Articles

Intrinsic factors and the embryonic environment influence the formation of extragonadal teratomas during gestation

Pluripotent cells are present in early embryos until the levels of the pluripotency regulator Oct4 drop at the beginning of somitogenesis. Elevating Oct4 levels in explanted post-pluripotent cells in vitro res...

Authors: Constantinos Economou, Anestis Tsakiridis, Filip J. Wymeersch, Sabrina Gordon-Keylock, Robert E Dewhurst, Dawn Fisher, Alexander Medvinsky, Andrew JH Smith and Valerie Wilson

Conservation analysis of sequences flanking the testis-determining gene Sry in 17 mammalian species

Sex determination in mammals requires expression of the Y-linked gene Sry in the bipotential genital ridges of the XY embryo. Even minor delay of the onset of Sry expression can result in XY sex reversal, highlig...

Authors: Christian Larney, Timothy L. Bailey and Peter Koopman

Cooperative and independent functions of FGF and Wnt signaling during early inner ear development

In multiple vertebrate organisms, including chick, Xenopus, and zebrafish, Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) and Wnt signaling cooperate during formation of the otic placode. However, in the mouse, although FGF sign...

Authors: Kevin D. Wright, Amanda A. Mahoney Rogers, Jian Zhang and Katherine Shim

Evidence for lung epithelial stem cell niches

Recent studies have identified epithelial stem and progenitor cell populations of the lung. We are just beginning to understand the mechanisms that regulate their homeostatic, regenerative and maladaptive beha...

Authors: Matt L. Donne, Andrew J. Lechner and Jason R. Rock

The growth pattern of the human intestine and its mesentery

It remains unclear to what extent midgut rotation determines human intestinal topography and pathology. We reinvestigated the midgut during its looping and herniation phases of development, using novel 3D visu...

Authors: Jelly HM Soffers, Jill PJM Hikspoors, Hayelom K. Mekonen, S. Eleonore Koehler and Wouter H. Lamers

The pattern of congenital heart defects arising from reduced Tbx5 expression is altered in a Down syndrome mouse model

Nearly half of all individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) have some type of congenital heart defect (CHD), suggesting that DS sensitizes to CHD but does not cause it. We used a common mouse model of DS, the Ts65D...

Authors: Renita C. Polk, Peter Gergics, Jeffrey D. Steimle, Huiqing Li, Ivan P. Moskowitz, Sally A. Camper and Roger H. Reeves

Monitoring brain development of chick embryos in vivo using 3.0 T MRI: subdivision volume change and preliminary structural quantification using DTI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many advantages in the research of in vivo embryonic brain development, specifically its noninvasive aspects and ability to avoid skeletal interference. However, few studie...

Authors: Zien Zhou, Zengai Chen, Jiehui Shan, Weiwei Ma, Lei Li, Jinyan Zu and Jianrong Xu

Key pathways regulated by HoxA9,10,11/HoxD9,10,11 during limb development

The 39 mammalian Hox genes show problematic patterns of functional overlap. In order to more fully define the developmental roles of Hox genes it is necessary to remove multiple combinations of paralogous and ...

Authors: Anna M. Raines, Bliss Magella, Mike Adam and S. Steven Potter

FOXL2 modulates cartilage, skeletal development and IGF1-dependent growth in mice

Haploinsufficiency of the FOXL2 transcription factor in humans causes Blepharophimosis/Ptosis/Epicanthus Inversus syndrome (BPES), characterized by eyelid anomalies and premature ovarian failure. Mice lacking Fox...

Authors: Mara Marongiu, Loredana Marcia, Emanuele Pelosi, Mario Lovicu, Manila Deiana, Yonqing Zhang, Alessandro Puddu, Angela Loi, Manuela Uda, Antonino Forabosco, David Schlessinger and Laura Crisponi

Morphologically defined sub-stages of C. elegans vulval development in the fourth larval stage

During the fourth larval (L4) stage, vulval cells of C. elegans undergo extensive morphogenesis accompanied by changes in gene expression. This phase of vulval development, occurring after the well-studied induct...

