Article
Environmental Sciences
Samar El Kholy, Yahya Al Naggar
Summary: Exposure to sublethal concentration of CdO nanoparticles impairs fruit fly vision by disrupting histamine synthesis and recycling mechanisms. HA accumulation was observed in treated flies, suggesting the involvement of photoreceptors and CNS histaminergic neurons. The expression of genes involved in HA recycling and transport differed between the head and decapitated body of treated flies, providing insights into the molecular mechanism of vision impairment caused by nano-sized cadmium particles exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yajie Qian, Ting Li, Siyu Zhou, Xianjun Chen, Yi Yang
Summary: The ltLightOn optogenetic Gal4-UAS system utilizes a single light-switchable transactivator to activate gene expression, eliminating the need for multiple protein components and extraneous light-sensitive cofactors. It offers quantitative, spatial, and temporal control of gene expression and has been successfully used in regulating zebrafish embryonic development.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ben Ewen-Campen, Haojiang Luan, Jun Xua, Rohit Singh, Neha Joshi, Tanuj Thakkar, Bonnie Berger, Benjamin H. White, Norbert Perrimon
Summary: The split-Gal4 system based on a self-excising split-intein enables genetic labeling of specific cell types and tissues in Drosophila with temporal control. It can be repressed by Gal80 and can be combined with the drug-inducible GeneSwitch system for inducible control. In addition, the system can generate highly specific genetic drivers based on scRNAseq datasets and provides a plasmid toolkit for efficient driver creation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Colin D. McClure, Amira Hassan, Gabriel N. Aughey, Khushbakht Butt, Alicia Estacio-Gomez, Aneisha Duggal, Chee Ying Sia, Annika F. Barber, Tony D. Southall
Summary: The ability to control transgene expression, both spatially and temporally, is crucial for studying model organisms like Drosophila. Existing methods, such as the GAL4/UAS system and drug-inducible systems, have limitations. Here, the authors describe a novel auxin-inducible gene expression system (AGES) that allows for temporal control of GAL4 activity in Drosophila, providing a stringent, non-lethal, cost-effective, and convenient method.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Mostafa F. ElMaghraby, Laszlo Tirian, Kirsten-Andre Senti, Katharina Meixner, Julius Brennecke
Summary: Researchers have established a versatile toolkit focused on piRNA biology, combining germline transgenic RNAi, GFP marker lines for key proteins of the piRNA pathway, and reporter transgenes to establish genetic hierarchies. By comparing constitutive, pan-germline RNAi with stage-specific RNAi, researchers can investigate the role of genes essential for germline cell survival in piRNA-dependent and independent transposon silencing.
Review
Cell Biology
Masaharu Yoshihara, Satoru Takahashi
Summary: Notch signaling is essential for the development of various organ systems. It involves the interaction between DSL ligands and Notch receptors, leading to the cleavage of the intracellular domain of Notch receptors for its transcription factor function. However, the lack of a direct measurement method has limited the understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jorge Corbacho, Estefania Sanabria-Reinoso, Lorena Buono, Ana Fernandez-Minan, Juan R. Martinez-Morales
Summary: This study combined the TRAP method with adapted enhancer trap methods to systematically generate zebrafish transgenic lines suitable for tissue-specific translatome interrogation. The resulting collection of lines and applications constitutes a resource for the zebrafish community in developmental genetics, organ physiology, and disease modeling.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Chu-Qiao Liu, Xiao-Chong Qu, Ming-Feng He, De-Hai Liang, Shi-Ming Xie, Xi-Xing Zhang, Yong-Miao Lin, Wen-Jun Zhang, Ka-Chun Wu, Jing-Da Qiao
Summary: This study aims to develop optimized strategies for validating epilepsy candidate genes using the Drosophila model. The researchers conducted genetic manipulation and phenotypic examination using behavior, morphology, and electrophysiology. They successfully confirmed the correlation between genotype and phenotype for four epilepsy-associated genes in the Drosophila model.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vivek K. Bajpai, Tomek Swigut, Jaaved Mohammed, Sahin Naqvi, Martin Arreola, Josh Tycko, Tayne C. Kim, Jonathan K. Pritchard, Michael C. Bassik, Joanna Wysocka
Summary: This study identified 169 genes associated with skin pigmentation, 135 of which were previously unknown. These genes are up-regulated in melanocytes from darkly pigmented individuals and are involved in melanosome biogenesis, endosomal transport, and gene regulation. The study also revealed the functions of KLF6 and COMMD3 in melanosome maturation and melanosomal pH regulation.
