@kuangtse.bsky.social
April 17, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Our model: Global cues (PCGs) pattern the body axes. Then, local 'Fate-Reinforcing Genes' like roboA/anos1 fine-tune identity by suppressing latent fates via TFs like foxA. This sculpts stem cell plasticity for accurate regeneration! (9/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Our model: Global cues (PCGs) pattern the body axes. Then, local 'Fate-Reinforcing Genes' like roboA/anos1 fine-tune identity by suppressing latent fates via TFs like foxA. This sculpts stem cell plasticity for accurate regeneration! (9/9)
We knew stem cells in the brain could potentially make pharynx cells. What about when we flip the switch? Knocking down foxA causes stem cells to make HEAD neurons & structures instead! 🤯 These together reveal an unprecedented latent stem cell plasticity! (8/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
We knew stem cells in the brain could potentially make pharynx cells. What about when we flip the switch? Knocking down foxA causes stem cells to make HEAD neurons & structures instead! 🤯 These together reveal an unprecedented latent stem cell plasticity! (8/9)
What else could it be? We screened 175 extracellular genes. JACKPOT! 🎰 Knockdown of anosmin-1 (anos1) phenocopies roboA(RNAi). Anos1 is linked to Kallmann Syndrome in humans (loss of smell + puberty). (7/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
What else could it be? We screened 175 extracellular genes. JACKPOT! 🎰 Knockdown of anosmin-1 (anos1) phenocopies roboA(RNAi). Anos1 is linked to Kallmann Syndrome in humans (loss of smell + puberty). (7/9)
Who is RoboA listening to? The usual suspect is Slit. But surprisingly, knocking down slit does NOT cause ectopic pharynx cells! RoboA acts via a Slit-independent pathway here. (6/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Who is RoboA listening to? The usual suspect is Slit. But surprisingly, knocking down slit does NOT cause ectopic pharynx cells! RoboA acts via a Slit-independent pathway here. (6/9)
Is this just messed up brain patterning causing weird neurons? Nope! Brains look structurally normal in roboA(RNAi) animals. (5/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Is this just messed up brain patterning causing weird neurons? Nope! Brains look structurally normal in roboA(RNAi) animals. (5/9)
There was a clue in the literature that RoboA might be involved. We found that knocking down roboA gives a wild phenotype: pharynx neurons & muscles appear abnormally in the brain, even without injury! This means RoboA normally restricts foxA expression and pharynx fates in the head. (4/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
There was a clue in the literature that RoboA might be involved. We found that knocking down roboA gives a wild phenotype: pharynx neurons & muscles appear abnormally in the brain, even without injury! This means RoboA normally restricts foxA expression and pharynx fates in the head. (4/9)
We study the planarian pharynx – a complex organ always found in the middle of the body. It's maintained by a pool of stem cells marked by the transcription factor foxA. How is its position & identity regulated? (3/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
We study the planarian pharynx – a complex organ always found in the middle of the body. It's maintained by a pool of stem cells marked by the transcription factor foxA. How is its position & identity regulated? (3/9)
Planarians regrow EVERYTHING thanks to highly plastic stem cells (neoblasts). But plasticity is a double-edged sword – organs must reform in the right place with the right cells. How is this controlled? (2/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Planarians regrow EVERYTHING thanks to highly plastic stem cells (neoblasts). But plasticity is a double-edged sword – organs must reform in the right place with the right cells. How is this controlled? (2/9)
Ever wondered how adult stem cells know WHERE and WHAT to become during whole-body regeneration? 🤔 Our latest work in planarians reveals a RoboA–Anosmin-1–FoxA triad that keeps pluripotent stem cells from going wild! (1/9)
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Ever wondered how adult stem cells know WHERE and WHAT to become during whole-body regeneration? 🤔 Our latest work in planarians reveals a RoboA–Anosmin-1–FoxA triad that keeps pluripotent stem cells from going wild! (1/9)
Our model: Global cues (PCGs) pattern the body axes. Then, local 'Fate-Reinforcing Genes' like roboA/anos1 fine-tune identity by suppressing latent fates via TFs like foxA. This sculpts stem cell plasticity for accurate regeneration! Read more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Pluripotent Stem Cell Plasticity is Sculpted by a Slit-Independent Robo Pathway in a Regenerative Animal
Whole-body regeneration requires adult stem cells with high plasticity to differentiate into missing cell types. Planarians possess a unique configuration of organs embedded in a vast pool of pluripot...
www.biorxiv.org
April 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Our model: Global cues (PCGs) pattern the body axes. Then, local 'Fate-Reinforcing Genes' like roboA/anos1 fine-tune identity by suppressing latent fates via TFs like foxA. This sculpts stem cell plasticity for accurate regeneration! Read more: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We knew stem cells in the brain could potentially make pharynx cells. What about when we flip the switch? Knocking down foxA causes stem cells to make HEAD neurons & structures instead! 🤯 These together reveal an unprecedented latent stem cell plasticity!
April 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
We knew stem cells in the brain could potentially make pharynx cells. What about when we flip the switch? Knocking down foxA causes stem cells to make HEAD neurons & structures instead! 🤯 These together reveal an unprecedented latent stem cell plasticity!