Light/fluorescence microscopy of cells & tissues, and electron/cryo-EM imaging of macromolecular structures — a metadata catalog with a durable link back to the source archive, not a hosted image gallery. These are primary research datasets (often multi-GB to multi-TB), so this platform never downloads or stores the underlying imaging data itself. Datasets already in either source archive are ingested via accession paste/CSV at /mirroring by a Continental Admin (no automated harvesting — neither source archive supports geography-filterable search); a dataset not yet in either archive can instead be submitted directly below by any node operator, for Continental Admin review. Either way, whoever submits an accession or a self-submitted dataset is the one asserting African origin — this platform does not verify it.
Asymmetric localization of oskar RNP granules to the oocyte posterior is crucial for abdominal patterning and germline formation in the Drosophila embryo. We show that oskar RNP granules in the oocyte are condensates with solid-like physical properties. Using purified oskar RNA and scaffold proteins Bruno and Hrp48, we confirm in vitro that oskar granules undergo a liquid-to-solid phase transition. Whereas the liquid phase allows RNA incorporation, the solid phase precludes incorporation of additional RNA while allowing RNA-dependent partitioning of client proteins. Genetic modification of scaffold granule proteins, or tethering the intrinsically disordered region of human Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) to oskar mRNA, allowed modulation of granule material properties in vivo. The resulting liquid-like properties impaired oskar localization and translation with severe consequences on embryonic development. Our study reflects how physiological phase transitions shape RNA-protein condensates to regulate localization and expression of a maternal RNA that instructs germline formation.
Data repository for "Curvature gradient drives polarized tissue flow in the Drosophila embryo"
BioImage Archive:S-BIAD602 · Emily Gehrels (Developmental Biology Institute of Marseille) · Drosophila malagassya
Two photon microscopy time series and lightsheet microscopy z-stack and time series of early Drosophila embryogenesis during posterior midgut invagination.
The Drosophila melanogaster olfactory system is one of the most intensively studied parts of the nervous system in any animal. Composed of ~50 independent olfactory neuron classes, with several associated hygrosensory and thermosensory pathways, it has been subject to diverse types of experimental analyses. However, synthesizing the available information is limited by the incomplete data and inconsistent nomenclature found in the literature. In this work, we first “complete” the peripheral sensory map through the identification of a previously uncharacterized antennal sensory neuron population expressing Or46aB, and the definition of an exceptional “hybrid” olfactory neuron class comprising functional Or and Ir receptors. Second, we survey developmental, anatomical, connectomic, functional and evolutionary studies to generate an integrated dataset and associated visualisations of these sensory neuron pathways, creating an unprecedented resource. Third, we illustrate the utility of the dataset to reveal relationships between different organizational properties of this sensory system, and the new questions these stimulate. Such examples emphasize the power of this resource to promote further understanding of the construction, function and evolution of these neural circuits.
The Drosophila melanogaster olfactory system is one of the most intensively studied parts of the nervous system in any animal. Composed of ~50 independent olfactory neuron classes, with several associated hygrosensory and thermosensory pathways, it has been subject to diverse types of experimental analyses. However, synthesizing the available information is limited by the incomplete data and inconsistent nomenclature found in the literature. In this work, we first “complete” the peripheral sensory map through the identification of a previously uncharacterized antennal sensory neuron population expressing Or46aB, and the definition of an exceptional “hybrid” olfactory neuron class comprising functional Or and Ir receptors. Second, we survey developmental, anatomical, connectomic, functional and evolutionary studies to generate an integrated dataset and associated visualisations of these sensory neuron pathways, creating an unprecedented resource. Third, we illustrate the utility of the dataset to reveal relationships between different organizational properties of this sensory system, and the new questions these stimulate. Such examples emphasize the power of this resource to promote further understanding of the construction, function and evolution of these neural circuits.
The Darwin Tree of Life project has the goal to sequence the genomes of 70,000 species of eukaryotic organisms in Britain and Ireland. This is a collection of photographs of the samples included in the study, provided by the National History Museum (NHM).
Diffusible fraction of niche BMP ligand safeguards stem-cell differentiation
BioImage Archive:S-BIAD1008 · Sharif M. Ridwan (University of Connecticut Health Center) · Drosophila teissieri
In Drosophila male gonads, niche-derived Decapentaplegic (Dpp) has a role in maintaining stem cells in close proximity but the range of Dpp diffusion and its role has never been tested in the differentiating cells spaced one-cell layer away. Here, using genetically encoded nanobodies called Morphotraps, we physically block Dpp diffusion without interfering with niche-stem cell signaling and find that a diffusible fraction of Dpp is required to ensure differentiation of GSC daughter cells, opposite of its role in maintenance of GSC in the niche. Our work provides an example in which a soluble niche ligand induces opposed cellular responses in stem cells versus differentiating descendants to ensure spatial control of the niche, which may be a common mechanism to regulate tissue homeostasis.
