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Simulation of intra ‐ciliary diffusion suggests a novel role of primary cilia as a cell‐signaling enhancer
Besides the role to generate a fluid flow in the surrounding medium, eukaryotic cilia have a crucial function in sensing external signals such as chemical or mechanical stimuli. A large body of work has shown that cilia are frequently found in various types of sensory cells and are closely related to many regulatory mechanisms in differentiation and development. However, we do not yet have a definitive answer to the fundamental question, “why cilia?” It has been a long‐standing mystery why cells use cilia for sensing external signals. To shed light on this, we sought to describe the kinetics of signaling with theoret...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - June 2, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Daisuke Takao, Shinji Kamimura Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Mathematical approach to nonlocal interactions using a reaction ‐diffusion system
In recent years, spatial long range interactions during developmental processes have been introduced as a result of the integration of microscopic information, such as molecular events and signaling networks. They are often called nonlocal interactions. If the profile of a nonlocal interaction is determined by experiments, we can easily investigate how patterns generate by numerical simulations without detailed microscopic events. Thus, nonlocal interactions are useful tools to understand complex biosystems. However, nonlocal interactions are often inconvenient for observing specific mechanisms because of the integration o...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - June 2, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Yoshitaro Tanaka, Hiroko Yamamoto, Hirokazu Ninomiya Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Physical properties of the chromosomes and implications for development
Remarkable progress has been made in understanding chromosome structures inside the cell nucleus. Recent advances in Hi‐C technologies enable the detection of genome‐wide chromatin interactions, providing insight into three‐dimensional (3D) genome organization. Advancements in the spatial and temporal resolutions of imaging as well as in molecular biological techniques allow the tracking of specific chromosomal loci, improving our understanding of chromosome movements. From these data, we are beginning to understand how the intra‐nuclear locations of chromatin loci and the 3D genome structure change during developm...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - June 2, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Takeshi Sugawara, Akatsuki Kimura Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Comprehensive analyses of hox gene expression in Xenopus laevis embryos and adult tissues
From whole genome sequencing of an allotetraploid frog, Xenopus laevis, two homeologous sets (L and S) of four Hox clusters A through D (HoxA.L/S, HoxB.L/S, HoxC.L/S, and HoxD.L/S) and 13 paralogous groups (PGs) with 76 genes were identified, allowing us to carry out the first comprehensive analyses of hox gene expression in vertebrates. Expression of all hox genes during development and in adult tissues was analyzed by RNA‐sequencing. The expression levels of most hox genes were similar between homeologs, but in some pairs, large differences were observed and several of these were confirmed by RT‐PCR and whole mount i...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - June 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Mariko Kondo, Takayoshi Yamamoto, Shuji Takahashi, Masanori Taira Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Establishment of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) ‐knockout medaka: ESR1 is dispensable for sexual development and reproduction in medaka, Oryzias latipes
Estrogens play fundamental roles in regulating reproductive activities and they act through estrogen receptor (ESR) in all vertebrates. Most vertebrates have two ESR subtypes (ESR1 and ESR2), whereas teleost fish have at least three (Esr1, Esr2a and Esr2b). Intricate functionalization has been suggested among the Esr subtypes, but to date, distinct roles of Esr have been characterized in only a limited number of species. Study of loss‐of‐function in animal models is a powerful tool for application to understanding vertebrate reproductive biology. In the current study, we established esr1 knockout (KO) medaka using a TA...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - June 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Saki Tohyama, Yukiko Ogino, Anke Lange, Taijun Myosho, Tohru Kobayashi, Yu Hirano, Gen Yamada, Tomomi Sato, Norihisa Tatarazako, Charles R. Tyler, Taisen Iguchi, Shinichi Miyagawa Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Avian brains: Insights from development, behaviors and evolution
Birds are an extensively specialized animal group with unique anatomical, physiological and ecological characteristics. Sophisticated social behaviors and remarkable cognitive abilities are present in several avian lineages, driven by their enlarged brains and intricate neural networks. These unique traits could be a result of adaptive evolution under the wide range of environmental constraints; however, the intrinsic mechanisms of avian brain development and evolution remain unclear. Here, we introduce recent findings regarding developmental aspects of avian brain organization and neuronal networks for specific avian beha...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 26, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Tadashi Nomura, Ei ‐Ichi Izawa Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Dopamine system, cerebellum, and nucleus ruber in fish and mammals
Small teleost fish including zebrafish and medaka have been used as animal models for research because of their small body size, vast amounts of eggs produced, their rapid development, low husbandry costs, and transparency during embryogenesis. Although the body size and appearance seem different, fish and mammals including human still possess anatomical and functional similarities in their brains. This review summarizes the similarities of brain structures and functions between teleost fish and mammalian brains, focusing on the dopamine system, functional regionalization of the cerebellum, and presence of the nucleus rube...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 26, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Hideaki Matsui Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

New perspective on the regionalization of the anterior forebrain in Osteichthyes
