Article
Cell Biology
Carlos Garcia-Padilla, Francisco Hernandez-Torres, Estefania Lozano-Velasco, Angel Duenas, Maria del Mar Munoz-Gallardo, Isabel S. Garcia-Valencia, Lledo Palencia-Vincent, Amelia Aranega, Diego Franco
Summary: Bmp and Fgf signaling are involved in embryonic development, and their modulation of microRNAs plays a crucial role in regulating cell fate during cardiomyogenesis and PE/ST development. However, the role of Bmp and Fgf signaling in mouse PE/ST development is different from that in chicken, and their impact on cardiomyogenesis and fibrogenesis is limited. Species-specific differences in regulating PE/ST cardiomyogenic lineage commitment are supported by the data.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kenan Jia, Wei Wang, Qing Zhang, Wensuo Jia
Summary: Plant cell walls are crucial for plant growth and adaptation to environmental stresses. Plants have evolved signaling mechanisms to maintain cell wall integrity, which can be activated by environmental and developmental signals. While the signaling pathways associated with environmental stress have been well studied, less attention has been given to cell wall integrity signaling in relation to normal plant growth and development. This review focuses on the role of cell wall integrity signaling in fruit ripening, including the signaling pathways involved in cell wall fragment, calcium, and NO signaling, as well as the involvement of Receptor-Like Protein Kinases (RLKs), specifically FERONIA and THESEUS, in hormone signal regulation during fruit development and ripening.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ana Belen Sanz, Sonia Diez-Muniz, Jennifer Moya, Yuliya Petryk, Cesar Nombela, Jose M. Rodriguez-Pena, Javier Arroyo
Summary: Conditions altering the yeast cell wall lead to the activation of an adaptive transcriptional response mainly governed by the cell wall integrity (CWI) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Two high-throughput screenings were conducted to identify genes related to cell wall integrity and transcriptional program elicited by cell wall stress. Functional groups related to chromatin organization, Golgi vesicle transport, rRNA processing, and protein glycosylation were found to be highly representative. Additionally, genes associated with RNA metabolism, transcription/translation, protein degradation, and chromatin organization were highlighted.
Article
Developmental Biology
Ayan T. Ray, Philippe Soriano
Summary: Loss of FGF signaling leads to defects in salivary gland branching. Disruption of Fgfr1 and Fgfr2 expression in salivary gland epithelial cells reveals their coordinated function in regulating branching. Non-canonical FGF signaling mechanisms involving cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion play a role in salivary gland branching morphogenesis.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Chen, Changyong Wang, Wei Liu, Bicheng Zhao, Zhicheng Zeng, Fen Long, Chunlan Wang, Siwei Li, Naibo Lin, Jin Zhou
Summary: Injectable hydrogels carrying therapeutic factors show potential in MI treatment. A new hydrogel system, MPGC4, is developed to release therapeutic factors in a controlled manner. It improves cardiac function by modulating macrophage transition in a rat model of MI.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Yangyang Yang, Pengdong Xie, Jing Yuan, Yongxiang Liu, Miao Zhang, Yongcai Li, Yang Bi, Dov B. Prusky
Summary: This study identifies the crucial role of AaCrz1 in the development, infection structure formation, calcium homeostasis, cell wall integrity, and virulence of the phytopathogenic fungus A. alternata.
