Review
Cell Biology
Vincent Mirouse
Summary: The Dystrophin-Associated Protein Complex (DAPC) is a well-defined and evolutionarily conserved complex in animals, which interacts with the F-actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. Its function is not limited to muscle integrity maintenance, but also involves adhesive properties and mechanotransduction. The review also highlights its developmental roles in tissue morphogenesis and basement membrane assembly.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
James M. Gahan, Lucas Leclere, Maria Hernandez-Valladares, Fabian Rentzsch
Summary: By analyzing the evolution of the CoREST-Lsd1-HDAC complex, researchers found that it is only present in choanoflagellates and animals. They identified a conserved CoREST complex in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. The expression pattern and mutant phenotypes of NvCoREST and NvLsd1 suggest that this complex is an ancient component of the animal developmental toolkit.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Gavin C. Woodruff
Summary: A study reveals that a chitin synthase is necessary for tooth development in the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, providing insights into the structural basis of phenotypically plastic feeding structures.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel L. Barabasi, Taliesin Beynon, Adam Katona, Nicolas Perez-Nieves
Summary: This paper introduces neurodevelopmental considerations into the framework of machine learning, simulating the evolutionary selection process in brain development by updating the connection rules of neurons to improve task fitness. Experimental results show that this model not only provides high accuracy in machine learning but also compresses the parameter count, and it can select simple circuits from metalearning tasks to provide stable and adaptive performance. By introducing neurodevelopmental considerations, we not only model the emergence of innate behaviors but also define a discovery process for structures that promote complex computations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Rachel Keeffe, David C. Blackburn
Summary: This study examines the functional consequences of limb bone fusion in frogs, specifically focusing on the radioulna in anurans. By using finite element modeling methods, the researchers find that semi-fused radioulna exhibit lower stress and better resistance to bending compared to unfused or completely fused models. The results suggest that radioulna morphology is optimized to minimize stress and volume. Additionally, this study highlights unique features and variations in anuran radioulnae.
JOURNAL OF ANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Maria Teresa Sandoval, Romina Gaona, Lucila Marilen Curi, Fernanda Abreliano, Rafael Carlos Lajmanovich, Paola Mariela Peltzer
Summary: This study aimed to describe and compare heart development in three Neotropical anuran species, finding some heterochronic events between species and different patterns of melanophores arrangement. Embryonic and metamorphic periods were highlighted as critical stages for normal morphogenesis and correct functioning of the anuran heart.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marta Maria Antoniazzi, Pedro Luiz Mailho-Fontana, Fausto Nomura, Heloisa Bastianon Azevedo, Daniel Carvalho Pimenta, Juliana Mozer Sciani, Fernando Rogerio Carvalho, Denise Cerqueira Rossa-Feres, Carlos Jared
Summary: This study investigates the adhesion phenomenon during reproduction in the Brazilian microhylid Dermatonotus muelleri, which has differentiated ventral glands. The adhesion is found to be related to arm shortening and rounded body, potentially constituting important adaptive factors to life underground.
Article
Cell Biology
Guillaume Giraud, Rachel Paul, Marilyne Duffraisse, Soumen Khan, L. S. Shashidhara, Samir Merabet
Summary: Developmental processes must be robust and flexible to cope with genetic and environmental variations. A self-sufficient molecular model is proposed to explain the development of a specific flight organ in the fruit fly, indicating a potential molecular strategy for Hox proteins to innovate and stabilize new forms during evolution.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Frances S. Dunn, Alexander G. Liu, Dmitriy Grazhdankin, Philip Vixseboxse, Joseph Flannery-Sutherland, Emily Green, Simon Harris, Philip R. Wilby, Philip C. J. Donoghue
Summary: Researchers characterized the development of Charnia masoni and established its affinity with rangeomorphs in the Ediacaran macrobiota, providing evidence for their internal interconnected nature. The study revealed that Charnia was constructed of repeated branches and proposed homology between disparate rangeomorph taxa. By resolving Charnia as a stem-eumetazoan, the research expanded on the anatomical disparity of that group and brought competing records of early animal evolution into closer agreement.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peter Grechenig, Christoph Grechenig, Gloria Hohenberger, Marco Johannes Maier, Georg Lipnik, Angelika Schwarz, Theresa di Vora, Axel Gansslen
Summary: This study evaluated the relationship between the lumbosacral trunk (LT) and the sacro-iliac joint (SIJ). Measurements of the SIJ length and distances between the spinal nerves and the SIJ showed that a longer SIJ was associated with the nerves being closer to the joint.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daniel Ksepka
Summary: New research shows a connection between the embryonic development of bird pelvis and the evolution from archosaurs to birds.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Aldea, Yuji Atsuta, Blerina Kokalari, Stephen F. Schaffner, Rexxi D. Prasasya, Adam Aharoni, Heather L. Dingwall, Bailey Warder, Yana G. Kamberov
Summary: This study reveals the genetic basis of high eccrine gland density in humans and identifies multiple interacting mutations in the human ECE18 enhancer that promote eccrine gland formation. The research suggests that regulation of the EN1 gene has evolved specifically in humans to contribute to this unique human adaptation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Rowena Smith, Andrej Susor, Hao Ming, Janet Tait, Marco Conti, Zongliang Jiang, Chih-Jen Lin
Summary: Oocyte developmental competence and embryogenesis rely on the H3.3 chaperone Hira complex, which regulates chromatin condensation and transcriptional quiescence.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olga Levchenko, Elena Dadali, Ludmila Bessonova, Nina Demina, Galina Rudenskaya, Galina Matyushchenko, Tatiana Markova, Inga Anisimova, Natalia Semenova, Olga Shchagina, Oxana Ryzhkova, Rena Zinchenko, Varvara Galkina, Victoria Voinova, Sabina Nagieva, Alexander Lavrov
Summary: Intellectual development disorder (IDD) is characterized by deficits in intellectual and adaptive functioning. This study investigated the genetic structure of IDD, particularly in patients with non-specific IDD. Hereditary forms of IDD accounted for a significant portion of non-specific IDD cases, with monogenic forms being the most common. Variants in genes associated with the BAF (SWI/SNF) complex were frequently identified. Whole-exome sequencing was found to be an efficient diagnostic method after standard examination of patients with IDD in Russia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Alissa M. Williams, Thi Minh Ngo, Veronica E. Figueroa, Ann T. Tate
Summary: The pressure to survive pathogen exposure drives the fast evolution of immune genes, but some immune genes are also under purifying selection. This study found that immune genes involved in both developmental and immunological functions evolve more slowly and have stronger evolutionary constraint, particularly those expressed across different life stages.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
