Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of early sea star development.

Echinoderms represent a broad phylum with many tractable features to test evolutionary changes and constraints. Here, we present a single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis of early development in the sea star Patiria miniata, to complement the recent analysis of two sea urchin species. We identified 20 cell states across six developmental stages from 8 hpf to mid-gastrula stage, using the analysis of 25,703 cells.

Contributions of Yap and Taz dysfunction to breast cancer initiation, progression, and aging-related susceptibility.

Yap and Taz are co-transcription factors that have been implicated in the development of many cancers. Here, we review the literature that analyzes the function of Yap/Taz in normal breast and breast cancer contexts. Our review of the literature suggests that that Yap and Taz are involved in breast cancer and Taz, in particular, is involved in the triple negative subtype.

Breast Tissue Biology Expands the Possibilities for Prevention of Age-Related Breast Cancers.

Preventing breast cancer before it is able to form is an ideal way to stop breast cancer. However, there are limited existing options for prevention of breast cancer. Changes in the breast tissue resulting from the aging process contribute to breast cancer susceptibility and progression and may therefore provide promising targets for prevention.

Nodal induces sequential restriction of germ cell factors during primordial germ cell specification.

Specification of the germ cell lineage is required for sexual reproduction in animals. The mechanism of germ cell specification varies among animals but roughly clusters into either inherited or inductive mechanisms. The inductive mechanism, the use of cell-cell interactions for germ cell specification, appears to be the ancestral mechanism in animal phylogeny, yet the pathways responsible for this process are only recently surfacing.

Regeneration in bipinnaria larvae of the bat star Patiria miniata induces rapid and broad new gene expression.

Background: Some metazoa have the capacity to regenerate lost body parts. This phenomenon in adults has been classically described in echinoderms, especially in sea stars (Asteroidea). Sea star bipinnaria larvae can also rapidly and effectively regenerate a complete larva after surgical bisection.

Regulation of ceramide synthase by casein kinase 2-dependent phosphorylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Complex sphingolipids are important components of eukaryotic cell membranes and, together with their biosynthetic precursors, including sphingoid long chain bases and ceramides, have important signaling functions crucial for cell growth and survival. Ceramides are produced at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane by a multicomponent enzyme complex termed ceramide synthase (CerS). In budding yeast, this complex is composed of two catalytic subunits, Lac1 and Lag1, as well as an essential regulatory subunit, Lip1.

Origin and development of the germ line in sea stars.

This review summarizes and integrates our current understanding of how sea stars make gametes. Although little is known of the mechanism of germ line formation in these animals, recent results point to specific cells and to cohorts of molecules in the embryos and larvae that may lay the ground work for future research efforts. A coelomic outpocketing forms in the posterior of the gut in larvae, referred to as the posterior enterocoel (PE), that when removed, significantly reduces the number of germ cell later in larval growth.

TOR complex 2-Ypk1 signaling maintains sphingolipid homeostasis by sensing and regulating ROS accumulation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced during normal metabolism and can function as signaling molecules. However, ROS at elevated levels can damage cells. Here, we identify the conserved target of rapamycin complex 2 (TORC2)/Ypk1 signaling module as an important regulator of ROS in the model eukaryotic organism, S.

Selective accumulation of germ-line associated gene products in early development of the sea star and distinct differences from germ-line development in the sea urchin.

Background: Echinodermata is a diverse phylum, a sister group to chordates, and contains diverse organisms that may be useful to understand varied mechanisms of germ-line specification.

Results: We tested 23 genes in development of the sea star Patiria miniata that fall into five categories: (1) Conserved germ-line factors; (2) Genes involved in the inductive mechanism of germ-line specification; (3) Germ-line associated genes; (4) Molecules involved in left-right asymmetry; and (5) Genes involved in regulation and maintenance of the genome during early embryogenesis. Overall, our results support the contention that the posterior enterocoel is a source of the germ line in the sea star P.

The biology of the germ line in echinoderms.

The formation of the germ line in an embryo marks a fresh round of reproductive potential. The developmental stage and location within the embryo where the primordial germ cells (PGCs) form, however, differs markedly among species. In many animals, the germ line is formed by an inherited mechanism, in which molecules made and selectively partitioned within the oocyte drive the early development of cells that acquire this material to a germ-line fate.

Selective ATP-competitive inhibitors of TOR suppress rapamycin-insensitive function of TORC2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The target of rapamycin (TOR) is a critical regulator of growth, survival, and energy metabolism. The allosteric TORC1 inhibitor rapamycin has been used extensively to elucidate the TOR related signal pathway but is limited by its inability to inhibit TORC2. We used an unbiased cell proliferation assay of a kinase inhibitor library to discover QL-IX-55 as a potent inhibitor of S.