In the current model, the most anterior part of the forebrain (secondary prosencephalon) is subdivided into the telencephalon dorsally and the hypothalamus ventrally. Our recent study identified a new morphogenetic unit named the optic recess region (ORR) between the telencephalon and the hypothalamus. This modification of the forebrain regionalization based on the ventricular organization resolved some previously unexplained inconsistency about regional identification in different vertebrate groups. The ventricular‐based comparison also revealed a large diversity within the subregions (notably in the hypothalamus and te...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 4, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Kei Yamamoto, Solal Bloch, Philippe Vernier Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Mathematical model of collective cell migrations based on cell polarity
Individual cells migrate toward the direction of the cell polarity generated by interior or exterior factors. Under situations without guides such as chemoattractants, they migrate randomly. On the other hand, it has been observed that cell groups lead to systematic collective cell migrations. For example, Dictyostelium discoideum and Madin‐Darby canine kidney (epithelial) cells exhibit typical collective cell migration patterns such as uniformly directional migration and rotational migration. In particular, it has been suggested from experimental investigations that rotational migrations are intimately related to morpho...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Masakazu Akiyama, Takamichi Sushida, Sumire Ishida, Hisashi Haga Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Contractile actin belt and mesh structures provide the opposite dependence of epithelial stiffness on the spontaneous curvature of constituent cells
This study focuses on mechanical roles of contractile actin structures in determining macroscopic mechanics of epithelium. We performed computational simulations of epithelial deformations using the 3D vertex model, and revealed that the contractile belt and mesh structures have the contrary dependence of the epithelial stiffness and fracture force on the spontaneous curvature of constituent cells. (Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation)
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Satoru Okuda, Katsuyuki Unoki, Mototsugu Eiraku, Ken ‐ichi Tsubota Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Mechanical role of the spatial patterns of contractile cells in invagination of growing epithelial tissue
In this study, we investigated the mechanical role of the spatial patterns of the contractile cells in invagination of growing tissue using multicellular dynamics simulations. We found that cell proliferation and apical constriction were responsible for expanding the degree of tissue deformation and determining the location of the deformation, respectively. The direction of invagination depended on the spatial pattern of the contractile cells. Further, comparing the simulation results of surface and line contractions as possible modes of apical constriction, we found that the direction of invagination differed between thes...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Yasuhiro Inoue, Tadashi Watanabe, Satoru Okuda, Taiji Adachi Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Geometrical study of phyllotactic patterns by Bernoulli spiral lattices
Geometrical studies of phyllotactic patterns deal with the centric or cylindrical models produced by ideal lattices. van Iterson (Mathematische und mikroskopisch – anatomische Studien über Blattstellungen nebst Betrachtungen über den Schalenbau der Miliolinen, Verlag von Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1907) suggested a centric model representing ideal phyllotactic patterns as disk packings of Bernoulli spiral lattices and presented a phase diagram now called Van Iterson's diagram explaining the bifurcation processes of their combinatorial structures. Geometrical properties on disk packings were shown by Rothen & Koch (J. Ph...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Takamichi Sushida, Yoshikazu Yamagishi Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Role of domain in pattern formation
Pattern formation during development is one of the elegant self‐organized phenomena that allow cells to regulate their functions. At all levels, from DNA to a tissue or organ, many developmental processes include the determination of cellular functions through pattern formation. To elucidate the mechanism underlying pattern formation, numerous mathematical models have been developed and applied. However, model simplification has resulted in the role of domains not being seriously considered in pattern formation. Here, we introduce a novel application of the phase‐field method for analysis of chromatin dynamics, and a m...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Sungrim Seirin ‐Lee Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Morphologies of Bacillus subtilis communities responding to environmental variation
Bacterial communities exhibit a variety of growth morphologies in constructing robust systems under different environmental conditions. We review the diverse morphologies of Bacillus subtilis communities and their mechanisms of self‐organization. B. subtilis uses different cell types to suit environmental conditions and cell density. The subpopulation of each cell type exhibits various environment‐sensitive properties. Furthermore, division of labor among the subpopulations results in flexible development for the community as a whole. We review how B. subtilis community morphologies and growth strategies respond to e...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - May 1, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Sohei Tasaki, Madoka Nakayama, Wataru Shoji Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Regulation of axon arborization pattern in the developing chick ciliary ganglion: Possible involvement of caspase 3
During a certain critical period in the development of the central and peripheral nervous systems, axonal branches and synapses are massively reorganized to form mature connections. In this process, neurons search their appropriate targets, expanding and/or retracting their axons. Recent work suggested that the caspase superfamily regulates the axon morphology. Here, we tested the hypothesis that caspase 3, which is one of the major executioners in apoptotic cell death, is involved in regulating the axon arborization. The embryonic chicken ciliary ganglion was used as a model system of synapse reorganization. A dominant ne...
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - April 21, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Hidetaka Katow, Teppei Kanaya, Tomohisa Ogawa, Ryo Egawa, Hiromu Yawo Tags: Original Article Source Type: research