POSTHARVEST BIOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Jie Cui, Weifeng Tang, Wenqian Wang, La Yi, Fangzhou Teng, Fei Xu, Mihui Li, Mengyu Ma, Jingcheng Dong
Summary: Asthma is a difficult-to-cure disease and there is an urgent need for more reliable and effective medications. Acteoside, a phenylpropanoid glycoside found in various herbs, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, there have been few studies on the impact of acteoside on asthma. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective effects of acteoside on asthma and explore the underlying mechanisms both in vivo and in vitro.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wang Yuan, Yi M. Weaver, Svetlana Earnest, Clinton A. Taylor, Melanie H. Cobb, Benjamin P. Weaver
Summary: The authors found that the pool of non-phosphorylated p38 MAPK can modulate signaling to control growth, lysosome formation, and neuronal integrity. By altering the stoichiometry of non-phospho-p38, they enhanced PMK-1 signaling to promote tissue integrity and longevity. Their findings suggest that reducing the reservoir of non-phospho-p38 can enhance signaling without hyper-activation of stress response during aging.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dike Qiu, Ke Xu, Namjin Chung, Jennifer Robbins, Robert Luo, Michael Lawrence, Aiqing He, Fei Yu, Andrew Alt, Michael M. Miller, Jon Hangeland, John N. Feder, Dietmar Seiffert, Brian J. Arey
Summary: Vascular endothelial cells are influenced by mechanical forces and the patterns of these forces can regulate endothelial cell function and cardiovascular health. The transcription factor KLF2 plays a key role in the positive effects of laminar flow patterns on endothelial cell phenotype. Identifying endothelial regulators of the KLF2 program could lead to new therapeutic approaches for treating cardiovascular disease. GPCR targets that modulate KLF2 expression were identified through genetic screening, and several GPCRs were found to affect KLF2 transcriptional activation. These targets could be potential candidates for novel treatments targeting the endothelium. Initiating drug discovery efforts for LGR4 and finding synthetic ligands for this receptor demonstrate the potential for identifying new drug targets through pathway-directed phenotypic screening.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shenqi Wang, Zimin Zhou, Rini Rahiman, Grace Sheen Yee Lee, Yuan Kai Yeo, Xin Yang, On Sun Lau
Summary: Developmental outcomes in plants are shaped by the interplay between intrinsic and external factors, with light playing a key role in promoting stomatal development. The study by Wang et al. reveals that the light-regulated transcription factor HY5 activates the expression of STOMAGEN, a mesophyll-derived secreted peptide that stabilizes the master regulator of stomatal development in the epidermis, leading to enhanced stomatal production. This work highlights a molecular link between light signaling and stomatal development across different tissue layers.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Hadil El-Sammak, Bingyuan Yang, Stefan Guenther, Wenbiao Chen, Ruben Marin-Juez, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms of coronary revascularization during zebrafish cardiac regeneration. The results showed that Vegfc signaling is crucial for the proliferation of coronary endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes dedifferentiation and proliferation. Additionally, Emilin2a and Cxcl8a-Cxcr1 signaling pathways are also involved in coronary revascularization during cardiac regeneration.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Natalie R. Harris, Natalie R. Nielsen, John B. Pawlak, Amir Aghajanian, Krsna Rangarajan, D. Stephen Serafin, Gregory Farber, Danielle M. Dy, Nathan P. Nelson-Maney, Wenjing Xu, Disha Ratra, Sophia H. Hurr, Li Qian, Joshua P. Scallan, Kathleen M. Caron
Summary: This study reveals the essential role of VE-cadherin in the development and maintenance of cardiac lymphatics and its impact on lymphangiogenic signaling pathways. Surprisingly, despite the regression of cardiac lymphatics, Cdh5(flox/flox);Prox1CreER(T2) mice exhibited preserved cardiac function at baseline and after myocardial infarction compared with control mice. Mechanistically, loss of VE-cadherin leads to aberrant cellular internalization of VEGFR3, impairing downstream processes such as cellular proliferation.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Vijay Kumar, Ravi Shankar Goutam, Soochul Park, Unjoo Lee, Jaebong Kim
Summary: This review focuses on the role of FGFs in germ layer specification and axis patterning during early vertebrate embryogenesis. It discusses the functional roles of FGFs and their interacting partners in the gene regulatory network. Additionally, it briefly reviews the regulatory molecules and pharmacological agents that may modulate FGF signaling in research.
Article
Developmental Biology
Maria Micaela Sartoretti, Carla A. Campetella, Guillermo M. Lanuza
Summary: This study demonstrates that a restricted pool of progenitors in the mouse spinal cord produces a subset of astrocytes with extraordinary precision. The progenitor transcriptional programs highly influence glial fate and are instrumental in creating astrocyte diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yongchao Cai, Xinyu Liu, Lingbo Shen, Nian Wang, Yangjie He, Haifeng Zhang, Ping Wang, Zhengguang Zhang
Summary: This study identified two protein phosphatases MoPtc1 and MoPtc2 as negative regulators of the cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, crucial for maintaining the stability of the CWI signaling pathway and plant pathogenicity.
MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Arsenij Ustjanzew, Jens Preussner, Mette Bentsen, Carsten Kuenne, Mario Looso
Summary: Data visualization and interactive data exploration are crucial for illustrating complex concepts and results from omics data analysis. i2dash is an R package that provides a programmatic approach to creating customized dashboards, supporting interactive and responsive visualizations across predefined graphical layouts.
GENOMICS PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Anabela Bensimon-Brito, Giulia L. M. Boezio, Joao Cardeira-da-Silva, Astrid Wietelmann, Srinath Ramkumar, Pia R. Lundegaard, Christian S. M. Helker, Radhan Ramadass, Janett Piesker, Arno Nauerth, Clemens Mueller, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: In this study, we developed a comprehensive and sensitive platform to identify otherwise indiscernible cardiovascular phenotypes in adult zebrafish. By optimizing and combining multiple imaging techniques, we successfully observed and analyzed morphological and functional cardiovascular defects in a mutant case study. Correlation analysis revealed an association between haemodynamic defects and structural alterations of the heart, mirroring clinical observations.
