EDITORIAL
- Into the blue: the importance of murine lacZ gene expression profiling in understanding and treating human disease
Summary: A recent report by White et al. highlights the utility of lacZ reporter gene expression profiling as a powerful means of elucidating the role of genes in health and disease.
A MODEL FOR LIFE
REVIEW
- Exploring the HIFs, buts and maybes of hypoxia signalling in disease: lessons from zebrafish models
Summary: Hypoxia signalling, mediated by HIF, is a crucial pathway in many disease processes. Here, we review current knowledge of HIF signalling and disease, focusing on recent findings from zebrafish models.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- A hypermorphic epithelial β-catenin mutation facilitates intestinal tumorigenesis in mice in response to compounding WNT-pathway mutations
Summary: The gpA33ΔN-Bcat mice provide a model that better mimics some aspects of sporadic colon cancer induction in humans in terms of tumor multiplicity and latency and site-specific (i.e. colon) tumor occurrence that coincides with upregulation of markers for human colorectal cancer progression.
- A zebrafish larval model reveals early tissue-specific innate immune responses to Mucor circinelloides
Summary: We use zebrafish larval models to delineate the temporospatial patterns of innate immune responses to fungal infections with mucormycete spores.
- Loss of the Coffin-Lowry syndrome-associated gene RSK2 alters ERK activity, synaptic function and axonal transport in Drosophila motoneurons
Summary: Mutations in the human kinase RSK2 are associated with severe mental retardation (Coffin-Lowry syndrome). Here, the function of Drosophila RSK in synaptic plasticity is described, which might help in understanding the complex pathophysiology.
- T-cell number and subtype influence the disease course of primary chronic lymphocytic leukaemia xenografts in alymphoid mice
Summary: Manipulation of T cells can enhance current CLL xenograft models, expanding their utility for investigation of tumour biology and pre-clinical drug assessment.
- Modelling staphylococcal pneumonia in a human 3D lung tissue model system delineates toxin-mediated pathology
Summary: Use of a human 3D lung tissue model system identifies the combined effects of α-toxin and Panton-Valentine leukocidin in tissue injury and clinical outcome in staphylococcal pneumonia.
- Heterozygous disruption of activin receptor-like kinase 1 is associated with increased arterial pressure in mice
Summary: Mice haploinsufficient for Alk1, a receptor for the TGF-β family, show hypertension, based on overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system and a reduction in the number of cholinergic neurons in the CNS.
- Xenobiotics that affect oxidative phosphorylation alter differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells at concentrations that are found in human blood
Summary: Some medical drugs and environmental chemical pollutants acting on the oxidative phosphorylation system can alter adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis and, thus, have important consequences for human health.
- Hyperactivity and attention deficits in mice with decreased levels of stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1)
Summary: Here, using a series of behavioral tests including touchscreen tasks we show that decreased levels of stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) lead to attention deficits and hyperactivity in mice.
RESOURCE ARTICLES
- A gene expression resource generated by genome-wide lacZ profiling in the mouse
Editor's Choice: The report presents an open-access adult mouse expression resource, in which the expression profile of 424 genes has been assessed in up to 47 different organs, tissues and sub-structures using a lacZ reporter gene.
- A simple method for in vivo labelling of infiltrating leukocytes in the mouse retina using indocyanine green dye
Summary: We show here that peripheral leukocytes can be labelled with ICG in vivo and then directly imaged as they invade the retina after inflammatory stimuli.
This issue
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
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.
Monica Justice bids farewell to DMM
In her farewell Editorial, outgoing Editor-in-Chief Monica Justice reminds us of the past half-decade of growth and of DMM's commitment to support the disease modelling community, concluding, “The knowledge and experience I gained during my time as Senior Editor and EiC at DMM is invaluable: working within a not-for-profit community publishing environment is a joy.”
3D imaging of beta cell mass in diabetic mouse models
In their inducible mouse model of diabetes, Roostalu et al. demonstrate how quantitative light-sheet imaging can capture changes in individual islets to help pharmacological research in diabetes.
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Modelling Joubert syndrome patient-derived mutations in C. elegans
In this issue’s Editor’s choice, Karen Lange and colleagues used C. elegans to model and characterise two patient-derived mutations that cause the ciliopathy Joubert syndrome.
Interview – Karen Lange
First author of our current Editor’s choice, Karen Lange takes us behind the scenes of the paper, and shares her thoughts on how the lack of both time and job security will impact her research.