(Press-News.org) New 3D Anatomical Atlas of the African Clawed Frog Increases Understanding of Development and Metamorphosis Processes
The lifespan of Xenopus laevis is presented in unprecedented detail using high-quality X-ray microtomography images and 3D reconstructions to reveal embryonic development and metamorphosis processes.
A 3D anatomical atlas of the model organism Xenopus laevis (the African clawed frog) is now available to aid researchers in understanding embryonic development and metamorphosis — the intriguing process by which a tadpole transforms into a mature frog. The lack of availability of this type of data has greatly limited the ability to assess and understand these complex processes. To increase access and interactivity for researchers, science educators and even 3D printing enthusiasts, these data have been converted into freely available embeddable digital files for 3D-viewing with Sketchfab and as 3D printing files available on Thingiverse. This work along with all the available data has been published in the Open Science journal GigaScience.
The African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) has become a well-understood and versatile vertebrate model organism for studies in developmental biology and other disciplines due to the availability of multiple types of data: from foundational transplantation experiments for the field of embryology in the early twentieth century to present day experiments using high-quality genome sequencing technology, This easy-to-breed frog is particularly suited to study body plan reorganization during the big changes that happen when the tadpole transforms into a mature frog: a process called metamorphosis. However, to move forward in gaining greater understanding of these processes, there is a great need for an additional type of data. Dr. Jakub Harnos from Masaryk University (Czech Republic), a lead scientist of the GigaScience study, explains that “a notable gap exists in the availability of comprehensive datasets encompassing Xenopus’ late developmental stages”. Detailed
To fill this void, the team of researchers now provide this missing data. The authors used X-ray microtomography, a 3D imaging technique, to create an anatomical atlas to more accurately describe the multiple stages of X. laevis development. Using detailed analysis of their 3D reconstructions at the various stages of development, the authors could pinpoint key changes that occur during the anatomical transformations at the stages from tadpole, to froglet, to mature adult.
One striking example of the shape changes that can be tracked in great detail with this new high-resolution data is the adjustment of the position of the developing frog’s eyes, and the exact timing of this shift. With advancing development, the distance between the eyes progressively decreases. “This adaptation aligns well with the frog's life strategy, transitioning from a water-dwelling tadpole with lateral eyes to an adult with eyes positioned on top of the head for a submerged lifestyle, reminiscent of crocodilians,” the authors note.
The frog’s gut also undergoes significant remodeling during metamorphosis. Over an 8-day period, the intestine shortens by around 75%, and the coiling pattern changes drastically – this process, which is difficult to study with other methods, can be followed in fine detail by X-ray microtomography the researchers have produced. Other anatomical facts that are showcased in high spatial and temporal resolution by the new 3D atlas are seeing the differences between male and female frogs (females end up larger, overall) and the very subtle positioning of the teeth of X. laevis, which are hidden behind the maxillary arch.
“Our study provides all X-ray microtomography data openly, allowing other researchers to investigate both soft and hard tissues in unprecedented detail in this key vertebrate model”, Dr Harnos emphasizes.
To enable scientists, educators and the 3D printing community easy access to printable models, a collection of 40 surface-rendered 3D models from the Xenopus laevis anatomical atlas are available on the design platform Thingiverse. Embeddable digital models can also be downloaded from the Sketchfab website and are viewable in the paper.
A video demonstrating many of the anatomical features that have now been revealed in 3 dimensions is available at https://youtu.be/pEWu15m2z6Q
Further reading:
Laznovsky J; Kavkova M; Reis A; Robovska-Havelkova P; Maia LA; Krivanek J; Zikmund T; Kaiser J; Buchtova M; Harnos J (2024). Unveiling Vertebrate Development Dynamics in Frog Xenopus laevis using Micro-CT Imaging. GigaScience giae037 https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giae037
Media contacts:
GigaScience, Editor-in-Chief:
Scott Edmunds
Email: Scott@gigasciencejournal.com
Cell: +852 92490853
Expert:
Jakub Harnos
Email: harnos@sci.muni.czmjhgkj
phone number: +420 549 49 4465
Sharing on social media?