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Wenguang Yin, Andreas Liontos, Janine Koepke, Maroua Ghoul, Luciana Mazzocchi, Xinyuan Liu, Chunyan Lu, Haoyu Wu, Athanasios Fysikopoulos, Alexandros Sountoulidis, Werner Seeger, Clemens Ruppert, Andreas Gunther, Didier Y. R. Stainier, Christos Samakovlis
Summary: The tracheal epithelium is a crucial element in pulmonary diseases, and its understanding of cell proliferation and differentiation is limited. The Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway plays a role in communication between epithelial and mesenchymal cells in the lung, affecting stromal cell proliferation, differentiation, and epithelial signaling. This study discovered an autocrine HH signaling function in airway epithelial cells, with its inhibition leading to defects in cell proliferation and differentiation. Additionally, HH function is mediated by transcriptional activation, as inhibition of HH signaling downregulates cell type-specific transcription factor genes in both mouse trachea and human airway epithelial cells. These findings provide new insights into the role of HH signaling in epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation during airway development.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marco Tarasco, Paulo J. Gavaia, Anabela Bensimon-Brito, Fabrice P. Cordelieres, Tamara Santos, Gil Martins, Daniela T. de Castro, Nadia Silva, Elsa Cabrita, Maria J. Bebianno, Didier Y. R. Stainier, M. Leonor Cancela, Vincent Laize
Summary: The presence of microplastics in the aquatic ecosystem poses a major problem for the environment and human health. The capacity of organic pollutants to adsorb onto microplastic particles raises concerns, as it provides a new route for toxic compounds to enter the food web. This study provides new insights into the biological effects of pristine and/or contaminated microplastics on zebrafish.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Hadil El-Sammak, Bingyuan Yang, Stefan Guenther, Wenbiao Chen, Ruben Marin-Juez, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms of coronary revascularization during zebrafish cardiac regeneration. The results showed that Vegfc signaling is crucial for the proliferation of coronary endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes dedifferentiation and proliferation. Additionally, Emilin2a and Cxcl8a-Cxcr1 signaling pathways are also involved in coronary revascularization during cardiac regeneration.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Giulia L. M. Boezio, Shengnan Zhao, Josephine Gollin, Rashmi Priya, Shivani Mansingh, Stefan Guenther, Nana Fukuda, Felix Gunawan, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: The epicardium, the outermost layer of the heart, plays an important role in regulating cardiac regeneration. This study investigated the interaction between the epicardium and myocardium during development by creating three models of epicardial impairment in zebrafish. The results showed that the epicardium is required for cardiomyocyte growth during early cardiac morphogenesis and identified FGF and VEGF signaling pathways as important regulators of ventricular growth.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Juan, Agatha Ribeiro da Silva, Barbara Cardoso, SoEun Lim, Violette Charteau, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: Cardiac valves play a vital role in ensuring unidirectional blood flow through the heart. Researchers have identified several mechanosensory genes as key regulators of valve development, expanding our understanding of this process.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhen Jiang, Mohamed A. El-Brolosy, Vahan Serobyan, Jordan M. Welker, Nicholas Retzer, Christopher M. Dooley, Gabrielius Jakutis, Thomas Juan, Nana Fukuda, Hans-Martin Maischein, Darius Balciunas, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: This study identifies a novel mode of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance called transcriptional adaptation (TA). It demonstrates that mutant mRNA degradation can affect gene expression and modulate the transcriptome of offspring. This finding provides a new perspective on understanding genetic variation and epigenetic inheritance.
