here accurately describes, in mathematical terms, how the interplay between CDK1, PP2A and CDC25 controls the flexible timing of M-phase entry.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74317937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"MPF, starfish oocyte and cell-free extract in the background - an interview with Takeo Kishimoto.","authors":"J. Kubiak, T. Kishimoto","doi":"10.1387/IJDB.160348JK","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/IJDB.160348JK","url":null,"abstract":"Professor Takeo Kishimoto's research has an enormous impact on the cell cycle field. Although his favorite model has always been a starfish oocyte, he has used many other model organisms in his research. Cell-free extracts have been wildly used in his laboratory as a very useful tool to answer cell cycle research questions. Recently, professor Kishimoto discovered the identity of the M-phase promoting factor (MPF) that was thought for years to be cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1). However, Takeo Kishimoto found that MPF consists in fact of two kinases: CDK1 and Greatwall kinase. While CDK1 phosphorylates mitotic substrates, Greatwall kinase allows these substrates to persist in their phosphorylated state because it regulates phosphatase PP2A, which dephosphorylates the majority of CDK1 substrates. When I started to interview Prof. Kishimoto, I was mostly interested in his experiences with cell-free extracts. However, as you will see below we almost immediately turned to the problem of the identity of MPF. This is fully understandable because the identity of MPF seems to be a major interest in Takeo's scientific career. I hope readers will enjoy this interview and will be able to learn about many aspects of scientific research, which do not usually appear in regular research papers.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88717138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cell-free extracts in Development and Cancer Research for over 40 years.","authors":"J. Kubiak","doi":"10.1387/IJDB.160222JK","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1387/IJDB.160222JK","url":null,"abstract":"Analysis of cell-free extracts has allowed us to understand many of the fundamental processes of cell physiology and pathology, including those involved in embryo development and cancer. This methodology is being continuously modified and improved. Papers selected for this Special Issue will show readers the plethora of systems and applications of this methodology.","PeriodicalId":94228,"journal":{"name":"The International journal of developmental biology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74460218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}