Model invertebrates articles within Nature

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In fruit flies, three-dimensional organ arrangement is stereotypical, sexually dimorphic and actively maintained by muscle-vessel mechanochemical crosstalk.

    • Laura Blackie
    • , Pedro Gaspar
    •  & Irene Miguel-Aliaga

  • Letter |

    Mitochondria have essential functions within cells, and their dysfunction is linked to various disorders; here, the fatty acid stearic acid (C18:0), which is a dietary component, and the transferrin receptor (TFR1) are shown to regulate mitochondrial function.

    • Deniz Senyilmaz
    • , Sam Virtue
    •  & Aurelio A. Teleman

  • News |

    Multidirectional imaging of embryos allows researchers to track development of fruitflies in real time.

    • Lauren Gravitz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A new resource for the analysis of population genomics and quantitative traits, the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel is presented.

    • Trudy F. C. Mackay
    • , Stephen Richards
    •  & Richard A. Gibbs

  • Article |

    As part of the modENCODE initiative, which aims to characterize functional DNA elements in D. melanogaster and C. elegans, this study uses RNA-Seq, tiling microarrays and cDNA sequencing to explore the transcriptome in 30 distinct developmental stages of the fruitfly. Among the results are scores of new genes, coding and non-coding transcripts, as well as splicing and editing events.

    • Brenton R. Graveley
    • , Angela N. Brooks
    •  & Susan E. Celniker

  • Article |

    As part of the modENCODE initiative, which aims to characterize functional DNA elements in D. melanogaster and C. elegans, this study presents a genome-wide chromatin landscape of the fruitfly, based on 18 histone modifications. Nine prevalent chromatin states are described. Integrating these analyses with other data types reveals individual characteristics of different genomic elements. The work provides a resource of unprecedented scale for future experimental investigations.

    • Peter V. Kharchenko
    • , Artyom A. Alekseyenko
    •  & Peter J. Park

  • Letter |

    For two hundred years, scientists have noticed that the appearance of embryos in related species converge in their appearance mid-way in development, diverging thereafter. But is this 'phylotypic stage' real, and how is it connected with the genetic basis of development? Here, a method linking the genes transcribed at various stages of development (the transcriptome) with the evolutionary history of those genes is used. Genes transcribed in the phylotypic stage are, in evolutionary terms, the oldest and most conserved. This suggests that the phylotypic stage does represent the body plans of related species at their most unadorned, selection having sculpted the earlier and later stages of embryonic form to suit the particulars of each creature.

    • Alex T. Kalinka
    • , Karolina M. Varga
    •  & Pavel Tomancak

  • News & Views |

    In roundworms, age-related decline in egg quality is regulated by specific humoral signalling pathways. If similar mechanisms operate in mammals, these findings may suggest ways to delay reproductive ageing in women.

    • Kevin Flurkey
    •  & David E. Harrison

  • Letter |

    Acid sensing has so far been demonstrated in the gustatory system only. Now, fruitfly olfactory sensory neurons selectively activated by acidic compounds have been identified. Acid sensing also requires the transmembrane protein IR64a, expressed in those neurons as well as neurons involved in the detection of non acidic odorants. Although the IR64a protein isn't sufficient by itself to determine acid recognition, the requirement for IR64a in acid recognition is the first function for a member of this recently discovered family of putative odorant receptors — the ionotropic receptor family.

    • Minrong Ai
    • , Soohong Min
    •  & Greg S. B. Suh

  • Letter |

    Until now, studies of evolution in the laboratory have primarily been carried out in asexual systems with small genomes, such as bacteria and yeast. Here, however, whole-genome resequencing data are presented from fruitfly populations that have experienced over 600 generations of laboratory selection for accelerated development. The results suggest that unconditionally advantageous alleles rarely arise, are associated with small net fitness gains, or cannot fix because selection coefficients change over time.

    • Molly K. Burke
    • , Joseph P. Dunham
    •  & Anthony D. Long

  • Letter |

    It is shown here that the methylation of histone proteins regulates lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans. Deficiencies in members of the ASH-2 complex, which trimethylates histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4), extend worm lifespan. Meanwhile, the H3K4 demethylase RBR-2 is required for normal lifespan. These findings are consistent with the idea that an excess of H3K4 trimethylation reduces longevity. The extension of lifespan caused by ASH-2 deficiency requires an intact adult germline and the continuous production of mature eggs.

    • Eric L. Greer
    • , Travis J. Maures
    •  & Anne Brunet

  • Letter
    | Open Access

    The freshwater cnidarian Hydra is a significant model for studies of axial patterning, stem cell biology and regeneration. Its (A+T)-rich genome has now been sequenced. Comparison of this genome with those of other animals provides insights into the evolution of epithelia, contractile tissues, developmentally regulated transcription factors, pluripotency genes and more.

    • Jarrod A. Chapman
    • , Ewen F. Kirkness
    •  & Robert E. Steele

  • Article |

    Snakes are notoriously apt at generating 'thermal images' of predators or prey. The underlying physiology has been unclear, although in snakes such as pythons, vipers and boas, infrared signals are initially received by the pit organ. Here it is shown that pit-bearing snakes rely on heat detection by the ion channel TRPA1. This extends the sensory repertoire of the TRPA1 family of proteins, which detect chemical irritants in mammals and thermal variations in insects.

    • Elena O. Gracheva
    • , Nicholas T. Ingolia
    •  & David Julius

  • Letter |

    A genome-wide RNA interference screen to systematically test the genetic basis for formation and function of the Drosophila muscle is described. A role in muscle for 2,785 genes is identified; many of these genes are phylogenetically conserved.

    • Frank Schnorrer
    • , Cornelia Schönbauer
    •  & Barry J. Dickson

  • Letter |

    The organization of Hox clusters in several different reptiles is investigated, showing that the Hox clusters in squamates — lizards and snakes — have unexpectedly accumulated transposable elements, reflecting extensive genomic rearrangements of coding and non coding regulatory regions. Comparative expression analyses between two species showing different axial skeletons, the corn snake and the whiptail lizard, revealed major alterations in Hox13 and Hox10 expression features during snake somitogenesis, in line with the expansion of both caudal and thoracic regions.

    • Nicolas Di-Poï
    • , Juan I. Montoya-Burgos
    •  & Denis Duboule

  • Letter |

    The unfolded protein response, known to contribute to the defence against infectious agents and toxins, is shown here to protect Caenorhabditis elegans larvae against detrimental effects of the innate immune response to infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The findings establish innate immunity as a physiologically relevant inducer of ER stress during C. elegans development.

    • Claire E. Richardson
    • , Tristan Kooistra
    •  & Dennis H. Kim

  • Article |

    Insect vectors of diseases locate their animal hosts through olfaction via largely unknown molecular processes. Here the 'empty neuron' system of genetically engineered Drosophila is used to assign specific odorants to the entire repertoire of olfactory receptors of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. The results illuminate ecological and neurobiological differences between mosquitoes and fruitflies and provide new potential molecular targets to boost the struggle against insect–borne diseases.

    • Allison F. Carey
    • , Guirong Wang
    •  & John R. Carlson

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Model invertebrates across other nature.com journals