Find GigaScience online on twitter: @GigaScience, @GigabyteJournal, @Giga_DB; Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GigaScience, and keep up-to-date with our blog http://gigasciencejournal.com/blog
About GigaScience
GigaScience is co-published by GigaScience Press and Oxford University Press. Winner of the 2018 PROSE award for Innovation in Journal Publishing, the journal covers research that uses or produces 'big data' from the full spectrum of the biological and biomedical sciences. It also serves as a forum for discussing the difficulties of and unique needs for handling large-scale data from all areas of the life and medical sciences. The journal has a completely novel publication format -- one that integrates manuscript publication with complete data hosting, and analysis tool incorporation. To encourage transparent reporting of scientific research as well as enable future access and analyses, it is a requirement of manuscript submission to GigaScience that all supporting data and source code be made available in the GigaScience database, GigaDB, as well as in publicly available repositories. GigaScience will provide users access to associated online tools and workflows, and has integrated a data analysis platform, maximizing the potential utility and re-use of data.
About GigaScience Press
GigaScience Press is BGI's Open Access Publishing division, which publishes scientific journals and data. Its publishing projects are carried out with international publishing partners and infrastructure providers, including Oxford University Press and River Valley Technologies. It currently publishes two award-winning data-centric journals: its premier journal GigaScience (launched in 2012), which won the 2018 American Publishers PROSE award for innovation in journal publishing, and its new journal GigaByte (launched 2020), which won the 2022 ALPSP Award for Innovation in Publishing. The press also publishes data, software, and other research objects via its GigaDB.org database. To encourage transparent reporting of scientific research and to enable future access and analyses, it is a requirement of manuscript submission to all GigaScience Press journals that all supporting data and source code be made openly available in GigaDB or in a community approved, publicly available repository. Curating 3D data the GigaDB team also make this data usable by the 3D printing community in Thingiverse (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHSbeDFN_k8).
END
New 3D anatomical atlas of the African clawed frog increases understanding of development and metamorphosis processes
The lifespan of Xenopus laevis is presented in unprecedented detail using high-quality X-ray microtomography images and 3D reconstructions to reveal embryonic development and metamorphosis processes
2024-07-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Large study confirms: Siblings of autistic children have 20% chance of autism
2024-07-17
Siblings of autistic children have a 20% chance of being autistic themselves — about seven times higher than the rate in infants with no autistic siblings.
That’s the key finding of a new paper by UC Davis MIND Institute researcher Sally Ozonoff and the Baby Siblings Research Consortium. The consortium is a collection of more than 20 research groups at universities worldwide.
Ozonoff is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has studied the recurrence of autism in families for decades.
The new study ...
Children with conduct disorder show widespread brain structural differences – new international study
2024-07-17
Conduct disorder in young people is associated with differences in surface area across much of the brain compared to typically developing children, new research shows.
Conduct disorder (CD) is a common, yet under-recognised condition with symptoms including antisocial or aggressive behaviours, such as, fighting, bullying and rule-breaking. It is usually diagnosed in childhood or adolescence and often leads to poor social and mental health outcomes. Unlike more widely recognised disorders such as ADHD and autism, CD is far less researched and understood, even though it is estimated to affect around 3% of children ...
Youth with conduct disorder show widespread differences in brain structure
2024-07-17
A neuroimaging study of young people who exhibit a persistent pattern of disruptive, aggressive, and antisocial behavior, known as conduct disorder, has revealed extensive changes in brain structure. The most pronounced difference was a smaller area of the brain’s outer layer, known as the cerebral cortex, which is critical for many aspects of behavior, cognition and emotion. The study, co-authored by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is published in The Lancet Psychiatry.
“Conduct disorder has among the highest burden of any mental disorder in youth. However, it remains understudied ...
Active commuting linked to lower risks of mental and physical ill health
2024-07-17
Commuters who cycle or walk to and from work or study may have lower risks of mental and physical ill health than those who don’t rely on these options, finds a large long term study published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health.
