Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II

A special issue of Journal of Developmental Biology (ISSN 2221-3759).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2021) | Viewed by 34774

Special Issue Editors

Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University and Developmental BIology Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, 225 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Interests: cell-fate determination; cell lineage; organ development; fibrotic disease; microRNAs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Craniofacial Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Interests: neural crest development; craniofacial development; zebrafish
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
Interests: RNA binding proteins; sensory neurons; drosophila; neural development; motoneurons; neuronal morphogenesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue “Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology” aims to collect high-quality research articles, review articles, and communications on the development of multicellular organisms at the molecule, cell, tissue, organ and whole organism levels.

We hope this topic is of interest to you and invite you to send a tentative title and short abstract to our editorial office ([email protected]) for evaluation before submission. Please note that selected papers are still subject to thorough peer review, and only invited papers can be published online once accepted in this collection.

Topics include, without being limited to, the following:

  • development mechanisms and genetics
  • cell differentiation
  • embryonic development
  • tissue/organism growth
  • metamorphosis and regeneration
  • genetics/human genetics
  • cell biology in development
  • development of the nervous system
  • evolution of development
  • rare developmental disorders
  • RNA mechanisms in development
  • transcriptomics including single cell RNA-Seq to study development

We look forward to receiving your excellent work.

Dr. Robert W. Dettman
Prof. Dr. Kristin Bruk Artinger
Dr. Eugenia C. Olesnicky
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Developmental Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (9 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 2913 KiB  
Article
Roles for the RNA-Binding Protein Caper in Reproductive Output in Drosophila melanogaster
by Erika J. Tixtha, Meg K. Super, M. Brandon Titus, Jeremy M. Bono and Eugenia C. Olesnicky
J. Dev. Biol. 2023, 11(1), 2; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb11010002 - 23 Dec 2022
Viewed by 2141
Abstract
RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play a fundamental role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression within the germline and nervous system. This is underscored by the prevalence of mutations within RBP-encoding genes being implicated in infertility and neurological disease. We previously described roles [...] Read more.
RNA binding proteins (RBPs) play a fundamental role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression within the germline and nervous system. This is underscored by the prevalence of mutations within RBP-encoding genes being implicated in infertility and neurological disease. We previously described roles for the highly conserved RBP Caper in neurite morphogenesis in the Drosophila larval peripheral system and in locomotor behavior. However, caper function has not been investigated outside the nervous system, although it is widely expressed in many different tissue types during embryogenesis. Here, we describe novel roles for Caper in fertility and mating behavior. We find that Caper is expressed in ovarian follicles throughout oogenesis but is dispensable for proper patterning of the egg chamber. Additionally, reduced caper function, through either a genetic lesion or RNA interference-mediated knockdown of caper in the female germline, results in females laying significantly fewer eggs than their control counterparts. Moreover, this phenotype is exacerbated with age. caper dysfunction also results in partial embryonic and larval lethality. Given that caper is highly conserved across metazoa, these findings may also be relevant to vertebrates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

