Mouse photoreceptors are electrically coupled via gap junctions, but the relative importance of rod/rod, cone/cone, or rod/cone coupling is unknown. Furthermore, while connexin36 (Cx36) is expressed by cones, the identity of the rod connexin has been controversial. We report that FACS-sorted rods and cones both express Cx36 but no other connexins. We created rod- and cone-specific Cx36 knockout mice to dissect the photoreceptor network. In the wild type, Cx36 plaques at rod/cone contacts accounted for more than 95% of photoreceptor labeling and paired recordings showed the transjunctional conductance between rods and cones was ~300 pS. When Cx36 was eliminated on one side of the gap junction, in either conditional knockout, Cx36 labeling and rod/cone coupling were almost abolished. We could not detect direct rod/rod coupling, and cone/cone coupling was minor. Rod/cone coupling is so prevalent that indirect rod/cone/rod coupling via the network may account for previous reports of rod coupling.

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important crops in the world, and its yield is largely determined by grain weight and grain size. However, the genes that regulate soybean seed size have not been identified. CYP78A, which is highly conserved within terrestrial plants, regulates organ development. In Arabidopsis, AtCYP78A5/KLU has been shown to determine seed size. In the present study, soybean CYP78A72 (GmCYP78A72), one of the orthologs of KLU, was over-expressed in both Arabidopsis and soybean to examine its function in plant development. GmCYP78A72 heterologous expression in Arabidopsis resulted in enlarged sepals, petals, seeds and carpel. Over-expression of GmCYP78A72 in soybean resulted in increased pea size, which is an extremely desirable trait for enhancing productivity. Moreover, knock-down of GmCYP78A72 does not reduce grain size. However, silencing of GmCYP78A57, GmCYP78A70 and GmCYP78A72 genes in triplet reduces the seed size significantly indicating functional redundancy of these three GmCYP78A genes. In conclusion, we investigated the role of CYP78A in soybean seed regulation, and our strategy can be effectively used to engineer large seed traits in soybean varieties as well as other crops.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia in an aging population. The majority of research effort has focused on the role of neurons in neurodegeneration and current therapies have limited ability to slow disease progression. Recently more attention has been given to the role of astrocytes in the process of neurodegeneration. Specifically, reactive astrocytes have both advantageous and adverse effects during neurodegeneration. The ability to isolate and depict astrocyte phenotype has been challenging. However, with the recent development of single-cell sequencing technologies researchers are provided with the resource to delineate specific biomarkers associated with reactive astrocytes in AD. In this review, we will focus on the role of astrocytes in normal conditions and the pathological development of AD. We will further review recent developments in the understanding of astrocyte heterogeneity and associated biomarkers. A better understanding of astrocyte contributions and phenotypic changes in AD can ultimately lead to more effective therapeutic targets.

Summary Precursors of hematopoietic stem cells (pre-HSCs) have been identified as intermediate precursors during the maturation process from hemogenic endothelial cells to HSCs in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region of the mouse embryo at embryonic day 10.5. Although pre-HSCs acquire an efficient adult-repopulating ability after ex vivo co-culture, their native hematopoietic capacity remains unknown. Here, we employed direct transplantation assays of CD45 − VE-cadherin(VC) + KIT + (V + K + ) cells (containing pre-HSCs) into immunodeficient neonatal mice that permit engraftment of embryonic hematopoietic precursors. We found that freshly isolated V + K + cells exhibited significantly greater B-1 lymphocyte-biased repopulating capacity than multilineage repopulating capacity. Additionally, B cell colony-forming assays demonstrated the predominant B-1 progenitor colony-forming ability of these cells; however, increased B-2 progenitor colony-forming ability emerged after co-culture with Akt-expressing AGM endothelial cells, conditions that support pre-HSC maturation into HSCs. Our studies revealed an unexpected B-1 lymphocyte bias of the V + K + population and acquisition of B-2 potential during commitment to the HSC fate.

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Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq) is revolutionizing our understanding of the genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic landscapes of cells within organs. The mammalian brain is composed of a complex network of millions to billions of diverse cells with either highly specialized functions or support functions. With scRNA‐seq it is possible to comprehensively dissect the cellular heterogeneity of brain cells, and elucidate their specific functions and state. In this review, we describe the current experimental methods used for scRNA‐seq. We also review bioinformatic tools and algorithms for data analyses and discuss critical challenges. Additionally, we summarized recent mouse brain scRNA‐seq studies and systematically compared their main experimental approaches, computational tools implemented, and important findings. scRNA‐seq has allowed researchers to identify diverse cell subpopulations within many brain regions, pinpointing gene signatures and novel cell markers, as well as addressing functional differences. Due to the complexity of the brain, a great deal of work remains to be accomplished. Defining specific brain cell types and functions is critical for understanding brain function as a whole in development, health, and diseases.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] is an important crop worldwide. In this study, a Chinese local soybean cultivar, Hedou 12, was resequenced by next generation sequencing technology to develop INsertion/DELetion (INDEL) markers for genetic mapping. 49,276 INDEL polymorphisms and 242,059 single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected between Hedou 12 and the Williams 82 reference sequence. Of these, 243 candidate INDEL markers ranging from 5–50 bp in length were chosen for validation, and 165 (68%) of them revealed polymorphisms between Hedou 12 and Williams 82. The validated INDEL markers were also tested in 12 other soybean cultivars. The number of polymorphisms in the pairwise comparisons of 14 soybean cultivars varied from 27 to 165. To test the utility of these INDEL markers, they were used to perform genetic mapping of a crinkly leaf mutant, and the CRINKLY LEAF locus was successfully mapped to a 360 kb region on chromosome 7. This research shows that high-throughput sequencing technologies can facilitate the development of genome-wide molecular markers for genetic mapping in soybean.