Control of spatio-temporal patterning via cell growth in a multicellular synthetic gene circuit.

A major goal in synthetic development is to build gene regulatory circuits that control patterning. In natural development, an interplay between mechanical and chemical communication shapes the dynamics of multicellular gene regulatory circuits. For synthetic circuits, how non-genetic properties of the growth environment impact circuit behavior remains poorly explored.

Parsing patterns: Emerging roles of tissue self-organization in health and disease.

Patterned morphologies, such as segments, spirals, stripes, and spots, frequently emerge during embryogenesis through self-organized coordination between cells. Yet, complex patterns also emerge in adults, suggesting that the capacity for spontaneous self-organization is a ubiquitous property of biological tissues. We review current knowledge on the principles and mechanisms of self-organized patterning in embryonic tissues and explore how these principles and mechanisms apply to adult tissues that exhibit features of patterning.

GWAS reveals determinants of mobilization rate and dynamics of an active endogenous retrovirus of cattle.

Five to ten percent of mammalian genomes is occupied by multiple clades of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), that may count thousands of members. New ERV clades arise by retroviral infection of the germline followed by expansion by reinfection and/or retrotransposition. ERV mobilization is a source of deleterious variation, driving the emergence of ERV silencing mechanisms, leaving "DNA fossils".

Homologous Recombination Deficiency as an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker in a Real-World Cohort: Validation of Decentralized Genomic Profiling.

The diagnostic evaluation of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is central to define targeted therapy strategies for patients with ovarian carcinoma. We evaluated HRD in 514 ovarian carcinoma samples by next-generation sequencing of DNA libraries, including BRCA1/BRCA2 and 26,523 single-nucleotide polymorphisms using the standardized Myriad HRD assay, with the predefined cut point of ≥42 for a positive genomic instability score (GIS). All samples were measured in the central Myriad laboratory and in an academic molecular pathology laboratory.