20 pages, 12380 KiB  
Article
Expression and Function of Toll Pathway Components in the Early Development of the Wasp Nasonia vitripennis
by Daniel Pers, Thomas Buchta, Orhan Özüak, Siegfried Roth and Jeremy A. Lynch
J. Dev. Biol. 2022, 10(1), 7; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb10010007 - 26 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
The Toll signaling pathway is the main source of embryonic DV polarity in the fly Drosophila melanogaster. This pathway appears to have been co-opted from an ancestral innate immunity system within the insects and has been deployed in different ways among insect taxa. [...] Read more.
The Toll signaling pathway is the main source of embryonic DV polarity in the fly Drosophila melanogaster. This pathway appears to have been co-opted from an ancestral innate immunity system within the insects and has been deployed in different ways among insect taxa. Here we report the expression and function of homologs of the important components of the D. melanogaster Toll pathway in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis. We found homologs for all the components; many components had one or more additional paralogs in the wasp relative the fly. We also found significant deviations in expression patterns of N. vitripennis homologs. Finally, we provide some preliminary functional analyses of the N. vitripennis homologs, where we find a mixture of conservation and divergence of function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3062 KiB  
Article
Differentiation of Cells Isolated from Human Femoral Heads into Functional Osteoclasts
by Daniel R. Halloran, Brian Heubel, Connor MacMurray, Denise Root, Mark Eskander, Sean P. McTague, Heather Pelkey and Anja Nohe
J. Dev. Biol. 2022, 10(1), 6; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb10010006 - 18 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3511
Abstract
Proper formation of the skeleton during development is crucial for the mobility of humans and the maintenance of essential organs. The production of bone is regulated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. An imbalance of these cells can lead to a decrease in bone mineral [...] Read more.
Proper formation of the skeleton during development is crucial for the mobility of humans and the maintenance of essential organs. The production of bone is regulated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. An imbalance of these cells can lead to a decrease in bone mineral density, which leads to fractures. While many studies are emerging to understand the role of osteoblasts, less studies are present about the role of osteoclasts. This present study utilized bone marrow cells isolated directly from the bone marrow of femoral heads obtained from osteoarthritic (OA) patients after undergoing hip replacement surgery. Here, we used tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, Cathepsin K, and nuclei to identity osteoclasts and their functionality after stimulation with macrophage-colony stimulation factor (M-CSF) and receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-β ligand (RANKL). Our data demonstrated that isolated cells can be differentiated into functional osteoclasts, as indicated by the 92% and 83% of cells that stained positive for TRAP and Cathepsin K, respectively. Furthermore, isolated cells remain viable and terminally differentiate into osteoclasts when stimulated with RANKL. These data demonstrate that cells isolated from human femoral heads can be differentiated into osteoclasts to study bone disorders during development and adulthood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2837 KiB  
Article
Dynein Heavy Chain 64C Differentially Regulates Cell Survival and Proliferation of Wingless-Producing Cells in Drosophila melanogaster
by Ja-Young Kim, Orkhon Tsogtbaatar and Kyung-Ok Cho
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(4), 43; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb9040043 - 09 Oct 2021
Viewed by 2292
Abstract
Dynein is a multi-subunit motor protein that moves toward the minus-end of microtubules, and plays important roles in fly development. We identified Dhc64Cm115, a new mutant allele of the fly Dynein heavy chain 64C (Dhc64C) gene whose heterozygotes survive [...] Read more.
Dynein is a multi-subunit motor protein that moves toward the minus-end of microtubules, and plays important roles in fly development. We identified Dhc64Cm115, a new mutant allele of the fly Dynein heavy chain 64C (Dhc64C) gene whose heterozygotes survive against lethality induced by overexpression of Sol narae (Sona). Sona is a secreted metalloprotease that positively regulates Wingless (Wg) signaling, and promotes cell survival and proliferation. Knockdown of Dhc64C in fly wings induced extensive cell death accompanied by widespread and disorganized expression of Wg. The disrupted pattern of the Wg protein was due to cell death of the Wg-producing cells at the DV midline and overproliferation of the Wg-producing cells at the hinge in disorganized ways. Coexpression of Dhc64C RNAi and p35 resulted in no cell death and normal pattern of Wg, demonstrating that cell death is responsible for all phenotypes induced by Dhc64C RNAi expression. The effect of Dhc64C on Wg-producing cells was unique among components of Dynein and other microtubule motors. We propose that Dhc64C differentially regulates survival of Wg-producing cells, which is essential for maintaining normal expression pattern of Wg for wing development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3286 KiB  
Article
Adherent but Not Suspension-Cultured Embryoid Bodies Develop into Laminated Retinal Organoids
by Bojana Radojevic, Shannon M. Conley and Lea D. Bennett
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(3), 38; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb9030038 - 10 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3064
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated into three-dimensional (3D) retinal organoids to study retinogenesis and diseases that would otherwise be impossible. The complexity and low yield in current protocols remain a technical challenge, particularly for inexperienced personnel. Differentiation protocols require labor-intensive [...] Read more.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated into three-dimensional (3D) retinal organoids to study retinogenesis and diseases that would otherwise be impossible. The complexity and low yield in current protocols remain a technical challenge, particularly for inexperienced personnel. Differentiation protocols require labor-intensive and time-consuming dissection of optic vesicles (OVs). Here we compare this method with a suspension method of developing retinal organoids. iPSCs were differentiated with standard protocols but the suspension-grown method omitted the re-plating of embryoid bodies and dissection of OVs. All other media and treatments were identical between developmental methods. Developmental maturation was evaluated with RT-qPCR and immunocytochemistry. Dissection- and suspension-derived retinal organoids displayed temporal biogenesis of retinal cell types. Differences in retinal organoids generated by the two methods of differentiation included temporal developmental and the organization of neural retina layers. Retinal organoids grown in suspension showed delayed development and disorganized retinal layers compared to the dissected retinal organoids. We found that omitting the re-plating of EBs to form OVs resulted in numerous OVs that were easy to identify and matured along a retinal lineage. While more efficient, the suspension method led to retinal organoids with disorganized retinal layers compared to those obtained using conventional dissection protocols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

