Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Wang, Hongjie Qiao, Pengxiang Wang, Yuan Wang, Danian Qin
Summary: Zdhhc19 knockout mice did not show disruption in spermatogenesis but exhibited male infertility with defects in sperm morphology and functions, highlighting the essential role of Zdhhc19 in sperm production and fertility in mice.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Wei-Ting Kuo, Li Zuo, Matthew A. Odenwald, Shariq Madha, Gurminder Singh, Christine B. Gurniak, Clara Abraham, Jerrold R. Turner
Summary: The study found that ZO-1 expression was reduced in biopsy specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Despite mildly increased intestinal permeability, ZO-1(KO.IEC) mice were healthy and did not develop spontaneous disease. However, these mice were hypersensitive to mucosal insults and displayed defective repair.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Boryeong Pak, Chris E. Schmitt, Sera Oh, Jun-Dae Kim, Woosoung Choi, Orjin Han, Minjung Kim, Myoung-Jin Kim, Hyung-Jin Ham, Shanghyeon Kim, Tae-Lin Huh, Jae-Il Kim, Suk-Won Jin
Summary: The Pax9 gene plays a crucial role in hematopoiesis in zebrafish, particularly in granulopoiesis. Loss of the pax9 gene results in decreased neutrophil numbers, affects immune responses, and increases susceptibility and mortality in embryos.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Dipen S. Mehta, Hala Zein-Sabatto, Pearl Ryder, Jina Lee, Dorothy A. Lerit
Summary: This study found that centrocortin (cen) is not essential for centriole duplication but contributes to centrosome separation in Drosophila embryos, based on time-lapse recordings of rapid syncytial divisions.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Imge Ozugergin, Alisa Piekny
Summary: Cytokinesis, the process of physically dividing a cell into two daughters, has been extensively studied in vitro and early embryos, but its regulation in different animal cell types and developmental contexts remains poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed striking differences in the regulation of cytokinesis between different cell types and organisms, including diverse threshold requirements for structural components and different mechanisms of regulation. This review focuses on these differences, particularly in pathways independent of the mitotic spindle, and associated with the cortex, kinetochores, or chromatin.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yumei Jia, Zhaoyuan Guo, Jiahao Zhu, Guanyu Qin, Wenwen Sun, Yu Yin, Haiying Wang, Renpeng Guo
Summary: The study shows that Snap29 plays a crucial role in the self-renewal and differentiation of mouse ESCs. Depletion of Snap29 does not affect the self-renewal and pluripotency-associated factor expression in ESCs, but enhances their differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Transcriptome analysis reveals that Snap29 deficiency significantly decreases the expression of genes required for germ layer differentiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mathieu C. Husser, Imge Ozugergin, Tiziana Resta, Vincent J. J. Martin, Alisa J. Piekny
Summary: Cytokinesis is a crucial process that requires the assembly and ingression of an actomyosin ring to physically separate daughter cells. By studying the localization of key molecules during cytokinesis in live human cells, differences in cytokinetic diversity were observed among different cell types.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lu Qiao, So Hee Dho, Ji Young Kim, Lark Kyun Kim
Summary: SEPHS1 plays a minor role in maintaining pluripotency in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), but is crucial for germ layer differentiation, especially for functional cardiac lineage.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Jing-Yi Qiao, Qian Zhou, Ke Xu, Wei Yue, Wen-Long Lei, Yuan-Yuan Li, Lin-Jian Gu, Ying-Chun Ouyang, Yi Hou, Heide Schatten, Tie-Gang Meng, Zhen-Bo Wang, Qing-Yuan Sun
Summary: In this study, the role of Mad2 in meiotic oocytes was investigated using a mouse-specific knockout approach. It was found that Mad2-deficient oocytes exhibited an accelerated metaphase-to-anaphase transition, caused by premature degradation of securin and cyclin B1. However, the knockout mice were still fertile and the resulting oocytes were euploid. Further studies showed that Mad2 acts to mitigate environmental stress in meiotic oocytes and its absence led to chromosome misalignment, lagging chromosomes, aneuploidy, and premature separation of sister chromatids, particularly when matured in vitro at a lower temperature.
Article
Cell Biology
Chang Sun, Yuan Qi, Natalie Fowlkes, Nina Lazic, Xiaoping Su, Guillermina Lozano, Amanda R. Wasylishen
Summary: Daxx functions as a histone chaperone for the histone H3 variant H3.3 and is essential for embryonic development. It interacts with Atrx to deposit H3.3 into heterochromatin, and this interaction is dispensable for viability. However, the interaction between Daxx and H3.3 is essential for postnatal viability and is important for silencing endogenous retroviruses and maintaining proper immune cell composition.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Deepanwita Pal, Scott M. Riester, Bashar Hasan, Sara F. Tufa, Amel Dudakovic, Douglas R. Keene, Andre J. van Wijnen, Ronen Schweitzer
Summary: This passage discusses the role of epigenetic modifiers in musculoskeletal system development, with a focus on the impact of Ezh2 on tendon and muscle patterning. The study reveals that early mesenchymal cues mediated by Ezh2 play a crucial role in coordinating the development of all tissues in the musculoskeletal system.
STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Xue Jiang, Xiaoli Zhu, Yu Cheng, Muhammad Azhar, Xuemei Xing, Wenqing Li, Yuzhu Cao, Qinghua Shi, Jianqiang Bao
Summary: This study identified a new epigenetic player named Spindoc that is essential for haploid spermatid development, but not necessary for meiotic divisions in spermatocytes. This discovery sheds light on the role of Spindoc in germline development and its interaction with Spin1 in modulating downstream signaling.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY AND ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kenta Tsuchiya, Hisato Hayashi, Momoko Nishina, Masako Okumura, Yoshikatsu Sato, Masato T. Kanemaki, Gohta Goshima, Tomomi Kiyomitsu
Summary: Spindle assembly in human cells is regulated independently by the Ran pathway without equivalently regulating all Ran-regulated SAFs. Ran's functions in mitotic spindle assembly are dissected from its interphase functions, with Ran-GTP and importin-beta coordinately promoting specific interactions to maintain proper spindle length during prometaphase.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shuiqiao Yuan, Zhuqing Wang, Hongying Peng, Sean M. Ward, Grant W. Hennig, Huili Zheng, Wei Yan
Summary: The motile cilia in the infundibulum of the oviduct are essential for picking up ovulated oocytes and female fertility, while motile cilia in other parts facilitate gamete and embryo transport but are not absolutely required for female fertility.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Chiara Noviello, Kassandra Kobon, Voahangy Randrianarison-Huetz, Pascal Maire, France Pietri-Rouxel, Sestina Falcone, Athanassia Sotiropoulos
Summary: This study demonstrates the vital role of RhoA in regulating skeletal muscle satellite cell fusion and the importance of its presence for efficient skeletal muscle homeostasis restoration.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amy D. Wu, William Dan, Yi Zhang, Shruti Vemaraju, Brian A. Upton, Richard A. Lang, Ethan D. Buhr, Dan E. Berkowitz, George Gallos, Charles W. Emala, Peter D. Yim
Summary: This study confirmed the functional role of OPN3 in blue light photorelaxation, showing that it interacts with Gas to increase cAMP levels, activate PKA, and be modulated by GRK2.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Brian A. Upton, Nicolas M. Diaz, Shannon A. Gordon, Russell N. Van Gelder, Ethan D. Buhr, Richard A. Lang
Summary: Through analyzing genomic data from over 400 mammalian species from 22 orders, this study identified unique patterns of evolution for each mammalian opsins, highlighting the varying degrees of sequence conservation and lineage-specific gene loss. The findings demonstrate extreme conservation for OPN5 and rhodopsin across all mammalian lineages, while showing moderate conservation for cone opsins, nonvisual opsins, and high sequence diversity for photoisomerase and the well-studied atypical opsin, OPN4, within mammals. These conservation patterns are maintained in human populations, indicating the importance of key amino acid residues for retinal-based chromophores in all mammalian opsins. Further discussions on the functions of each atypical opsins provide insight into the observed patterns of evolutionary constraint in circadian or metabolic physiology.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Brian A. Upton, Shane P. D'Souza, Richard A. Lang
Summary: The preoptic area of the hypothalamus is a homeostatic control center with heterogeneous neurons that regulate various physiological functions. Recent studies have identified QPLOT neurons as an excitatory preoptic neuronal population that integrate thermal, metabolic, hormonal, and environmental stimuli to regulate metabolism and thermogenesis. These neurons play a significant role in suppressing thermogenesis and are characterized by specific molecular markers.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ana Maria Zarate, Christian Espinosa-Bustos, Simon Guerrero, Angelica Fierro, Felipe Oyarzun-Ampuero, Andrew F. G. Quest, Lucia Di Marcotullio, Elena Loricchio, Miriam Caimano, Andrea Calcaterra, Matias Gonzalez-Quiroz, Adam Aguirre, Jaime Melendez, Cristian O. Salas
Summary: A study designed and synthesized new SMO antagonists with compound 4s showing the most active inhibition of cell growth, selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells, and the ability to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In vivo, 4s strongly inhibited tumor relapse and metastasis of melanoma cells in mice, and in vitro, it was more effective than vismodegib in inducing apoptosis in human cancer cells as a SMO antagonist and apoptosis inducer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoyan Jiang, Machelle T. Pardue, Kiwako Mori, Shin-ichi Ikeda, Hidemasa Torii, Shane D'Souza, Richard A. Lang, Toshihide Kurihara, Kazuo Tsubota
Summary: Outdoor activity has a protective effect on myopia. Recent research has found that violet light can prevent myopia progression in mice by preventing lens defocus-induced myopia. This suggests a potential strategy for myopia prevention in humans.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Wayne I. L. Davies, Soufien Sghari, Brian A. Upton, Christoffer Nord, Max Hahn, Ulf Ahlgren, Richard A. Lang, Lena Gunhaga
Summary: This study utilized an Opn3-eGFP reporter mouse line to track Opn3 expression patterns during embryonic and early postnatal stages, identifying over twenty neural structures not previously reported. Opn3 expression was detected widely and prominently at early embryonic stages, suggesting important functional roles in developing brain and spinal cord.
