Advances in microscopy and fluorescent reporters have allowed us to detect the onset of gene expression on a cell-by-cell basis in a systemic fashion. This information, however, is often encoded in large repositories of images, and developing ways to extract this spatiotemporal expression data is a difficult problem that often uses complex domain-specific methods for each individual data set. W...

background: niche cells, regulating spermatogonial stem cells (sscs) fate are believed to have a reciprocal communication with sscs. the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ssc elimination on the gene expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (gdnf), fibroblast growth factor 2 (fgf2) and kit ligand (kitlg), which are the main growth factors regulating sscs deve...

The role of small, non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) has recently emerged as fundamental in the regulation of the physiology of the cardiovascular system. Several specific miRNAs were found to be expressed in embryonic, postnatal, and adult cardiac tissues. In the present review, we will provide an overview about their role in controlling the different pathways regulating cell identity and fate det...

How terminal cell fates are specified in dynamically renewing adult tissues is not well understood. Here we explore terminal cell fate establishment during homeostasis using the enteroendocrine cells (EEs) of the adult Drosophila midgut as a paradigm. Our data argue against the existence of local feedback signals, and we identify Numb as an intrinsic regulator of EE fate. Our data further indic...

All cellular processes are determined by adhesive interactions between cells and their local microenvironment. Integrins, which constitute one class of cell-adhesion receptor, are multifunctional proteins that link cells to the extracellular matrix and organise integrin adhesion complexes at the cell periphery. Integrin-based adhesions provide anchor points for assembling and organising the cyt...

Epigenetic memories play an important part in regulating stem cell identities. Tools from the theory of non-Markov processes may help us understand these better and develop a more integrated view fate function.

Cell-fate specification is typically thought to precede and determine cell-cycle regulation during differentiation. Here we show that endoreplication, also known as endoreduplication, a specialized cell-cycle variant often associated with cell differentiation but also frequently occurring in malignant cells, plays a role in maintaining cell fate. For our study we have used Arabidopsis trichomes...

Lipids are known not only as components of cell membranes but also as part of the nuclear fraction. In the nucleus lipids are present with a specific composition and metabolism and their behaviour, in different physiological and pathological conditions, is completely independent from that of the cell membrane. The nuclear lipid fraction is constituted by glycerolphospholipids, sphingolipid and ...

Cell fate depends on Golgi T he Golgi hides the partner of a stem-cell fate protein, according to results from Yan Zhou, Weimin Zhong (Yale University, New Haven, CT), and colleagues. Only when its partner is briefl y freed during Golgi disassembly can Numb defend the undifferentiated state. Numb has a paradoxical role in cell fate: when a neuronal progenitor divides, Numb keeps one daughter in...

The mechanisms of cell fate diversification in the retina are not fully understood. The seven principal cell types of the neural retina derive from a population of multipotent progenitors during development. These progenitors give rise to multiple cell types concurrently, suggesting that progenitors are a heterogeneous population. It is thought that differences in progenitor gene expression are...