Authors: Darren Z. L. Mok, Paul W. Sternberg and Takao Inoue

Validating reference microRNAs for normalizing qRT-PCR data in bovine oocytes and preimplantation embryos

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene targets. Accurate quantification of miRNA expression using validated internal controls should aid in the understa...

Authors: Mahdi Mahdipour, Helena T.A. van Tol, Tom A.E. Stout and Bernard A.J. Roelen

Myc regulates programmed cell death and radial glia dedifferentiation after neural injury in an echinoderm

Adult echinoderms can completely regenerate major parts of their central nervous system even after severe injuries. Even though this capacity has long been known, the molecular mechanisms that drive fast and c...

Authors: Vladimir S Mashanov, Olga R Zueva and José E García-Arrarás

The Aurora A-HP1γ pathway regulates gene expression and mitosis in cells from the sperm lineage

HP1γ, a well-known regulator of gene expression, has been recently identified to be a target of Aurora A, a mitotic kinase which is important for both gametogenesis and embryogenesis. The purpose of this study...

Authors: Phoebe H. Leonard, Adrienne Grzenda, Angela Mathison, Dean E. Morbeck, Jolene R. Fredrickson, Thiago M. de Assuncao, Trace Christensen, Jeffrey Salisbury, Ezequiel Calvo, Juan Iovanna, Charles C. Coddington, Raul Urrutia and Gwen Lomberk

Mantle margin morphogenesis in Nodipecten nodosus (Mollusca: Bivalvia): new insights into the development and the roles of bivalve pallial folds

Despite extensive knowledge on bivalve anatomy and development, the formation and differentiation of the mantle margin and its associated organs remain largely unclear. Bivalves from the family Pectinidae (sca...

Authors: Jorge A. Audino, José Eduardo A. R. Marian, Andreas Wanninger and Sônia G. B. C. Lopes

Sprouty gene dosage influences temporal-spatial dynamics of primary enamel knot formation

The mouse embryonic mandible comprises two types of tooth primordia in the cheek region: progressive tooth primordia of prospective functional teeth and rudimentary tooth primordia in premolar region – MS and ...

Authors: Katerina Lochovska, Renata Peterkova, Zuzana Pavlikova and Maria Hovorakova

Cropped, Drosophila transcription factor AP-4, controls tracheal terminal branching and cell growth

Endothelial or epithelial cellular branching is vital in development and cancer progression; however, the molecular mechanisms of these processes are not clear. In Drosophila, terminal cell at the end of some tra...

Authors: Matthew Man-Kin Wong, Ming-Fai Liu and Sung Kay Chiu

An optimised whole mount in situ hybridisation protocol for the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis

The ability to visualise the expression of individual genes in situ is an invaluable tool for developmental and evolutionary biologists; it allows for the characterisation of gene function, gene regulation and th...

Authors: Jennifer Hohagen, Ines Herlitze and Daniel John Jackson

Development and origins of Zebrafish ocular vasculature

The developing eye receives blood supply from two vascular systems, the intraocular hyaloid system and the superficial choroidal vessels. In zebrafish, a highly stereotypic and simple set of vessels develops o...

Authors: Rivka Kaufman, Omri Weiss, Meyrav Sebbagh, Revital Ravid, Liron Gibbs-Bar, Karina Yaniv and Adi Inbal

Spontaneous long-range calcium waves in developing butterfly wings

Butterfly wing color patterns emerge as the result of a regular arrangement of scales produced by epithelial scale cells at the pupal stage. These color patterns and scale arrangements are coordinated througho...

Authors: Yoshikazu Ohno and Joji M Otaki

Role of marsupial tammar wallaby milk in lung maturation of pouch young

Marsupials such as the tammar wallaby (M.Eugenii) have a short gestation (29.3 days) and at birth the altricial young resembles a fetus, and the major development occurs postnatally while the young remains in the...

