A MODEL FOR LIFE
- Building genetic tools in Drosophila research: an interview with Gerald Rubin
Drosophila Collection: Ross Cagan spoke to Gerry Rubin about his career path and the story behind some of his key breakthroughs, as well as his unique and successful approach to management and mentorship.
REVIEW
- Using Drosophila to discover mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes
Drosophila Collection: Studies in Drosophila hold the potential to transform our understanding of the genetics of diabetes. We review important findings and provide a framework for diabetes gene discovery in the fly.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Neurodegeneration in a Drosophila model of adrenoleukodystrophy: the roles of the Bubblegum and Double bubble acyl-CoA synthetases
Drosophila Collection: A new Drosophila model of ALD reveals dysregulation of fatty acid metabolism as causal of neurodegenerative pathologies and has led to the identification of a new candidate gene for ALD in humans.
- Phenotypic chemical screening using a zebrafish neural crest EMT reporter identifies retinoic acid as an inhibitor of epithelial morphogenesis
Editors' choice: Generation and characterization of a novel neural crest EMT reporter for rapid in vivo drug screening in zebrafish that identifies a small-molecule EMT inhibitor that blocks this process by activating retinoic acid signaling.
- 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors as hypothalamic targets of developmental programming in male rats
Summary: Maternal protein restriction increases fetal brain 5-HT and might contribute to changes in production and function of hypothalamic 5-HT2C and 5-HT2A receptors in the offspring later in life.
- Common arterial trunk and ventricular non-compaction in Lrp2 knockout mice indicate a crucial role of LRP2 in cardiac development
Summary: This paper sheds a new light on the role of the second heart field and neural crest cells in outflow tract formation in the mouse embryo. Depletion of the LPR2 results in a disturbed contribution pattern and subsequent common arterial trunk.
- Depletion of regulatory T cells leads to an exacerbation of delayed-type hypersensitivity arthritis in C57BL/6 mice that can be counteracted by IL-17 blockade
Summary: This paper increases the understanding of disease drivers and regulators in delayed-type hypersensitivity arthritis, a robust and reproducible arthritis model in C57BL/6 mice.
- Angiotensin-(1-7) attenuates disuse skeletal muscle atrophy in mice via its receptor, Mas
Summary: In this article, the authors demonstrate that a peptide with actions mainly in the cardiovascular system prevents the skeletal muscle damage induced by disuse.
RESOURCE ARTICLES
- Decreased N-TAF1 expression in X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism patient-specific neural stem cells
Summary: This study describes a new iPSC model of X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP), which was initially validated by demonstrating a similar transcriptional defect as has been previously reported in XDP brain tissue.
- New Wistar Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rat transgenic models with ubiquitous expression of green fluorescent protein
Summary: We have created two transgenic models expressing ubiquitous GFP in WKY and SHR rat lines to support in vivo and ex vivo studies. We show their characterisation and discuss their potential use for translational research.
- Multimodal analysis of ocular inflammation using the endotoxin-induced uveitis mouse model
Summary: A refined platform approach for endotoxin-induced uveitis, using multimodal ex vivo and in vivo assessment, to improve quantification and phenotyping in this ocular model of compartmentalised tissue inflammation.
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.
Alessandro Bailetti is awarded the DMM Outstanding Paper Prize 2019
The annual prize is awarded to the first author of the paper that is judged by the journal’s editors to be the most outstanding contribution to the journal that year. Alessandro Bailetti's winning paper presents results that indicate a possible connection between E(Pc) and the Tip60 complex, and leukemia. Find out more about Alessandro and read the winning paper.
Find DMM online
We may not be meeting you in person this year, but we’re always here to chat about DMM and The Company of Biologists. Join the conversation over on Twitter, email us or catch Scientific Editor Julija Hmeljak at these upcoming virtual meetings:
MRC Human Genetics Unit (Virtual) Symposium: Aberrant Cell State Transitions in Human Disease
23-24 September
Genomic Imprinting – from Biology to Disease
28 September – 1 October
ZDMS Virtual webinar series
Throughout September – December
Interview - Mohd. Salman
First author Mohd. Salman studies traumatic brain injury. In an interview, he takes us through his latest research in DMM, explaining the potential implications of the findings, and discussing Wistar rats as a model system and life as a early-career researcher.
Call for papers - The RAS Pathway: Diseases, Therapeutics and Beyond
DMM invites you to submit original research for a special issue focused on targeting the RAS pathway. The submission deadline is 1 March 2021. Find out more and showcase your breakthrough research in this special collection.
It’s a time of turmoil for young scientists
“My students are my priority – they are on the brink of their careers.”
Dr Jodie Rummer (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University) talks about the importance of her role as a supervisor in supporting graduate students and post docs financially, intellectually and emotionally during this period of uncertainty.