January 2015: This Month in JoVE - Introducing JoVE Developmental Biology

Abstract

Here's a look at what's coming up in the January 2015 issue of JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments. JoVE has been revolutionizing scientific publishing since 2006, when we released our first video articles in JoVE Biology. We've grown over the years-adding sections in Neuroscience, Immunology & Infection, Clinical & Translational Medicine, Bioengineering, Applied Physics, Behavior, Chemistry, and Environment. We are now pleased to introduce a new addition to the JoVE family: JoVE Development, which covers the entire field of developmental biology from the underlying genetic and epigenetic mechanisms to the growth and differentiation of single cells into organs and whole organisms. In many species, developmental processes offer clues about evolution. For example, the European lancelet (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) has many features of modern fish, but it doesn't have a backbone-so it's emerging as a useful model for studying the divergence of vertebrates from invertebrate ancestors. Hirsinger et al. have developed a method for visualizing embryonic development in the European lancelet. They inject oocytes with mRNAs that encode fluorescent proteins, and following fertilization, developmental processes can be visualized in vivo. Development also explores interactions between different cell types, and these interactions are fundamental for repairing and regenerating damaged or diseased tissues, like muscle. To study these interactions, Agley et al. take human skeletal muscle biopsies then purify and culture different cell types. They also characterize the cells using immunocytochemical methods that can be adapted to other cell types. One of the most exciting topics in developmental biology is the engineering of stem cells for experimental and clinical applications. This month we feature two stem cell protocols: Zielins et al. describe the isolation and purification of human adipose-derived stromal cells for bone engineering, and Lei et al. demonstrate how to differentiate embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies, and then derive cardiac progenitor cells that further differentiate into cardiomyocytes and smooth muscle cells. Above all, developmental processes are fascinating to visualize, and JoVE Development features techniques for optimizing real-time imaging, such as this protocol for live-imaging of the Drosophila pupal eye. Using image-stabilization techniques, Hellerman et al. compensate for tissue movement and uneven topology to enhance the visualization of the developing Drosophila eye. You've just had a sneak peek of JoVE's new Development section in the January 2015 issue. Visit the website to see the full-length articles plus our other scientific sections in JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.