Article
Ophthalmology
Parth R. Shah, Bharesh Chauhan, Charleen T. Chu, Julia Kofler, Ken K. Nischal
Summary: In this study, deep ocular phenotyping of Peters-plus syndrome was performed using anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy. The most common ocular phenotype observed was an avascular paracentral ring opacity with relative central clearing. A different phenotype with a large vascularized corneal opacity was also identified.
Article
Neurosciences
Shane P. D'Souza, David Swygart, Sophia R. Wienbar, Brian A. Upton, Kevin X. Zhang, Robert D. Mackin, Anna K. Casasent, Melanie A. Samuel, Gregory W. Schwartz, Richard A. Lang
Summary: Understanding the parts list of sensory components in the retina is crucial for studying the effects of light on behavior, health, and disease. This study reveals the expression patterns of Opn5 in retinal ganglion cells, which are nonhomogenously distributed in the retina with higher densities in the dorsotemporal quadrant. Through molecular and electrophysiological profiling, it is discovered that Opn5-RGCs comprise previously defined RGC types that respond optimally to edges and object motion, expanding the roles of image-forming cells in retinal physiology and function.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Nicolas M. Diaz, Shannon A. Gordon, Richard A. Lang, Ethan D. Buhr
Summary: Mammals regulate their body temperature by utilizing internal circadian clocks and thermosensitivity. The preoptic area of the hypothalamus houses temperature-sensitive circadian clocks that are influenced by temperature changes but not by light cues.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Vijay K. Jidigam, Onkar B. Sawant, Rebecca D. Fuller, Kenya Wilcots, Rupesh Singh, Richard A. Lang, Sujata Rao
Summary: Research has shown that clock genes are expressed in the mouse embryonic retina, and this expression requires light cues. Deletion of Bmal1 and Per2 from retinal neurons leads to retinal angiogenic defects, indicating that a dysregulated circadian clock primarily drives neovascularization.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kee-Beom Kim, Dong-Wook Kim, Youngchul Kim, Jun Tang, Nicole Kirk, Yongyu Gan, Bongjun Kim, Bingliang Fang, Jae-ll Park, Yi Zheng, Kwon-Sik Park
Summary: This study characterizes the activity of the WNT pathway in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and identifies the key role of the WNT5A-RHOA axis in SCLC progression. It provides potential targets for therapeutic interventions and biomarkers to improve patient treatment.
Editorial Material
Construction & Building Technology
Kevin W. Houser, Lisa Heschong, Richard Lang
Article
Cell Biology
Jacob R. Enriquez, Heather A. McCauley, Kevin X. Zhang, J. Guillermo Sanchez, Gregory T. Kalin, Richard A. Lang, James M. Wells
Summary: This study investigates the immediate response of the intestinal epithelium to a high-fat diet using physiological metrics and single-cell transcriptomics. The findings indicate that mice exhibit altered whole-body physiology and increased intestinal epithelial proliferation within one day of high-fat diet exposure. Furthermore, the study reveals a shift towards fatty acid metabolism and an emergence of progenitor cells in response to the high-fat diet.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kevin P. Gaitonde, Mutahar Andrabi, Courtney Burger, Shane F. D'Souza, Shruti A. Vemaraju, Bala S. C. Koritala, David Smith, Richard Lang
Summary: Neurons in the hypothalamic preoptic area (POA) regulate homeostatic processes such as thermoregulation and sleep. The QPLOT neurons in the POA, identified by molecular markers, have GPCR signaling pathways that play a crucial role in metabolism regulation.
Article
Neurosciences
Brian A. Upton, Gowri Nayak, Ivy Schweinzger, Shane P. D'Souza, Charles V. Vorhees, Michael T. Williams, Brian R. Earl, Richard A. Lang
Summary: Opn3 is the first nonvisual opsin gene discovered in mammals and it is expressed in both the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. The behavioral consequences of Opn3 deficiency were investigated and it was found that Opn3-deficient mice perform similarly to wild-type mice in most behavioral tests, but have an attenuated acoustic startle reflex.