Animal evolution is influenced by the emergence of new cell types, yet our understanding of this process remains elusive. This prompts the need for a broader exploration across diverse research organisms, facilitated by recent breakthroughs, such as gene editing tools and single-cell genomics. Essential to our understanding of cell type evolution is the accurate identification of homologous cells. We delve into the significance of considering developmental ontogeny and potential pitfalls when drawing conclusions about cell type homology. Additionally, we highlight recent discoveries in the study of cell type evolution through the application of single-cell transcriptomics and pinpoint areas ripe for further exploration.

To assess the associations between congenital abnormalities and pediatric malignancies and evaluate the potential underlying molecular basis by collecting information on pediatric patients with cancer and congenital abnormalities.
Tumeur Et Développement is a national, prospective, and retrospective multicenter study recording data of children with cancer and congenital abnormalities. When feasible, blood and tumoral samples are collected for virtual biobanking.
From June 2013 to December 2019, 679 associations between pediatric cancers and congenital abnormalities were recorded. The most represented cancers were central nervous system tumors (n = 139; 20%), leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes (n = 123; 18.1%), and renal tumors (n = 101; 15%). Congenital abnormalities were not related to any known genetic disorder in 66.5% of cases. In this group, the most common anomaly was intellectual disability (22.3%), followed by musculoskeletal (14.2%) and genitourinary anomalies (12.4%). Intellectual disability was mostly associated with hematologic malignancies. Embryonic tumors (neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and rhabdomyosarcoma) were associated with consistent abnormalities, sometimes with a close anatomical neighborhood between the abnormality and the neoplasm.
In the first Tumeur Et Développement analysis, 3 major themes have been identified: (1) germline mutations with or without known cancer predisposition, (2) postzygotic events responsible for genomic mosaicism, (3) coincidental associations. New pathways involved in cancer development need to be investigated to improve our understanding of childhood cancers.

Modern agriculture has many environmental consequences, such as soil contamination, accumulation of toxic compounds in the environment or risk of adverse effects on nontarget organisms and for these reasons, scientists are seeking a more environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic insecticides. This study investigated the effects of four plant secondary metabolites classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have potential as bioinsecticides, (E)-2-decenal, furfural, 2-undecanone and (E,E)-2-4-decadienal, in concentrations 10-5 and 10-7 M, on female reproductive processes and larval hatchability of the Tenebrio molitor beetle. Our study indicates proper development of ovaries after application of compounds however the volume of terminal oocytes was significantly reduced, with the strongest effect of (E)- 2-decenal which reduced the volume approximately three times. The relative vitellogenin expression level was reduced, with the strongest effect observed after application of furfural, (E,E)- 2-4-decadienal and (E)- 2-decenal in concentration 10-7 M, at the same time patency index was significantly reduced up to 2-times after application of furfural at 10-7 M. What is more important morphological changes translated into physiological ones. The number of laid eggs was affected, with the strongest inhibition after application of furfural (∼43% reduction), (E,E)- 2-4-decadienal (∼33%) and (E)- 2-decenal at concentration 10-7 M (∼33%). Moreover, we observed up to 13% (in case of 2-undecanone) decrease in larval hatchability. Tested compounds exhibited a repellent effect and caused 60% reduction of insect survivability after (E)- 2-decenal at concentration 10-5 M. Altogether, VOCs seems like potential bioactive compounds in plant protection.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of feline bilateral corneal dermoids, associated with unilateral iris coloboma and bilateral choroido-scleral colobomas in the same dorsolateral position, to describe retinographic and optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics, surgical outcome, and follow-up.
METHODS: A 9-month-old domestic shorthaired cat in which a full ophthalmoscopic examination was performed for evaluation of dermoids resulting in a diagnosis of associated iris coloboma in one eye and posterior colobomas in both eyes.
METHODS: Retinographies and OCT were performed under anesthesia to characterize the lesions of both fundi and allow surgical excision of the corneal dermoids.
RESULTS: Ophthalmoscopy and retinographies revealed oval lesions in the dorsolateral fundi of both eyes. The lesions precisely mirrored their respective dermoids\' (10-11 h OD and 1-2 h OS) clock positions, lacked a tapetum lucidum and choroidal vessels, and featured thin retinal vessels plunging to a posterior plane of the fundus. OCT crossline scans demonstrated preservation of retinal thickness and morphological layering in the fundic colobomas leading to the conclusion that the colobomas were purely choroido-scleral. The outcome of the surgical excision of the dermoids was satisfactory without hair recurrence and with acceptable corneal clarity making it possible to visualize the unilateral associated iris coloboma. Follow-ups did not reveal any fundic evolution nor retinal detachment.
CONCLUSIONS: Retinographies and OCT made possible the characterization of choroido-scleral colobomas associated with corneal dermoids in this first reported case in a cat. We hypothesize that the recently described superior ocular sulcus might be the embryological link between these anomalies.