Article
Oncology
Xiang Zheng, Poonam Sarode, Andreas Weigert, Kati Turkowski, Prakash Chelladurai, Stefan Guenther, Carsten Kuenne, Hauke Winter, Albrecht Stenzinger, Simone Reu, Friedrich Grimminger, Thorsten Stiewe, Werner Seeger, Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Rajkumar Savai
Summary: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), including antitumor M1-like TAMs and protumor M2-like TAMs, play diverse roles in lung cancer development. It has been found that the spatial proximity of HDAC2-overexpressing M2-like TAMs to tumor cells is significantly correlated with poor overall survival of lung cancer patients. Suppression of HDAC2 in TAMs alters macrophage phenotype, migration, and signaling pathways related to interleukins, chemokines, cytokines, and T-cell activation.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Sreenath Reddy Nayakanti, Aleksandra Friedrich, Poonam Sarode, Leili Jafari, Giovanni Maroli, Mario Boehm, Alice Bourgeois, Yann Grobs, Fatemeh Khassafi, Carsten Kuenne, Stefan Guenther, Swati Dabral, Jochen Wilhelm, Astrid Weiss, Astrid Wietelmann, Baktybek Kojonazarov, Wiebke Janssen, Mario Looso, Frances de Man, Steeve Provencher, Khodr Tello, Werner Seeger, Sebastien Bonnet, Rajkumar Savai, Ralph T. Schermuly, Soni Savai Pullamsetti
Summary: The ability of the right ventricle to adapt to an increased pressure afterload determines survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in the development of the right ventricle and may also be implicated in adult cardiac remodeling.
CIRCULATION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Melina Hussmann, Dorte Schulte, Sarah Weischer, Claudia Carlantoni, Hiroyuki Nakajima, Naoki Mochizuki, Didier Y. R. Stainier, Thomas Zobel, Manuel Koch, Stefan Schulte-Merker, Victoria L. Bautch
Summary: This study reveals the critical roles of Svep1 and Tie1 in the development of specific subpopulations of the zebrafish facial lymphatic network. It also shows that this aspect of the network is formed independently of Vegfc signaling. The findings demonstrate the importance of Tie1 signaling in lymphangiogenesis and blood vessel development in zebrafish.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annika Karger, Siavash Mansouri, Matthias S. Leisegang, Andreas Weigert, Stefan Guenther, Carsten Kuenne, Ilka Wittig, Sven Zukunft, Stephan Klatt, Blerina Aliraj, Laura Klotz, Hauke Winter, Poornima Mahavadi, Ingrid Fleming, Clemens Ruppert, Biruta Witte, Ibrahim Alkoudmani, Stefan Gattenloehner, Friedrich Grimminger, Werner Seeger, Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Rajkumar Savai
Summary: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a role in gene transcription in many cells, but their function in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is not well understood. The lncRNA ADPGK-AS1 is upregulated in M2-like human macrophages, macrophages exposed to lung cancer cells, and TAMs from human lung cancer tissue. Overexpression of ADPGK-AS1 promotes an M2-like, tumor-promoting phenotype in macrophages, while its knockdown induces an M1-like, tumor-suppressive phenotype, inhibiting lung tumor growth.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiang Li, Fan Wu, Stefan Guenther, Mario Looso, Carsten Kuenne, Ting Zhang, Marion Wiesnet, Stephan Klatt, Sven Zukunft, Ingrid Fleming, Gernot Poschet, Astrid Wietelmann, Ann Atzberger, Michael Potente, Xuejun Yuan, Thomas Braun
Summary: This study reveals that inhibition of fatty acid oxidation in cardiomyocytes promotes cardiomyocyte proliferation and enables heart regeneration. Metabolic studies contribute to understanding the importance of metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic remodeling in this process.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jordan M. Welker, Vahan Serobyan, Elhamalsadat Zaker Esfahani, Didier Y. R. Stainier
Summary: Transcriptional adaptation (TA) is a mechanism that modulates gene expression in response to mutations in mRNA. Researchers found a 25-base pair element in the regulatory region of the adapting gene that showed similarity to a sequence in the mutant mRNA. This element can induce ectopic expression of a fluorescent reporter gene, indicating its importance in TA.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jillian L. Ellis, Kimberley J. Evason, Changwen Zhang, Makenzie N. Fourman, Jiandong Liu, Nikolay Ninov, Marion Delous, Benoit Vanhollebeke, Ian Fiddes, Jessica P. Otis, Yariv Houvras, Steven A. Farber, Xiaolei Xu, Xueying Lin, Didier Y. R. Stainier, Chunyue Yin
Summary: Hepatic cysts are fluid-filled lesions in the liver that occur in about 5% of the population. Previous studies have shown that hepatic cyst formation is associated with increased proliferation and fluid secretion in cholangiocytes, partly due to impaired primary cilia. This study used a zebrafish mutant to investigate the underlying mechanisms of hepatic cysts and found that the cyst formation was caused by defects in biliary cell motility and protrusive activity. Whole-genome sequencing revealed a mutation in the furinb gene, which caused endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and contributed to the cystic phenotype. Inhibition of ER stress and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling reduced cyst formation. This study establishes a vertebrate model for studying hepatic cystogenesis and highlights the role of ER stress in the disease pathogenesis.
HEPATOLOGY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