26 pages, 1090 KiB  
Review
Emerging Roles of RNA-Binding Proteins in Neurodevelopment
by Amalia S. Parra and Christopher A. Johnston
J. Dev. Biol. 2022, 10(2), 23; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb10020023 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3096
Abstract
Diverse cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) are generated by a relatively small pool of neural stem cells during early development. Spatial and temporal regulation of stem cell behavior relies on precise coordination of gene expression. Well-studied mechanisms include hormone signaling, [...] Read more.
Diverse cell types in the central nervous system (CNS) are generated by a relatively small pool of neural stem cells during early development. Spatial and temporal regulation of stem cell behavior relies on precise coordination of gene expression. Well-studied mechanisms include hormone signaling, transcription factor activity, and chromatin remodeling processes. Much less is known about downstream RNA-dependent mechanisms including posttranscriptional regulation, nuclear export, alternative splicing, and transcript stability. These important functions are carried out by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Recent work has begun to explore how RBPs contribute to stem cell function and homeostasis, including their role in metabolism, transport, epigenetic regulation, and turnover of target transcripts. Additional layers of complexity are provided by the different target recognition mechanisms of each RBP as well as the posttranslational modifications of the RBPs themselves that alter function. Altogether, these functions allow RBPs to influence various aspects of RNA metabolism to regulate numerous cellular processes. Here we compile advances in RNA biology that have added to our still limited understanding of the role of RBPs in neurodevelopment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4289 KiB  
Review
The Organizer and Its Signaling in Embryonic Development
by Vijay Kumar, Soochul Park, Unjoo Lee and Jaebong Kim
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(4), 47; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb9040047 - 01 Nov 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 7073
Abstract
Germ layer specification and axis formation are crucial events in embryonic development. The Spemann organizer regulates the early developmental processes by multiple regulatory mechanisms. This review focuses on the responsive signaling in organizer formation and how the organizer orchestrates the germ layer specification [...] Read more.
Germ layer specification and axis formation are crucial events in embryonic development. The Spemann organizer regulates the early developmental processes by multiple regulatory mechanisms. This review focuses on the responsive signaling in organizer formation and how the organizer orchestrates the germ layer specification in vertebrates. Accumulated evidence indicates that the organizer influences embryonic development by dual signaling. Two parallel processes, the migration of the organizer’s cells, followed by the transcriptional activation/deactivation of target genes, and the diffusion of secreting molecules, collectively direct the early development. Finally, we take an in-depth look at active signaling that originates from the organizer and involves germ layer specification and patterning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1025 KiB  
Review
Drosophila Corazonin Neurons as a Hub for Regulating Growth, Stress Responses, Ethanol-Related Behaviors, Copulation Persistence and Sexually Dimorphic Reward Pathways
by Ziam Khan, Maya Tondravi, Ryan Oliver and Fernando J. Vonhoff
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(3), 26; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb9030026 - 05 Jul 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4583
Abstract
The neuronal mechanisms by which complex behaviors are coordinated and timed often involve neuropeptidergic regulation of stress and reward pathways. Recent studies of the neuropeptide Corazonin (Crz), a homolog of the mammalian Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone (GnRH), have suggested its crucial role in the [...] Read more.
The neuronal mechanisms by which complex behaviors are coordinated and timed often involve neuropeptidergic regulation of stress and reward pathways. Recent studies of the neuropeptide Corazonin (Crz), a homolog of the mammalian Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone (GnRH), have suggested its crucial role in the regulation of growth, internal states and behavioral decision making. We focus this review on Crz neurons with the goal to (1) highlight the diverse roles of Crz neuron function, including mechanisms that may be independent of the Crz peptide, (2) emphasize current gaps in knowledge about Crz neuron functions, and (3) propose exciting ideas of novel research directions involving the use of Crz neurons. We describe the different developmental fates of distinct subsets of Crz neurons, including recent findings elucidating the molecular regulation of apoptosis. Crz regulates systemic growth, food intake, stress responses and homeostasis by interacting with the short Neuropeptide F (sNPF) and the steroid hormone ecdysone. Additionally, activation of Crz neurons is shown to be pleasurable by interacting with the Neuropeptide F (NPF) and regulates reward processes such as ejaculation and ethanol-related behaviors in a sexually dimorphic manner. Crz neurons are proposed to be a motivational switch regulating copulation duration using a CaMKII-dependent mechanism described as the first neuronal interval timer lasting longer than a few seconds. Lastly, we propose ideas to use Crz neuron-induced ejaculation to study the effects of fictive mating and sex addiction in flies, as well as to elucidate dimorphic molecular mechanisms underlying reward behaviors and feeding disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1994 KiB  
Review
The Role of BMP Signaling in Osteoclast Regulation
by Brian Heubel and Anja Nohe
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(3), 24; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jdb9030024 - 28 Jun 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4685
Abstract
The osteogenic effects of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) were delineated in 1965 when Urist et al. showed that BMPs could induce ectopic bone formation. In subsequent decades, the effects of BMPs on bone formation and maintenance were established. BMPs induce proliferation in osteoprogenitor [...] Read more.
The osteogenic effects of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) were delineated in 1965 when Urist et al. showed that BMPs could induce ectopic bone formation. In subsequent decades, the effects of BMPs on bone formation and maintenance were established. BMPs induce proliferation in osteoprogenitor cells and increase mineralization activity in osteoblasts. The role of BMPs in bone homeostasis and repair led to the approval of BMP2 by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) to increase the bone formation in the treated area. However, the use of BMP2 for treatment of degenerative bone diseases such as osteoporosis is still uncertain as patients treated with BMP2 results in the stimulation of not only osteoblast mineralization, but also osteoclast absorption, leading to early bone graft subsidence. The increase in absorption activity is the result of direct stimulation of osteoclasts by BMP2 working synergistically with the RANK signaling pathway. The dual effect of BMPs on bone resorption and mineralization highlights the essential role of BMP-signaling in bone homeostasis, making it a putative therapeutic target for diseases like osteoporosis. Before the BMP pathway can be utilized in the treatment of osteoporosis a better understanding of how BMP-signaling regulates osteoclasts must be established. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Journal of Developmental Biology II)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop