The concept that stem cells are controlled by particular microenvironments known as' niches'
has been widely invoked. But niches have remained largely a theoretical construct because …

Mammalian Pumilio proteins, PUM1 and PUM2, are members of the PUF family of sequence-
specific RNA-binding proteins. In this review, we explore their mechanisms, regulatory …

Germ-line stem cells (GSCs) serve as the source for gametogenesis in diverse organisms.
We cloned and characterized the Drosophila piwi gene and showed that it is required for the …

Zebrafish are an established research organism that has made many contributions to our
understanding of vertebrate tissue and organ development, yet there are still significant …

Germ cells play a unique role in gamete production, heredity and evolution. Therefore, to
understand the mechanisms that specify germ cells is a central challenge in developmental …

Dictyostelia are soil amoebae capable of extraordinary feats of survival, motility, chemotaxis,
and development. Characterised by their ability to transform from a single-celled organism …

Stem cells are thought to occupy special local environments, or niches, established by
neighboring cells that give them the capability for self-renewal. Each ovariole in the …

In eukaryotic cells, mRNAs are exquisitely controlled, often through regulatory elements in
their 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs). Proteins that bind to those sites are key players in …

In Drosophila, maternally supplied Nanos functions in the migration of primordial germ cells
(PGCs) into the gonad; in mice, zygotic genes are involved instead. We report the cloning …

Puf proteins are developmental regulators that control mRNA stability and translation by
binding sequences in the 3′ untranslated regions of their target mRNAs. We have …