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- Volume 22, 2006
Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology - Volume 22, 2006
Volume 22, 2006
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The Cellular Basis of Kidney Development
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 509–529More LessAbstractMammalian kidney development has helped elucidate the general concepts of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions, inductive signaling, epithelial cell polarization, and branching morphogenesis. Through the use of genetically engineered mouse models, the manipulation of Xenopus and chick embryos, and the identification of human renal disease genes, the molecular bases for many of the early events in the developing kidney are becoming increasingly clear. Early patterning of the kidney region depends on interactions between Pax/Eya/Six genes, with essential roles for lim1 and Odd1. Ureteric bud outgrowth and branching morphogenesis are controlled by the Ret/Gdnf pathway, which is subject to positive and negative regulation by a variety of factors. A clear role for Wnt proteins in induction of the kidney mesenchyme is now well established and complements the classic literature nicely. Patterning along the proximal distal axis as the nephron develops is now being investigated and must involve aspects of Notch signaling. The development of a glomerulus requires interactions between epithelial cells and infiltrating endothelial cells to generate a unique basement membrane. The integrity of the glomerular filter depends in large part on the proteins of the nephrin complex, localized to the slit diaphragm. Despite the kidney's architectural complexity, with the advent of genomics and expression arrays, it is becoming one of the best-characterized organ systems in developmental biology.
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Telomeres: Cancer to Human Aging
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 531–557More LessAbstractThe cell phenotypes of senescence and crisis operate to circumscribe the proliferative potential of mammalian cells, suggesting that both are capable of operating in vivo to suppress the formation of tumors. The key regulators of these phenotypes are the telomeres, which are located at the ends of chromosomes and operate to protect the chromosomes from end-to-end fusions. Telomere erosion below a certain length can trigger crisis. The relationship between senescence and telomere function is more complex, however: Cell-physiological stresses as well as dysfunction of the complex molecular structures at the ends of telomeric DNA can trigger senescence. Cells can escape senescence by inactivating the Rb and p53 tumor suppressor proteins and can surmount crisis by activating a telomere maintenance mechanism. The resulting cell immortalization is an essential component of the tumorigenic phenotype of human cancer cells. Here we discuss how telomeres are monitored and maintained and how loss of a functional telomere influences biological functions as diverse as aging and carcinogenesis.
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The Interferon-Inducible GTPases
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 559–589More LessAbstractMammalian cells respond to interferons (IFNs) secreted during infection by the transcriptional upregulation of as many as a thousand genes. This remarkable transition prepares cells and organisms for resistance to infection, and many IFN-regulated gene products are players in well-understood resistance programs. Oddly, however, many of the most abundantly induced proteins are GTPases whose functions are not well understood. Here we review the progress that has been made toward understanding the roles of individual GTPase families in disease resistance and the hints of common mechanisms that are now available.
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What Mouse Mutants Teach Us About Extracellular Matrix Function
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 591–621More LessAbstractFor many years the extracellular matrix was viewed as a benign scaffold for arranging cells within connective tissues, but it is now being redefined as a dynamic, mobile, and flexible key player in defining cellular behavior. Gene targeting, transgene expression, and spontaneous mutations of extracellular matrix proteins in mice have greatly accelerated our mechanistic view of the structural and instructive functions of the extracellular matrix in developmental and regenerative processes. This review summarizes the phenotypes of genetic mouse models carrying mutations in extracellular matrix proteins, with specific emphasis on recent advances. The application of reverse genetics has demonstrated the multifunctionality of matrix proteins in a biological context and, in addition, has brought a novel perspective to the understanding of human pathologies.
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Caspase-Dependent Cell Death in Drosophila
Bruce A. Hay, and Ming GuoVol. 22 (2006), pp. 623–650More LessAbstractCell death plays many roles during development, in the adult, and in the genesis of many pathological states. Much of this death is apoptotic in nature and requires the activity of members of the caspase family of proteases. It is now possible uniquely in Drosophila to carry out genetic screens for genes that determine the fate—life or death—of any population of cells during development and adulthood. This, in conjunction with the ability to obtain biochemical quantities of material, has made Drosophila a useful organism for exploring the mechanisms by which apoptosis is carried out and regulated. This review summarizes our knowledge of caspase-dependent cell death in Drosophila and compares that knowledge with what is known in worms and mammals. We also discuss the significance of recent work showing that a number of key cell death activators also play nonapoptotic roles. We highlight opportunities and outstanding questions along the way.