OBJECTIVE: Here, we retrospectively investigated cases of bilateral oral clefts (OCs) to determine the clinical relevance of detailed distinction of incomplete cleft lip subphenotypes, based on morphological severity of the cleft, within the categories cleft lip with or without alveolus (CL ± A) and cleft lip, alveolus, and palate (CLAP). We further assessed possible associations between CL subphenotypes (complete vs different incomplete types) and different dentition patterns of the lateral incisor.
METHODS: Our analysis included 151 non-syndromic Caucasian bilateral OC-patients (8-20 years old) from the Dutch Association for Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies registry. Six different deciduous and permanent lateral incisor patterns were distinguished: normal position (z/Z), supernumerary lateral incisor (n/N), presence in the anterior (x/X) or posterior (y/Y) segment of the cleft, one in each cleft segment (xy/XY), and agenesis (ab/AB). Logistic regression was performed to show the associations between the CL subphenotypes and dentition patterns of the lateral incisor.
RESULTS: One hundred three had complete, while 48 had incomplete CLs. Patterns z/Z and n/N were associated with a submucous/vermillion notch, incomplete CL, and intact alveolus. Patterns x/X, y/Y, and xy/XY were most common in patients with two-thirds to subtotal CL and complete CL. The most severe pattern, ab/AB, was most commonly associated with complete CL.
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the morphological severity of the CLs, it can be stated that the more severe the CL in bilateral CL ± A and CLAP, the more severe the abnormal pattern of the dentition.
CONCLUSIONS: Further distinction of incomplete cleft lip subphenotypes (submucous/vermillion notch, one-third to two-thirds CL, two-thirds to subtotal CL) in bilateral CL ± A and CLAP has clinical relevance.

The experimental results show that at doses of 20 Gy and 100 Gy, the development of Cyclopskolensis Lilljeborg, 1901 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) embryos ceases at the 16-cell stage, without affecting the course of chromatin diminution. A dose of 200 Gy terminated the process of chromatin diminution in some of the embryos. These results support the hypothesis that cytoplasmic factors in the egg play an important role in the process of chromatin diminution.

Sheep have been used as translational models of human postnatal testicular development. However, the morphometric features of the normal developing testis in sheep embryos have not been previously investigated using stereology. The objective of the present work was to establish normal quantitative parameters for fetal testicular tissue components in sheep, using unbiased design-based stereological methods. Twenty-four sheep embryos were divided into four gestational age groups (9-11, 12-14, 15-17 and 18-20 weeks of gestation) on the basis of the embryos\' crown-rump length. Isotropic, systematic uniform random sections of the left testes were obtained by employing the orientator method. Testicular total volume, the absolute and proportional volumes occupied by the seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue, as well as the seminiferous tubule length, were estimated using the point-counting system and the unbiased counting frame principle. All the parameters, with the exception of the interstitial tissue\'s fractional volume, gradually increased along with gestational age, with the maximum increase especially seen in the late fetal stages. The proportional volume of the interstitial tissue, on the other hand, showed a decreasing trend along with increasing gestational age. The absolute volume of the testes, of the seminiferous tubules and of the interstitial tissue, and the length of the seminiferous tubules showed a significant (p< 0.05) positive linear correlation with gestational age. Several similarities were observed with human testicular embryogenesis. The stereological data emerging from the present study might prove useful as basic contribution to the fields of andrology and embryology and stimulate further research in these areas.

Embryos and microscopes share a long, remarkable history and biologists have always been intrigued to watch how embryos develop under the microscope. Here we discuss the advances in microscopy which have greatly influenced our current understanding of embryogenesis. We highlight the evolution of microscopes and the optical technologies that have been instrumental in studying various developmental processes. These imaging modalities provide mechanistic insights into the dynamic cellular and molecular events which drive lineage commitment and morphogenetic changes in the developing embryo. We begin the journey with a brief history of microscopy to study embryos. First, we review the principles and optics of light, fluorescence, confocal, and electron microscopy which have been key techniques for imaging cellular and molecular events during embryonic development. Next, we discuss recent key imaging modalities such as light-sheet microscopy, which are suitable for whole embryo imaging. Further, we highlight imaging techniques like multiphoton and super resolution microscopy for beyond light diffraction limit, high resolution imaging. Lastly, we review some of the scattering-based imaging methods and techniques used for imaging human embryos.

The hypothalamus is a key homeostatic brain region and the primary effector of neuroendocrine signaling. Recent studies show that early embryonic developmental disruption of this region can lead to neuroendocrine conditions later in life, suggesting that hypothalamic progenitors might be sensitive to exogenous challenges. To study the behavior of hypothalamic neural progenitors, we developed a novel dissection methodology to isolate murine hypothalamic neural stem and progenitor cells at the early timepoint of embryonic day 12.5, which coincides with peak hypothalamic neurogenesis. Additionally, we established and optimized a culturing protocol to maintain multipotent hypothalamic neurospheres that are capable of sustained proliferation or differentiation into neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes. We characterized media requirements, appropriate cell seeding density, and the role of growth factors and sonic hedgehog (Shh) supplementation. Finally, we validated the use of fluorescence activated cell sorting of either Sox2GFPKI or Nkx2.1GFPKI transgenic mice as an alternate cellular isolation approach to enable enriched selection of hypothalamic progenitors for growth into neurospheres. Combined, we present a new technique that yields reliable culturing of hypothalamic neural stem and progenitor cells that can be used to study hypothalamic development in a controlled environment.

Litter is omnipresent in the ocean where it can be ingested by marine biota. Although ingestion of microplastics (MPs) is abundantly reported, insights into how MP can influence predator-prey interactions currently limits our understanding of the ecological impact of MPs. Here we demonstrate trophic transfer of MPs from zooplankton to benthic filter feeders, through consumption of contaminated prey (i.e. prey with ingested MP). However, predation rates of contaminated prey were significantly lower as compared to predation rates of prey that had no MPs ingested. As filter feeder clearance rates were not affected by consumption of MPs, the lower predation rates of contaminated prey appear to be primarily explained by disruption in zooplankton swimming behaviour that reduces their filtration risk. This is the first study that shows how MPs can change predator-prey interactions that are involved in the coupling between the pelagic and seabed habitat.