The human adult liver has a multi‐cellular structure consisting of large lobes subdivided into lobules containing portal triads and hepatic cords lined by specialized blood vessels. Vital hepatic functions include filtering blood, metabolizing drugs, and production of bile and blood plasma proteins like albumin, among many other functions, which are generally dependent on the location or zone in which

A basic helix‐loop‐helix transcription factor Hey2 is expressed in the ventricular myocardium and endocardium of mouse embryos, and Hey2 null mice die perinatally showing ventricular septal defect, dysplastic tricuspid valve and hypoplastic right ventricle. In order to understand region‐specific roles of Hey2 during cardiac morphogenesis, we generated Hey2 conditional knockout (cKO) mice using Mef2c‐AHF‐Cre

Focal articular cartilage damage can eventually lead to the onset of osteoarthritis with degradation around healthy articular cartilage. Currently, there are no drugs available that effectively repair articular cartilage damage. Several surgical techniques exist and are expected to prevent progression to osteoarthritis, but they do not offer a long‐term clinical solution. Recently, regenerative medicine

Various advances have been made to treat retinal diseases, including new treatment strategies and innovations in surgical devices. However, treatment of degenerative retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), continues to pose a significant challenge. In this review, we focus on the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem

In Inamori et al. (2020), the repository source of the mice was missing in the Acknowledgment Section. It should read as: We thank Hiroshi Sasaki for graning the use of the Foxa2‐Egfp knockin mice. The mice were obtained from RIKEN CDB http://www.cdb.riken.jp/arg/mutant%20mice%20list.html with Acc. No. [CDB0601K]. This study was supported by Grants‐in‐Aid for Scientific Research, JP19K16184 to MT and

In Takehara and Mtasui (2019), the authors note that, in the abstract, a sentence ‘We also showed that the expression of the CDK inhibitor p27kip1, which prevents the G1‐S transition and is transcriptionally repressed by p53, was significantly downregulated by AKT activation.’ should be ‘We also showed that the expression of the CDK inhibitor p27kip1, which prevents the G1‐S transition and is transcriptionally

Recent progress in the technique of next generation sequencing has been remarkable in uncovering species‐specific developmental mechanisms even in non‐model animals. In this special issue, we focus on how morphological diversity or species‐specific unique morphology was evolutionarily brought about by acquisition of novel enhancer functions, which has been elucidated using analyses of developmental

Biosystems are dynamic networks driven by cross‐scale interactions between molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organisms. Recent advances in our understanding of the spatiotemporal regulation and organization of biosystems have stimulated exploration of novel approaches to control and design biosystems at multiple biological scales. Such new approaches include artificial cell synthesis, generation

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in elderly individuals worldwide. Oxidative stress injury to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells plays a major role in the pathogenesis of AMD. The purpose of this study was to observe the correlation between Hepcidin and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and to further observe whether oxidative stress

Secreted proteoglycan molecule Tsukushi (TSK) regulates various developmental processes, such as early body patterning and neural plate formation by interacting with major signaling pathways like Wnt, BMP, Notch etc. In central nervous system, TSK inhibits Wnt signaling to control chick retinal development. It also plays important roles for axon guidance and anterior commissure formation in mouse brain

Specialized microenvironment, or neurogenic niche, in embryonic and postnatal mouse brain plays critical roles during neurogenesis throughout adulthood. The subventricular zone (SVZ) and the dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus in the mouse brain are two major neurogenic niches where neurogenesis is directed by numerous regulatory factors. Now, we report Akhirin (AKH), a stem cell maintenance factor in

Notch signaling is involved in the development of almost all organ systems and is required post-developmentally to modulate tissue homeostasis. Rare variants in Notch signaling pathway genes are found in patients with rare Mendelian disorders, while unique or recurrent somatic mutations in a similar set of genes are identified in cancer. The human genome contains four genes that encode Notch receptors

Notch signaling plays crucial roles in the control of cell fate and physiology through local cell-cell interactions. The core processes of Notch signal transduction are well established, but the mechanisms that fine-tune the pathway in various developmental and post-developmental contexts are less clear. Drosophila almondex, which encodes an evolutionarily conserved double-pass transmembrane protein

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the regulation of gene transcription in carcinogenesis and metastasis via interacting with microRNA. In this study, we explored the expressions and functions of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 and miR-185-5p in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. KCNQ1OT1 expression in OSCC tissues and cells was examined by qRT-PCR. Small interfering RNAs against KCNQ1OT1