KeaA,a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dictyostelium</Emphasis> kelch-domain protein that regulates the response to stress and development

Background  

The protein kinase YakA is responsible for the growth arrest and induction of developmental processes that occur upon starvation of Dictyostelium cells. yakA ^- cells are aggregation deficient, have a faster cell cycle and are hypersensitive to oxidative and nitrosoative stress. With the aim of isolating members of the YakA pathway, suppressors of the death induced by nitrosoative stress in the yakA ^- cells were identified. One of the suppressor mutations occurred in keaA, a gene identical to DG1106 and similar to Keap1 from mice and the Kelch protein from Drosophila, among others that contain Kelch domains.     

Controlled spatial and conformational display of immobilised bone morphogenetic protein-2 and osteopontin signalling motifs regulates osteoblast adhesion and differentiation <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Background  

The interfacial molecular mechanisms that regulate mammalian cell growth and differentiation have important implications for biotechnology (production of cells and cell products) and medicine (tissue engineering, prosthetic implants, cancer and developmental biology). We demonstrate here that engineered protein motifs can be robustly displayed to mammalian cells in vitro in a highly controlled manner using a soluble protein scaffold designed to self assemble on a gold surface.     

Analysis of gene expression in cotton fiber initials

Background  

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fibers are trichomes that initiate from the ovule epidermis. Little is known about the developmental pathway causing fiber to differentiate from ovular epidermal cells even though limits on the number of cells that differentiate into fiber will limit yield.     

FlyPNS,a database of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis> embryonic and larval peripheral nervous system

Background  

The embryonic and larval peripheral nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster is extensively studied as a very powerful model of developmental biology. One main advantage of this system is the ability to study the origin and development of individual sensory cells. However, there remain several discrepancies regarding the organization of sensory organs in each abdominal segment A1-A7.     

Genetic and environmental control of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium</Emphasis> syndrome in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

Background  

Verticillium spp. are major pathogens of dicotyledonous plants such as cotton, tomato, olive or oilseed rape. Verticillium symptoms are often ambiguous and influenced by development and environment. The aim of the present study was to define disease and resistance traits of the complex Verticillium longisporum syndrome in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. A genetic approach was used to determine genetic, developmental and environmental factors controlling specific disease and resistance traits and to study their interrelations.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Drosophila</Emphasis>STIM1 orthologue,dSTIM, has roles in cell fate specification and tissue patterning

Background  

Mammalian STIM1 and STIM2 and the single Drosophila homologue dSTIM have been identified as key regulators of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry in cells. STIM proteins function both as molecular sensors of Ca²⁺concentration in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the molecular triggers that activate SOC channels in the plasma membrane. Ca²⁺ is a crucial intracellular messenger utilised in many cellular processes, and regulators of Ca²⁺ homeostasis in the ER and cytosol are likely to play important roles in developmental processes. STIM protein expression is altered in several tumour types but the role of these proteins in developmental signalling pathways has not been thoroughly examined.     

Diapause in the pea aphid (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acyrthosiphon pisum</Emphasis>) is a slowing but not a cessation of development

Background  

Many insects undergo a period of arrested development, called diapause, to avoid seasonally recurring adverse conditions. Whilst the phenology and endocrinology of insect diapause have been well studied, there has been comparatively little research into the developmental details of diapause. We investigated developmental aspects of diapause in sexually-produced embryos of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum.     

The roles of Bcl-x<Subscript>L</Subscript> in modulating apoptosis during development of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenopus laevis</Emphasis>

Background  

Apoptosis is a common and essential aspect of development. It is particularly prevalent in the central nervous system and during remodelling processes such as formation of the digits and in amphibian metamorphosis. Apoptosis, which is dependent upon a balance between pro- and anti-apoptotic factors, also enables the embryo to rid itself of cells damaged by gamma irradiation. In this study, the roles of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-x_L in protecting cells from apoptosis were examined in Xenopus laevis embryos using transgenesis to overexpress the XR11 gene, which encodes Bcl-x_L. The effects on developmental, thyroid hormone-induced and γ-radiation-induced apoptosis in embryos were examined in these transgenic animals.     

Large impact of the apoplast on somatic embryogenesis in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyclamen persicum</Emphasis> offers possibilities for improved developmental control <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Background  

Clonal propagation is highly desired especially for valuable horticultural crops. The method with the potentially highest multiplication rate is regeneration via somatic embryogenesis. However, this mode of propagation is often hampered by the occurrence of developmental aberrations and non-embryogenic callus. Therefore, the developmental process of somatic embryogenesis was analysed in the ornamental crop Cyclamen persicum by expression profiling, comparing different developmental stages of embryogenic cell cultures, zygotic vs. somatic embryos and embryogenic vs. non-embryogenic cell cultures.     

Phylogenetic and regulatory region analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wnt5</Emphasis> genes reveals conservation of a regulatory module with putative implication in pancreas development

Background  

Wnt5 genes belong to the large Wnt family, encoding proteins implicated into several tumorigenic and developmental processes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that Wnt5 gene has been duplicated at the divergence time of gnathostomata from agnatha. Interestingly, experimental data for some species indicated that only one of the two Wnt5 paralogs participates in the development of the endocrine pancreas. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the phylogenetic history of the Wnt5 developmental regulators and investigate the functional shift between paralogs through comparative genomics.     

Duplication,divergence and persistence in the Phytochrome photoreceptor gene family of cottons (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium</Emphasis> spp.)

Background  

Phytochromes are a family of red/far-red photoreceptors that regulate a number of important developmental traits in cotton (Gossypium spp.), including plant architecture, fiber development, and photoperiodic flowering. Little is known about the composition and evolution of the phytochrome gene family in diploid (G. herbaceum, G. raimondii) or allotetraploid (G. hirsutum, G. barbadense) cotton species. The objective of this study was to obtain a preliminary inventory and molecular-evolutionary characterization of the phytochrome gene family in cotton.     

An ontology for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xenopus</Emphasis> anatomy and development

Background  

The frogs Xenopus laevis and Xenopus (Silurana) tropicalis are model systems that have produced a wealth of genetic, genomic, and developmental information. Xenbase is a model organism database that provides centralized access to this information, including gene function data from high-throughput screens and the scientific literature. A controlled, structured vocabulary for Xenopus anatomy and development is essential for organizing these data.     

Characterization and expression patterns of <Emphasis Type="Italic">let-7</Emphasis> microRNA in the silkworm (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bombyx mori</Emphasis>)

Background  

lin-4 and let-7, the two founding members of heterochronic microRNA genes, are firstly confirmed in Caenorhabditis elegans to control the proper timing of developmental programs in a heterochronic pathway. let-7 has been thought to trigger the onset of adulthood across animal phyla. Ecdysone and Broad-Complex are required for the temporal expression of let-7 in Drosophila melanogaster. For a better understanding of the conservation and functions of let-7, we seek to explore how it is expressed in the silkworm (Bombyx mori).     

Long-term maintenance of in vitro cultured honeybee (Apis mellifera) embryonic cells

Background  

In vitro cultivation of cells allows novel investigation of in vivo- mechanisms and is a helpful tool in developmental biology, biochemistry and functional genomics. Numerous cell lines of insect species, e.g., silkworm and mosquito, have been reported. However, this is not the case for successful long-term cultivation of cells in honeybees.