Authors: Vengamanaidu Modepalli, Lyn A Hinds, Julie A Sharp, Christophe Lefevre and Kevin R Nicholas

Neural stem and progenitor cell fate transition requires regulation of Musashi1 function

There is increasing evidence of a pivotal role for regulated mRNA translation in control of developmental cell fate transitions. Physiological and pathological stem and progenitor cell self-renewal is maintain...

Authors: Angus M MacNicol, Linda L Hardy, Horace J Spencer and Melanie C MacNicol

Human Dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs): isolation, enrichment and comparative differentiation of two sub-populations

Human dental pulp represents a suitable alternative source of stem cells for the purpose of cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine, because it is relatively easy to obtain it, using low invasive procedu...

Authors: Alessandra Pisciotta, Gianluca Carnevale, Simona Meloni, Massimo Riccio, Sara De Biasi, Lara Gibellini, Adriano Ferrari, Giacomo Bruzzesi and Anto De Pol

DNA methylation dynamics at imprinted genes during bovine pre-implantation embryo development

In mammals, maternal differentially methylated regions (DMRs) acquire DNA methylation during the postnatal growth stage of oogenesis, with paternal DMRs acquiring DNA methylation in the perinatal prospermatago...

Authors: Alan M O’Doherty, David A Magee, Lynee C O’Shea, Niamh Forde, Marijke E Beltman, Solomon Mamo and Trudee Fair

Embryonic and larval development in the Midas cichlid fish species flock (Amphilophus spp.): a new evo-devo model for the investigation of adaptive novelties and species differences

Central American crater lake cichlid fish of the Midas species complex (Amphilophus spp.) are a model system for sympatric speciation and fast ecological diversification and specialization. Midas cichlids have be...

Authors: Claudius F Kratochwil, Maggie M Sefton and Axel Meyer

An automated system for quantitative analysis of Drosophila larval locomotion

Drosophila larvae have been used as a model to study to genetic and cellular circuitries modulating behaviors. One of the challenges in behavioral study is the quantification of complex phenoty...

Authors: Boanerges Aleman-Meza, Sang-Kyu Jung and Weiwei Zhong

Imaging the Drosophila retina: zwitterionic buffers PIPES and HEPES induce morphological artifacts in tissue fixation

Tissue fixation is crucial for preserving the morphology of biological structures and cytological details to prevent postmortem degradation and autolysis. Improper fixation conditions could lead to artifacts a...

Authors: Jing Nie, Simpla Mahato and Andrew C Zelhof

The medaka dhc2 mutant reveals conserved and distinct mechanisms of Hedgehog signaling in teleosts

Primary cilia are essential for Hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction in vertebrates. Although the core components of the Hh pathway are highly conserved, the dependency on cilia in Hh signaling is considered to b...

Authors: Takayoshi Yamamoto, Tatsuya Tsukahara, Tadashi Ishiguro, Haruo Hagiwara, Masanori Taira and Hiroyuki Takeda

Reversible regulation of stem cell niche size associated with dietary control of Notch signalling

Stem cells can respond to environmental and physiological inputs to adaptively remodel tissues. Little is known about whether stem cell niches are similarly responsive. The Drosophila ovary germline stem cell (GS...

Authors: Alessandro Bonfini, Marian B Wilkin and Martin Baron

Transcriptome analysis of the hormone-sensing cells in mammary epithelial reveals dynamic changes in early pregnancy

Alveoli, the milk-producing units of the mammary gland, are generated during pregnancy by collaboration of different epithelial cell types. We present the first analysis of transcriptional changes within the h...

Authors: Duvini De Silva, Kamini Kunasegaran, Sujoy Ghosh and Alexandra M Pietersen

Distinct expression and localization of the type II diacylglycerol kinase isozymes δ, η and κ in the mouse reproductive organs

We have revealed that the type II diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs) δ, η and κ were expressed in the testis and ovary. However, these enzymes’ functions in the reproductive organs remain unknown.

Authors: Takao Shionoya, Takako Usuki, Suguru Komenoi, Takeshi Isozaki, Hiromichi Sakai and Fumio Sakane

Reviewer acknowledgement 2014

The editors of BMC Developmental Biology would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed to the journal in Volume 14 (2014).

Authors: Philippa K Harris

Development of the follicular basement membrane during human gametogenesis and early folliculogenesis

In society, there is a clear need to improve the success rate of techniques to restore fertility. Therefore a deeper knowledge of the dynamics of the complex molecular environment that regulates human gametoge...

Authors: A Marijne Heeren, Liesbeth van Iperen, Daniëlle B Klootwijk, Ana de Melo Bernardo, Matthias S Roost, Maria M Gomes Fernandes, Leonie A Louwe, Carina G Hilders, Frans M Helmerhorst, Lucette A J van der Westerlaken and Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes

Epigenetic regulation of histone modifications and Gata6 gene expression induced by maternal diet in mouse embryoid bodies in a model of developmental programming

Dietary interventions during pregnancy alter offspring fitness. We have shown mouse maternal low protein diet fed exclusively for the preimplantation period (Emb-LPD) before return to normal protein diet (NPD)...

Authors: Congshan Sun, Oleg Denisenko, Bhavwanti Sheth, Andy Cox, Emma S Lucas, Neil R Smyth and Tom P Fleming

Novel monoclonal antibodies to study tissue regeneration in planarians

Planarians are an attractive model organism for studying stem cell-based regeneration due to their ability to replace all of their tissues from a population of adult stem cells. The molecular toolkit for plana...

Authors: Kelly G Ross, Kerilyn C Omuro, Matthew R Taylor, Roma K Munday, Amy Hubert, Ryan S King and Ricardo M Zayas

Bioelectric patterning during oogenesis: stage-specific distribution of membrane potentials, intracellular pH and ion-transport mechanisms in Drosophila ovarian follicles

Bioelectric phenomena have been found to exert influence on various developmental and regenerative processes. Little is known about their possible functions and the cellular mechanisms by which they might act ...

Authors: Julia Krüger and Johannes Bohrmann

Denervation impairs regeneration of amputated zebrafish fins

Zebrafish are able to regenerate many of its tissues and organs after damage. In amphibians this process is regulated by nerve fibres present at the site of injury, which have been proposed to release factors ...

Authors: Mariana G Simões, Anabela Bensimon-Brito, Mariana Fonseca, Ana Farinho, Fábio Valério, Sara Sousa, Nuno Afonso, Anoop Kumar and Antonio Jacinto

Improved application of the electrophoretic tissue clearing technology, CLARITY, to intact solid organs including brain, pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, and intestine

Mapping of tissue structure at the cellular, circuit, and organ-wide scale is important for understanding physiological and biological functions. A bio-electrochemical technique known as CLARITY used for three...

Authors: Hyunsu Lee, Jae-Hyung Park, Incheol Seo, Sun-Hyun Park and Shin Kim

Generation of cell type-specific monoclonal antibodies for the planarian and optimization of sample processing for immunolabeling

Efforts to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration have required the application of methods to detect specific cell types and tissues in a growing cohort of experimental animal models. ...

Authors: David J Forsthoefel, Forrest A Waters and Phillip A Newmark

The role of Sox9 in mouse mammary gland development and maintenance of mammary stem and luminal progenitor cells

Identification and characterization of molecular controls that regulate mammary stem and progenitor cell homeostasis are critical to our understanding of normal mammary gland development and its pathology.

Authors: Gautam K Malhotra, Xiangshan Zhao, Emily Edwards, Janel L Kopp, Mayumi Naramura, Maike Sander, Hamid Band and Vimla Band

Isoform-specific functions of Mud/NuMA mediate binucleation of Drosophilamale accessory gland cells

In standard cell division, the cells undergo karyokinesis and then cytokinesis. Some cells, however, such as cardiomyocytes and hepatocytes, can produce binucleate cells by going through mitosis without cytoki...

Authors: Kiichiro Taniguchi, Akihiko Kokuryo, Takao Imano, Ryunosuke Minami, Hideki Nakagoshi and Takashi Adachi-Yamada

Perturbing the developing skull: using laser ablation to investigate the robustness of the infraorbital bones in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

The development of the craniofacial skeleton from embryonic mesenchyme is a complex process that is not yet completely understood, particularly for intramembranous bones. This study investigates the developmen...

Authors: Carolyn T Chang and Tamara Anne Franz-Odendaal

TGF-β signaling can act from multiple tissues to regulate C. elegansbody size

Regulation of organ and body size is a fundamental biological phenomenon, requiring tight coordination between multiple tissues to ensure accurate proportional growth. In C. elegans, a TGF-β pathway is the major ...

Authors: Aidan Dineen and Jeb Gaudet

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling regulates cell proliferation, cell survival, and differentiation in regenerating zebrafish fins

The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway has been implicated in functions of multicellular processes, including cell growth and metabolism. Although recent reports showed that ma...

Authors: Kentaro Hirose, Taishi Shiomi, Shunya Hozumi and Yutaka Kikuchi

A vertebrate-conserved cis-regulatory module for targeted expression in the main hypothalamic regulatory region for the stress response

The homeodomain transcription factor orthopedia (Otp) is an evolutionarily conserved regulator of neuronal fates. In vertebrates, Otp is necessary for the proper development of different regions of the brain a...

Authors: Jose Arturo Gutierrez-Triana, Ulrich Herget, Patrick Lichtner, Luis A Castillo-Ramírez and Soojin Ryu

Expression of maternally derived KHDC3, NLRP5, OOEP and TLE6is associated with oocyte developmental competence in the ovine species

The sub-cortical maternal complex (SCMC), located in the subcortex of mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos, is composed of at least four proteins encoded by maternal effect genes: OOEP, NLRP5/MATER, TLE6 ...

Authors: Daniela Bebbere, Federica Ariu, Luisa Bogliolo, Laura Masala, Ombretta Murrone, Mauro Fattorini, Laura Falchi and Sergio Ledda

Erratum to: Changes in expression of class 3 semaphorins and their receptors during development of the rat retina and superior colliculus

Authors: Anil Sharma, Chrisna J LeVaillant, Giles W Plant and Alan R Harvey

DNAJB13, a type II HSP40 family member, localizes to the spermatids and spermatozoa during mouse spermatogenesis

Hundreds of HSP40s derived from various species have been identified, of which several proteins are involved in spermatogenesis. DNAJB13 is a type II HSP40/DnaJ protein. In a previous study, we cloned mouse Dnajb...

Authors: Weina Li and Gang Liu

A self-avoidance mechanism in patterning of the urinary collecting duct tree

Glandular organs require the development of a correctly patterned epithelial tree. These arise by iterative branching: early branches have a stereotyped anatomy, while subsequent branching is more flexible, br...

Authors: Jamie A Davies, Peter Hohenstein, C-Hong Chang and Rachel Berry

Vascularization of primary and secondary ossification centres in the human growth plate

The switch from cartilage template to bone during endochondral ossification of the growth plate requires a dynamic and close interaction between cartilage and the developing vasculature. Vascular invasion of t...

Authors: Sonja M Walzer, Erdal Cetin, Ruth Grübl-Barabas, Irene Sulzbacher, Beate Rueger, Werner Girsch, Stefan Toegel, Reinhard Windhager and Michael B Fischer

Changes in expression of Class 3 Semaphorins and their receptors during development of the rat retina and superior colliculus

Members of the Semaphorin 3 family (Sema3s) influence the development of the central nervous system, and some are implicated in regulating aspects of visual system development. However, we lack information abo...

Authors: Anil Sharma, Chrisna J LeVaillant, Giles W Plant and Alan R Harvey