Animal development in the secondary classroom: linking basic science to livestock production

The field of life sciences encompasses a myriad of disciplines that collectively provide insight toward the intrinsic framework of life. Developmental physiology is one of these disciplines that can describe the origins of life at the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal level. However, organismal development is a continual process that transcends conception and progresses throughout the lifetime of an organism. In this Illumination, we discuss opportunities that secondary-level life science educators have when teaching developmental physiology through an agricultural lens. Specifically, we propose teaching about the origins of meat and milk, as a nontraditional approach for introducing developmental physiology to students. To justify this notion, we explore how novel research in livestock production focuses on meeting food demands imposed by our growing global population. In addition, we link these concepts to commonly employed standards in secondary-level science classrooms across the United States. In conclusion, the science of livestock production provides a window of opportunity for secondary-level physiology instructors to teach developmental physiology in a form that can readily adhere to institutionally employed standards.

First person – Yukako Nishimura

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Yukako Nishimura is co-first author on ‘The formin inhibitor SMIFH2 inhibits members of the myosin superfamily’, published in JCS. Yukako conducted the research described in this article while a research fellow in Virgile Viasnoff and Alexander D. Bershadsky's lab at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore. She is now an assistant professor in the Division of Developmental Physiology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, investigating the functions of cytoskeletal networks in mechanobiology.

Comparative Analysis Reveals the Metabolic Characteristics of Astringent Seeds of Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb) Hook) during Astringent Compounds Accumulation Stages

Research Highlights: The present study firstly reported the metabolic dynamics of astringent seed, a special type of abortion in Chinese fir, during the astringent material stages. The results provide a reference for further study on its occurrence mechanism and enrich the understanding of the plant seed developmental physiology. Background and Objectives: Astringent seed is a type of abortive phenomenon in Chinese fir, which significantly reduces the yield and quality of elite seeds for its high-incidence and indistinguishableness in seed orchard. Embryo defects can be observed in the astringent seed, accompanied with rapid accumulation of secondary metabolites. However, types of those metabolites in astringent seed, dynamic changes during seed growth process, and different accumulative characteristics compared to germinable seed have not been explained. Materials and Methods: Astringent and germinable seed samples were collected at four stages aim to determine the differences in their metabolic patterns. A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detection was used to generate the raw metabolic peaks. Bioinformatics statistical strategies were used to further investigation. Results: A total of 421 metabolites were screened and 112 metabolites were identified as the different expressive metabolites including 68 up-regulated and 44 down-regulated metabolites. Those different expressive metabolites were grouped into 26 classes. Flavone, flavonol, and amino acid derivatives compounds were the most varied metabolites. Four subcategories which could represent the diverse basic expressive patterns or accumulative activity in different sample groups were further clustered. Moreover, pathways related to biosynthesis/degradation/metabolism of flavonoid-like compounds, amino acid/nucleotides derivatives, zeatin, and IAA were clearly enriched. Conclusions: Significant metabolic differences were observed across and between astringent and germinable seeds 105 d after pollination. Massive accumulation of flavonoids-like compounds, significant reduction of amino acids/nucleotides and their derivatives, and the abnormal expression of phytohormones, lipids and other secondary metabolites are the main metabolic characteristics in astringent seeds.

Biomarkers of male hypogonadism in childhood and adolescence

ObjectivesThe objective of this review was to characterize the use of biomarkers of male hypogonadism in childhood and adolescence.ContentsThe hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is active during fetal life and over the first months of postnatal life. The pituitary gland secretes follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), whereas the testes induce Leydig cells to produce testosterone and insulin-like factor 3 (INSL), and drive Sertoli cells to secrete anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibin B. During childhood, serum levels of gonadotropins, testosterone and insulin-like 3 (INSL3) decline to undetectable levels, whereas levels of AMH and inhibin B remain high. During puberty, the production of gonadotropins, testosterone, and INSL3 is reactivated, inhibin B increases, and AMH decreases as a sign of Sertoli cell maturation.Summary and outlookBased on our knowledge of the developmental physiology of the HPG axis, these biomarkers can be used in clinical practice to interpret the physiopathology of hypogonadism. Additionally, these markers can have diagnostic value in different forms of hypogonadism that may appear during childhood and adolescence.