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Regulation of Commissural Axon Pathfinding by Slit and its Robo Receptors
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 651–675More LessAbstractCommissural axons grow along complex pathways toward, across, and beyond the midline of the central nervous system. Taking commissural axons in the vertebrate spinal cord and the Drosophila ventral nerve cord as examples, we examine how commissural axon pathfinding is regulated by the Slit family of guidance cues and their Robo family receptors. We extract several principles that seem likely to apply to other axons and other contexts, such as the reiterative use of the same guidance molecules in distinct pathfinding decisions, the transcriptional specification of a pathway, the posttranscriptional regulation of growth along the pathway, and the possible role of feedback mechanisms to ensure the fidelity of pathfinding choices. Such mechanisms may help explain how a relatively small number of guidance molecules can generate complex and stereotyped wiring patterns. We also highlight the many gaps in our understanding of commissural axon pathfinding and question some widely accepted views. We hope that this review encourages further efforts to tackle these questions, in the expectation that this system will continue to reveal the general principles of axon pathfinding.
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Blood Cells and Blood Cell Development in the Animal Kingdom
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 677–712More LessAbstractRecent findings strongly suggest that the molecular pathways involved in the development and function of blood cells are highly conserved among vertebrates and various invertebrate phyla. This has led to a renewed interest regarding homologies between blood cell types and their developmental origin among different animals. One way to address these areas of inquiry is to shed more light on the biology of blood cells in extant invertebrate taxa that have branched off the bilaterian tree in between insects and vertebrates. This review attempts, in a broadly comparative manner, to update the existing literature that deals with early blood cell development. I begin by providing a brief survey of the different types of blood cell lineages among metazoa. There is now good reason to believe that, in vertebrates and invertebrates alike, blood cell lineages diverge from a common type of progenitor cell, the hemocytoblast. I give a synopsis of the origin and determination of the hematocytoblast, beginning with a look at the hematopoietic organs that house hemocytoblasts in adult animals, followed by a more detailed overview of the embryonic development of the hematopoietic organ. Finally, I compare the process of blood lineage diversification in vertebrates and Drosophila.
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Axonal Wiring in the Mouse Olfactory System
Vol. 22 (2006), pp. 713–737More LessAbstractThe main olfactory epithelium of the mouse is a mosaic of 2000 populations of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Each population expresses one allele of one of the 1000 intact odorant receptor (OR) genes. An OSN projects a single unbranched axon to a single glomerulus, from an array of 1600–1800 glomeruli in the main olfactory bulb. Within a glomerulus the OSN axon synapses with the dendrites of second-order neurons and interneurons. Axons of OSNs that express the same OR project to the same glomeruli—typically one glomerulus per half-bulb and thus four glomeruli per mouse. These glomeruli are located at characteristic positions within the glomerular layer of the bulb. ORs determine both the odorant response profile of the OSN and the projection of its axon to a specific glomerulus. I focus on genetic approaches to the axonal wiring problem, particularly on how ORs may function in axonal wiring.
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Previous Volumes
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Volume 39 (2023)
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Volume 38 (2022)
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Volume 37 (2021)
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Volume 36 (2020)
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Volume 35 (2019)
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Volume 34 (2018)
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Volume 33 (2017)
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Volume 32 (2016)
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Volume 31 (2015)
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Volume 30 (2014)
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Volume 29 (2013)
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Volume 28 (2012)
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Volume 27 (2011)
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Volume 26 (2010)
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Volume 25 (2009)
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Volume 24 (2008)
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Volume 23 (2007)
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Volume 22 (2006)
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Volume 21 (2005)
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Volume 20 (2004)
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Volume 19 (2003)
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Volume 18 (2002)
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Volume 17 (2001)
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Volume 16 (2000)
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Volume 15 (1999)
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Volume 14 (1998)
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Volume 13 (1997)
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Volume 12 (1996)
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Volume 11 (1995)
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Volume 10 (1994)
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Volume 9 (1993)
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Volume 8 (1992)
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Volume 7 (1991)
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Volume 6 (1990)
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Volume 5 (1989)
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Volume 4 (1988)
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Volume 3 (1987)
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Volume 2 (1986)
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Volume 1 (1985)
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Volume 0 (1932)