FIRST PERSON
REVIEWS
- Zebrafish models of sarcopenia
Summary: Zebrafish and other small fish have become powerful disease models. Here, we summarize the evidence for the utility of small teleost models for genetic research in sarcopenia – the age-related loss of muscle mass and function.
- Control of translation elongation in health and disease
Summary: In this Review, we outline the process of elongation and discuss the relative contributions of transfer RNAs, elongation factors and their modifiers to this process, and how their dysregulation contributes towards disease.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- FX11 limits Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth and potentiates bactericidal activity of isoniazid through host-directed activity
Summary: Targeting LDHA results in tumor regression in experimental models. Likewise, co-administration of a known small molecule LDHA inhibitor and an anti-tuberculosis drug has improved the tuberculosis therapeutic outcomes in murine models.
- Arx expansion mutation perturbs cortical development by augmenting apoptosis without activating innate immunity in a mouse model of X-linked infantile spasms syndrome
Editor's choice: We found non-cell-autonomous apoptosis and fewer Arx+ interneurons in neonatal neocortex of an X-linked infantile spasms syndrome Arx expansion model. Early estradiol therapy rescued Arx+ interneuron density, but did not prevent apoptosis.
- A murine model demonstrates capsule-independent adaptive immune protection in survivors of Klebsiella pneumoniae respiratory tract infection
Summary: This novel mouse model of nonlethal pulmonary Klebsiella pneumoniae infection allows for the exploration of mechanisms required to mount a protective memory response to K. pneumoniae in the lung.
- Inactivation of Zeb1 in GRHL2-deficient mouse embryos rescues mid-gestation viability and secondary palate closure
Summary: Epithelial transcription factor GRHL2 is required for face closure while mesenchymal transcription factor ZEB1 is required for palate closure. Surprisingly, animals lacking both factors close their face and secondary palate.
- Genetic background modifies phenotypic severity and longevity in a mouse model of Niemann-Pick disease type C1
Summary: This study identifies genomic regions in a new Npc1 mutant mouse model containing potential modifier variants associated with changes in phenotypic severity and lifespan.
- Characterization of the human GnRH neuron developmental transcriptome using a GNRH1-TdTomato reporter line in human pluripotent stem cells
Summary: Here, we generated a GNRH1-reporter cell line in hPSCs and investigated transcriptomes of GNRH1-expressing neurons and their progenitors, potentially leading to validation of new genes related to GnRH neuron function.
- Six1 proteins with human branchio-oto-renal mutations differentially affect cranial gene expression and otic development
Summary: Branchio-otic/branchio-oto-renal syndromes result in craniofacial defects including deafness. Four of the known human SIX1 mutations cause differential changes in craniofacial gene expression and otic morphology when expressed in Xenopus embryos.
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DMM and COVID-19
We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented impact on researchers worldwide. The Editors of all The Company of Biologists’ journals have been considering ways in which we can alleviate concerns that members of our community may have around publishing activities during this time. Read about the actions we are taking at this time.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the Editorial Office if you have any questions or concerns.
Professor Elizabeth Patton appointed as DMM’s next Editor-in-Chief
We are pleased to announce that The Company of Biologists directors have appointed Professor Elizabeth Patton as DMM's new Editor-in-Chief. As Paresh Vyas writes in his Editorial, Liz ‘brings vitality and a passion for the remit of DMM, and is deeply embedded in the community.’
Did you know DMM Conference Travel Grants can be used for online meetings?
With travel restrictions still in place, we want to continue supporting early-career researchers in their careers. DMM’s Conference Travel Grants can now be used to attend virtual and online scientific meetings, workshops, conferences and training courses.
The current application round closes on 8 February 2021 – find out more.
Identification of MYOM2 as a candidate gene in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and Tetralogy of Fallot, and its functional evaluation in the Drosophila heart
Research from Silke Sperling and colleagues uses Drosophila to identify MYOM2 as a candidate gene in congenital heart malformations in this issue’s Editor’s choice.
C. elegans as a disease model
A new Research article from Doyle et al., models spinal muscular atrophy in C. elegans to show that that targeting therapies to muscle cells is more effective than neuronal delivery. Find more research using C. elegans as a disease model in our latest subject collection.
Call for papers – The RAS Pathway: Diseases, Therapeutics and Beyond
Our upcoming special issue is now welcoming submissions until 1 April 2021. Guest-edited by Donita Brady (Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, USA) and Arvin Dar (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA), the issue will focus on the targeting the RAS pathway. Find out more about the issue and how to submit your manuscript.
Interview – Kim Landry-Truchon and Nicolas Houde
In an interview, first authors Kim Landry-Truchon and Nicolas Houde discuss their mouse model of the early stages of pleuropulmonary blastoma, reflecting on the implications of their work and the future of their field.