Article
Developmental Biology
Marina Kaiser, Irina Wojahn, Carsten Rudat, Timo H. Ludtke, Vincent M. Christoffels, Anne Moon, Andreas Kispert, Mark-Oliver Trowe
Summary: TBX2 and TBX3 are identified as novel regulators of inner ear development in mice. Loss of function of these genes results in cochlear hypoplasia and vestibular malformations, ultimately leading to indiscernible inner ear structures at birth. The repression of FGF signaling by TBX2 is crucial for neurogenesis localization in the otocyst.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Layra G. Cintron-Rivera, Gabrielle Oulette, Aishwarya Prakki, Nicole M. Burns, Ratna Patel, Rachel Cyr, Jessica Plavicki
Summary: Dioxins are highly toxic and persistent environmental pollutants that have been shown to act as developmental teratogens. The most potent dioxin congener, TCDD, impairs nervous system, cardiac, and craniofacial development by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). In zebrafish, TCDD exposure leads to craniofacial malformations through downregulation of sox9b, a member of the SoxE gene family. TCDD also affects the development of the zebrafish auditory system, specifically the otic vesicle, leading to structural deficits and altered collagen expression in the ears.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Bruce B. Riley
Summary: Recent years have seen rapid progress in understanding mechanisms of inner ear development, with the research community benefiting from the availability of diverse model organisms such as zebrafish, chick, and mouse. Despite differences between species like zebrafish and mammals, accumulating evidence suggests that underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms are often highly conserved, enabling meaningful comparisons between vertebrate species.
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hayoung Yang, Jiho Ryu, Chungun Lim, Jae-Won Choi, Young-Jun Park, Sung-Wuk Jang, Sungbo Shim
Summary: In this study, the cis-regulatory element that specifically regulates the expression of FOXG1 gene in the inner ear was identified through comparative genome analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The interaction between the FOXG1 otic enhancer and SOXE transcription factor was found to be important for the early development of the inner ear.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Jie Gong, Peipei Qian, Yuebo Hu, Chao Guo, Guanyun Wei, Cheng Wang, Chengyun Cai, Haibo Wang, Dong Liu
Summary: The study revealed that claudin h plays a crucial role in the morphogenesis and auditory function of hair cells in zebrafish, with its deficiency leading to reduced otic vesicle size, hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction, as well as decreased hair cell number and apoptosis in neuromasts.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ben James, Pawel Piekarz, Jose Moya-Diaz, Leon Lagnado
Summary: This study demonstrates how presynaptic integration of vesicles by MVR can increase the efficiency with which sensory information is transmitted compared with a rate-code described by Poisson statistics.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Karyn Jourdeuil, Karen M. Neilson, Helene Cousin, Andre L. P. Tavares, Himani D. Majumdar, Dominique Alfandari, Sally A. Moody
Summary: Zmym4 plays an important role in regulating embryonic cranial gene expression, and its loss results in altered early cranial gene expression as well as abnormal craniofacial cartilage morphology.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Karl J. Wahlin, Jie Cheng, Shawna L. Jurlina, Melissa K. Jones, Nicholas R. Dash, Anna Ogata, Nawal Kibria, Sunayan Ray, Kiara C. Eldred, Catherine Kim, Jacob S. Heng, Jenny Phillips, Robert J. Johnston, David M. Gamm, Cynthia Berlinicke, Donald J. Zack
Summary: Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) show potential in studying human eye development and disease. When grown in 3D, they can form organized retinas, with early hypoxic conditions promoting eye formation via modulating Wnt and Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathways. The newly developed SIX6-GFP and POU4F2-tdTomato reporters serve as reliable markers for studying the development of human retina, hypothalamus, and midbrain/hindbrain organoids.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Mei Yang, Guang-hua Peng
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes, are crucial in regulating metabolism and communicating within cells. Stem cell-derived EVs have the potential for regeneration and avoiding issues like immune rejection or tumor formation. Their therapeutic effect has been proven in various diseases, but the molecular mechanism in retinal repair and regeneration is not fully understood. This review describes the biological characteristics of stem cell-derived EVs, summarizes current research on their use in retinal repair and regeneration, and discusses their potential and challenges in translational medicine.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2023)
Article
Developmental Biology
Andre L. P. Tavares, Karyn Jourdeuil, Karen M. Neilson, Himani D. Majumdar, Sally A. Moody
Summary: The research identified that Sobp may interact with Six1 and play a crucial role in vertebrate craniofacial development. Sobp interferes with transcriptional activation of Six1+Eya1 target genes and altering Sobp levels in Xenopus embryos disrupts otic vesicle development and causes craniofacial cartilage defects. These findings suggest that Sobp modifies Six1 function and is a potential candidate gene for BOR.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Suad Hamdan Almasoudi, Gerhard Schlosser
Summary: Based on immunostaining and confocal microscopy, we have provided a detailed description of otic neurogenesis in Xenopus laevis for the first time, revealing the generation and migration of neuroblasts, differentiation of neurons, and formation of sensory areas during this process. The central role of the phosphatase and transcriptional coactivator Eya1 in maintaining epithelial cell polarity, promoting proliferation of progenitor cells, and facilitating neuronal differentiation has also been highlighted.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jingjing Qi, Fajun Pu, Jianmei Wang, Qian Xu, Qian Tang, Junpeng Li, Bin Wei, Qinglan Yang, Cai Chen, Chunchun Han, Jiwen Wang, Liang Li, Hehe Liu
Summary: The intensity of light has an impact on animal production performance. This study examines how light intensity affects duck growth and investigates the changes in the retina and pineal gland transcriptome under different light intensities. The results show that increasing light intensity significantly decreases production performance and affects the function of the retina and pineal gland.
Article
Developmental Biology
Ryosuke Yamamoto, Hiroe Ohnishi, Koichi Omori, Norio Yamamoto
Summary: This study aimed to identify lineage-specific genes in the early developing inner ear using single-cell RNA sequencing data and discovered potential candidate genes by comparing transcriptomes between different cell clusters.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Adam Davison, Kaspar Gierke, Johann Helmut Brandstaetter, Norbert Babai
Summary: This study investigated the functional and structural maturation of mouse cone photoreceptor ribbon synapses during postnatal development, as well as the role of synaptic ribbons in synaptic vesicle release. The presence of synaptic ribbons attenuated tonic synaptic vesicle release and amplified multiquantal release, but spontaneous release may not depend on synaptic ribbons or voltage-sensitive calcium channels.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Gerhard Schlosser
Summary: Experimental embryology aims to understand the autonomous development of organisms and their interactions with other parts or the environment. The formation of tissues or organs depends on both external and internal factors, and the concept of self-differentiation should be applied to specific parts defined in time and space. This knowledge is still relevant today for the generation of life-like organoids and studying developmental processes and diseases in vitro.
DEVELOPMENT GENES AND EVOLUTION
(2023)