Article
Microbiology
Junhong Wei, Youpeng Fan, Xiaoling Jing, Zhihui Fei, Chunfeng Li, Guoqing Pan, Jialing Bao, Zeyang Zhou
Summary: In this study, a recombinant BmBac-UPS baculovirus vector system was constructed for foreign protein production and gene delivery. The ability of the system to form polyhedra in silkworm cells was confirmed through co-infection experiments. The recombinant viruses also showed efficient infection and polyhedron formation in transgenic silkworm cell lines.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Stephanie E. Mohr, Sudhir Gopal Tattikota, Jun Xu, Jonathan Zirin, Yanhui Hu, Norbert Perrimon
Summary: Single-cell RNA sequencing experiments are powerful in identifying cell clusters with common gene expression patterns, but mapping these clusters to specific anatomical regions and tissues presents a major challenge. In Drosophila, various approaches are available for high-resolution spatial mapping of scRNAseq clusters, utilizing existing datasets and emerging technologies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kai Chen, Ye Yu, Zhongjie Zhang, Bo Hu, Xiaojing Liu, Anjiang Tan
Summary: In this study, the biological functions of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway in Bombyx mori were investigated using gene ablation and ectopic expression methods. The results showed that Hh plays vital roles in the development and organ formation of B. mori. Hh mutants did not exhibit obvious phenotypic abnormalities during larval stages but showed severe defects in adult body appendages. Molecular analysis revealed distortions in the Hh, Imd, and Wnt signaling pathways in mutant wings. Ectopic expression of Hh resulted in larval lethality, while moderate overexpression caused severe defects in adult leg and antenna development. These findings provide genetic evidence for the importance of Hh in imaginal discs development and proper adult morphogenesis in B. mori.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Mi-Sun Lee, Hye-Jeong Han, Tae-Ik Choi, Kang-Han Lee, Amartuvshin Baasankhuu, Hyun-Taek Kim, Cheol-Hee Kim
Summary: Ciliopathies are human genetic disorders caused by abnormal formation and dysfunction of cellular cilia, which are microtubule-based organelles that project into the extracellular space and transduce molecular and chemical signals. IFT proteins, including IFT46, are required for the assembly and maintenance of cilia. By generating transgenic zebrafish lines, researchers have established a ciliated cell injury model that recapitulates ciliopathy-like phenotypes and may be used to study the causes and potential treatments for human ciliopathies.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Pradeep Lal, Koichi Kawakami
Summary: The mammalian amygdala and its zebrafish homolog play critical roles in various behaviors and can be further studied using transgenic resources and other tools to understand their functional anatomy.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sho T. Yamaguchi, Jun Tomita, Kazuhiko Kume
Summary: Insulin signaling in specific neurons regulates sleep in fruit flies. Insulin-like ligands and the insulin receptor are involved in the regulation of sleep behavior in fruit flies. This study provides important insights into the neural mechanisms of sleep regulation.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Baoying Yuan, Yuhan Chen, Zhifeng Wu, Li Zhang, Yuan Zhuang, Xiaomei Zhao, Hao Niu, Jason Chia-Hsien Cheng, Zhaochong Zeng
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Biology
Bao-ying Yuan, Yu-han Chen, Zhi-feng Wu, Yuan Zhuang, Gen-wen Chen, Li Zhang, Hai-ge Zhang, Jason Chia-Hsien Cheng, Qin Lin, Zhao-chong Zeng
RADIATION RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Oncology
Yuan Zhuang, Bao-ying Yuan, Gen-wen Chen, Xiao-mei Zhao, Yong Hu, Wen-chao Zhu, Zhao-chong Zeng, Yi-xing Chen
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Elizabeth Robins, Ming Zheng, Qingshan Ni, Siqi Liu, Chen Liang, Baojun Zhang, Jian Guo, Yuan Zhuang, You-Wen He, Ping Zhu, Ying Wan, Qi-Jing Li
Summary: Recent research has revealed that CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in adaptive immunity can exhibit significant lineage plasticity, even undergoing fundamental lineage reprogramming. This shift in functional potential may suggest a new direction for HIV vaccine design.
