Osborne, Matthieu Fubara, Athaliah Ó Cinnéide, Eoin Coughlan, Aisling Y Wolfe, Kenneth H
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Homing genetic elements are a form of selfish DNA that inserts into a specific target site in the genome and spreads through the population by a process of biased inheritance. Two well-known types of homing element, called inteins and homing introns, were discovered decades ago. In this review we describe WHO elements, a newly discovered type of ho...
Swanepoel, Callie M Mueller, Jacob L
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Chromosomal regions with meiotic drivers exhibit biased transmission (> 50 %) over their competing homologous chromosomal region. These regions often have two prominent genetic features: suppressed meiotic crossing over and rapidly evolving multicopy gene families. Heteromorphic sex chromosomes (e.g., XY) often share these two genetic features with...
Cassani, Madeline Seydoux, Geraldine
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
P-bodies are cytoplasmic condensates that accumulate low-translation mRNAs for temporary storage before translation or degradation. P-bodies have been best characterized in yeast and mammalian tissue culture cells. We describe here related condensates in the germline of animal models. Germline P-bodies have been reported at all stages of germline d...
Rajendran, Pradeep S Hadaya, Joseph Khalsa, Sahib S Yu, Chuyue Chang, Rui Shivkumar, Kalyanam
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
The parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve exerts profound influence over the heart. Together with the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for fine-tuned regulation of all aspects of cardiovascular function, including heart rate, rhythm, contractility, and blood pressure. In this review, we high...
Popgeorgiev, Nikolay Gil, Clara Berthenet, Kevin Bertolin, Giulia Ichim, Gabriel
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Membrane structural integrity is essential for optimal mitochondrial function. These organelles produce the energy needed for all vital processes, provided their outer and inner membranes are intact. This prevents the release of mitochondrial apoptogenic factors into the cytosol and ensures intact mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) to sustain A...
Sun, Gongping
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Executioner caspases are evolutionarily conserved regulators of cell death under apoptotic stress. Activated executioner caspases drive apoptotic cell death through cleavage of diverse protein substrates or pyroptotic cell death in the presence of gasdermin E. On the other hand, activation of executioner caspases can also trigger pro-survival and p...
Kearly, Alyssa Nelson, Andrew D L Skirycz, Aleksandra Chodasiewicz, Monika
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Stress Granules (SGs) and Processing-bodies (P-bodies) are biomolecular condensates formed in the cell with the highly conserved purpose of maintaining balance between storage, translation, and degradation of mRNA. This balance is particularly important when cells are exposed to different environmental conditions and adjustments have to be made in ...
Coverdell, Tatiana C Abbott, Stephen B G Campbell, John N
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
The vagus nerve vitally connects the brain and body to coordinate digestive, cardiorespiratory, and immune functions. Its efferent neurons, which project their axons from the brainstem to the viscera, are thought to comprise "functional units" - neuron populations dedicated to the control of specific vagal reflexes or organ functions. Previous rese...
Borgmann, Diba Fenselau, Henning
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Maintaining blood glucose at an appropriate physiological level requires precise coordination of multiple organs and tissues. The vagus nerve bidirectionally connects the central nervous system with peripheral organs crucial to glucose mobilization, nutrient storage, and food absorption, thereby presenting a key pathway for the central control of b...
Décarie-Spain, Léa Hayes, Anna M R Lauer, Logan Tierno Kanoski, Scott E
Published in
Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Survival requires the integration of external information and interoceptive cues to effectively guide advantageous behaviors, particularly foraging and other behaviors that promote energy acquisition and consumption. The vagus nerve acts as a critical relay between the abdominal viscera and the brain to convey metabolic signals. This review synthes...
