Selective activation of FZD2 and FZD7 reveals non-redundant function during mesoderm differentiation.

During gastrulation, Wnt-β-catenin signaling dictates lineage bifurcation generating different mesoderm cell types. However, the specific role of Wnt receptors in mesoderm specification remains elusive. Using selective Frizzled (FZD) and LRP5/6 antibody-based agonists, we examined FZD receptors' function during directed mesoderm differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Ultrastructural Analysis Reveals Mitochondrial Placement Independent of Synapse Placement in Fine Caliber C. elegans Neurons.

Neurons rely on mitochondria for an efficient supply of ATP and other metabolites. However, while neurons are highly elongated, mitochondria are discrete and limited in number. Due to the slow rates of metabolite diffusion over long distances, it follows that neurons would benefit from an ability to control the distribution of mitochondria to sites of high metabolic activity such as synapses.

Bichromatic exon-reporters reveal voltage-gated Ca -channel splice-isoform diversity across neurons .

Every neuron contains the same genomic information but its complement of proteins is the product of countless neuron-specific steps including pre-mRNA splicing. Despite advances in RNA sequencing techniques, pre-mRNA splicing biases that favor one isoform over another are largely inscrutable in live neurons . Here, in , we developed bichromatic fluorescent reporters to investigate alternate splicing of - a gene that codes the pore-forming α -subunit of the primary neuronal voltage-gated Ca channel (VGCC).

Fitness Screens Map State-Specific Glioblastoma Stem Cell Vulnerabilities.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary brain tumor in adults and is driven by self-renewing glioblastoma stem cells (GSC) that persist after therapy and seed treatment-refractory recurrent tumors. GBM tumors display a high degree of intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity that is a prominent barrier to targeted treatment strategies. This heterogeneity extends to GSCs that exist on a gradient between two transcriptional states or subtypes termed developmental and injury response.