While health benefits were observed for both types of active commuting, the strongest health benefits were seen for cyclists among whom the risk of death from any cause was 47% lower, the findings show.
Active travel is considered to be one of the most practical and sustainable ways to increase daily physical activity, and there is mounting evidence in favour of its associated health ...
Resistance exercise ‘activity breaks’ at night may improve sleep length
2024-07-17
Resistance exercise ‘activity breaks’ at night may improve sleep length, suggest the findings of a small comparative study published in the open access journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
Three-minute breaks every 30 minutes over a period of 4 hours may be all that’s needed, the findings indicate.
Current recommendations discourage intense exercise before going to bed, on the grounds that it increases body temperature and heart rate, which can result in poorer sleep quality, say the researchers.
While activity breaks can improve metabolism after a meal, it’s not clear if they have any impact on sleep. Poor sleep is associated with an increased ...
IBS following gastroenteritis may last 4+ years in around half of those affected
2024-07-17
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)---characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habit—may last 4 or more years following a bout of gastroenteritis in around half of those affected, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published online in the journal Gut.
Aggressive and pro-inflammatory bacteria, such as Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae, and the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection, SARS-CoV-2, are possible culprits, the findings suggest.
IBS and recurrent indigestion of unknown cause (functional dyspepsia), are disorders of the gut-brain axis. ...
World-first international guidelines weeds-out potentially critical scientific fraud
2024-07-17
The number of retractions issued for scientific research articles in 2023 exceeded 10,000 — smashing annual records. To date, publishers have struggled to clean up a slew of papers with serious integrity concerns.
Now a world-first framework for assessing research integrity in clinical guidelines, has been published today in the prominent international medical journal, The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine.
Monash University researchers in Australia developed the Research Integrity in Guidelines and evIDence synthesis (RIGID) framework.
Clinical ...
Intensive farming could raise risk of new pandemics
2024-07-17
Intensive livestock farming could raise the risk of new pandemics, researchers have warned.
Industrialised farming is often thought to reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases (those transmitted from animals to humans) because of better control, biosecurity and separation of livestock.
The new study, led by the University of Exeter, examines the effect of social and economic factors – which are often overlooked in traditional assessments.
It finds that the effects of intensifying agriculture “are at best uncertain and at worst may contribute to EID (emerging infectious disease) risk”.
Lead author Professor Steve Hinchliffe, from the University ...
Multiple concussions in rugby players change proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases
2024-07-17
Retired rugby players who have suffered multiple concussions have higher levels of certain proteins in their blood, which may make them more prone to developing diseases such as motor neurone disease (MND), according to a new study.
The research, led by Durham University, shows that it may be possible to measure specific key biomarkers. These biomarkers can indicate disease or predict possible future disease in the blood of athletes who have suffered multiple traumas to the head.
This is the first study to explore a range of specific ...
Evening activity for better sleep – Otago study
2024-07-17
Rigorous exercise before bed has long been discouraged, but University of Otago researchers have found short bursts of light activity can lead to better sleep.
In a world first study, published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine and funded by the Health Research Council, participants completed two four-hour evening intervention sessions of prolonged sitting, and sitting interrupted with three-minute activity breaks every half hour.
The researchers found that after the participants completed the activity breaks intervention they slept for 30 minutes longer.
Lead ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Less intensive works best for agricultural soil
Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation
Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests
Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome
UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership
New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll
Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes
University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025
Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025
AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials
New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age
Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker
Chips off the old block
Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia
Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19
Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity
State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections
Young adults drive historic decline in smoking
NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research
Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development
This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack
FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology
In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity
Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects
A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions
AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate
Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative
Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine
Mission accomplished for the “T2T” Hong Kong Bauhinia Genome Project
[Press-News.org] New 3D anatomical atlas of the African clawed frog increases understanding of development and metamorphosis processesThe lifespan of Xenopus laevis is presented in unprecedented detail using high-quality X-ray microtomography images and 3D reconstructions to reveal embryonic development and metamorphosis processes