CELLULAR & MOLECULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yuhan Chen, Baoying Yuan, Genwen Chen, Li Zhang, Yuan Zhuang, Hao Niu, Zhaochong Zeng
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Annette Ko, Masashi Watanabe, Thomas Nguyen, Alvin Shi, Achouak Achour, Baojun Zhang, Xiaoping Sun, Qun Wang, Yuan Zhuang, Nan-ping Weng, Richard J. Hodes
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Qingshan Ni, Jianyang Zhang, Zihan Zheng, Gang Chen, Laura Christian, Juha Gronholm, Haili Yu, Daxue Zhou, Yuan Zhuang, Qi-Jing Li, Ying Wan
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Oncology
Paulina M. Wojnarowicz, Marta Garcia Escolano, Yun-Han Huang, Bina Desai, Yvette Chin, Riddhi Shah, Sijia Xu, Saurabh Yadav, Sergey Yaklichkin, Ouathek Ouerfelli, Rajesh Kumar Soni, John Philip, David C. Montrose, John H. Healey, Vinagolu K. Rajasekhar, William A. Garland, Jeremy Ratiu, Yuan Zhuang, Larry Norton, Neal Rosen, Ronald C. Hendrickson, Xi Kathy Zhou, Antonio Iavarone, Joan Massague, Andrew J. Dannenberg, Anna Lasorella, Robert Benezra
Summary: AGX51 targets ID proteins in cancer cells, inhibiting cell growth and enhancing ROS production, showing potential therapeutic effects for multiple cancers.
Article
Immunology
Danielle J. Dauphars, Ariana Mihai, Liuyang Wang, Yuan Zhuang, Michael S. Krangel
Summary: The study demonstrates that prior Tcrd rearrangement is essential for a diverse Tcra repertoire in mouse thymocytes. The utilization of Trav15-dv6 family V gene segments in Tcrd rearrangements imparts diversity in the Tcra repertoire through instigating the use of central and distal V-alpha segments. The study reveals the indispensable role of Tcrd recombination, particularly the Trav15-dv6 family, in generating a combinatorially diverse Tcra repertoire.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeremy J. Ratiu, William E. Barclay, Elliot Lin, Qun Wang, Sebastian Wellford, Naren Mehta, Melissa J. Harnois, Devon DiPalma, Sumedha Roy, Alejandra V. Contreras, Mari L. Shinohara, David Wiest, Yuan Zhuang
Summary: The study uncovers the role of transcription factor Zfp335 in regulating survival of post-beta-selection thymocytes via the cGAS/STING pathway, providing insights into an important regulatory mechanism in T cell development.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Xiaomei Zhao, Biao Wang, Yuan Zhuang, Shisuo Du, Zhaochong Zeng
Summary: This study investigates the immunomodulatory effects of different dose-fractionation schedules and finds that a single high-dose radiation schedule has a stronger antitumor effect. The study also reveals the involvement of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway in the immunomodulatory effects of single high-dose radiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ariana Mihai, Sumedha Roy, Michael S. Krangel, Yuan Zhuang
Summary: The V(D)J recombination of antigen receptor loci is a highly regulated process in lymphocyte development. The recombination of Tcra gene occurs in CD4(+)CD8(+) double positive thymocytes and requires the Tcra enhancer (E & alpha;). E proteins, known regulators of DP thymocyte development, have three binding sites in E & alpha;. Mutants lacking one or two of the binding sites showed partial blockage at the positive selection stage of & alpha;& beta; T cell development, loss of germline transcription, and dysregulated gene rearrangement. The binding of E proteins to E & alpha; promotes Tcra repertoire diversity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qun Wang, Yen-Yu Lin, Baojun Zhang, Jianxuan Wu, Sumedha Roy, Jeremy J. Ratiu, Yanping Xu, Meifang Dai, Laura P. Hale, Yue Xiong, Qi-Jing Li, Yuan Zhuang
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Article
Oncology
Yi-Xing Chen, Yuan Zhuang, Ping Yang, Jia Fan, Jian Zhou, Yong Hu, Wen-Chao Zhu, Jing Sun, Zhao-Chong Zeng
TECHNOLOGY IN CANCER RESEARCH & TREATMENT
(2020)
Article
Oncology
Li Zhang, Li Yan, Hao Niu, Jie Ma, Bao-Ying Yuan, Yu-Han Chen, Yuan Zhuang, Yong Hu, Zhao-Chong Zeng, Zuo-Lin Xiang