Nature Network - Recent topics from Developmental Biology

Stochastic gene expression and cell differentiation (0 replies)

Bruno Vellutini — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:41:51 -0000

Self-organization vs Watchmaker: stochastic gene expression and cell differentiation

Development Genes and Evolution
Volume 215, Number 1 / January, 2005
Hypothesis Paper
10.1007/s00427-004-0448-7
46-52

This article was very interesting to me because it pointed out some cellular dynamics properties that directly affect how we understand the process of development.

Anybody read it? Opinions?

Pre-gastrulation differences between amniotes and anamniotes (0 replies)

Jon Moulton — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 19:25:02 -0000

Electroporation of Morpholinos into chick embryos was used to confirm genes involved in the early developmental steps differentiating amniotes from fish and amphibians.

Here’s a press release

Voiculescu O, Bertocchini F, Wolpert L, Keller RE, Stern CD. The amniote primitive streak is defined by epithelial cell intercalation before gastrulation. Nature advance online publication 10 October 2007 | doi:10.1038/nature06211

See the supplementary online information for videos.

Microinjecting? (0 replies)

Jon Moulton — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:46:26 -0000

Control of microinjected volume can be a problem. How do you know your injections are consistent? This paper gives a nice protocol in the supplementary online methods section.

Riedel-Kruse IH, Muller C, Oates AC. Synchrony dynamics during initiation, failure, and rescue of the segmentation clock. Science. 2007 Sep 28;317(5846):1911-5. Epub 2007 Aug 16.

The bottom line is that they are injecting into mineral oil prior to and after each group of embryos, then imaging the water droplet in the mineral oil and calculating its volume.

Morpholino knockdown of miRNA in Xenopus (0 replies)

Jon Moulton — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:11:37 -0000

There’s a
brief description of an miRNA knockdown in X. laevis using Morpholino oligos
which is on the Morpholino group.

The paper:
MicroRNA control of Nodal signalling.

What's your organism? (9 replies)

Jon Moulton — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:52:00 -0000

Hi folks,

It’s been quiet on this group. Time for some posts! I’m one of the Morpholino people from Gene Tools, so while I know about my molecules I don’t have much to add regarding cool biology—I come here hoping to learn that from y’all. Who is doing what in what organism? A networking site only works if everyone is posting!