BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Creating Curves

Key roles for proteins Ccdc57 and urotensin in the development of spinal curvature revealed

23 April 2023

Creating Curves

Look at yourself head-on in the mirror. Is your spine straight or curved? In idiopathic scoliosis (IS), the spine curves sideways. Researchers investigate how this develops using zebrafish with genetically mutated ccdc57 protein. MicroCT revealed ccdc57 mutants had scoliosis (pictured, bottom) compared with normal zebrafish (top), and accumulated fluid in their brains due to disrupted movement of cell projections called cilia on ependymal cells, which line brain cavities. Ccdc57 is found at the base of cilia and controls the top-to-bottom identity (polarity) of ependymal cells. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that defects in ependymal cell polarity in developing mutants occurred simultaneously with scoliosis. Mutant spinal cords also showed abnormal distribution of urotensin, a hormone involved in body axis development. Human IS patients similarly showed abnormal urotensin signalling in their spinal muscles, detected through RNA analysis of muscle samples. Ependymal cell polarity defects and urotensin signalling are, therefore, key processes in scoliosis.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.