Roman Franěk

Comparative Oogenesis in Annual and Non-annual African Killifishes: Oocyte Staging in the Fastest-Aging Vertebrate, Nothobranchius furzeri

This study compares oogenesis in annual and non-annual killifishes, finding conserved developmental stages but divergent zona pellucida features in the annual species.

Atoh1 is required for the formation of lateral line electroreceptors and hair cells, whereas Foxg1 represses an electrosensory fate.

The paper investigates the role of Atoh1 and Foxg1 in the development of electroreceptors and hair cells in sterlet embryos, finding Atoh1 is required for both, while Foxg1 represses electroreceptor fate.

Mitochondria as Indispensable Yet Replaceable Components of Germ Plasm: Insights into Primordial Germ Cell Specification in Non-Teleost Sturgeons

This study shows mitochondria are essential for primordial germ cell formation in sturgeons, but their function is not restricted to germ plasm origin.

Two opposing roles for Bmp signalling in the development of electrosensory lateral line organs

The paper identifies Bmp5 as promoting ampullary organ development while Bmp signalling inhibits their overproduction in sterlet sturgeon.

The killifish germline regulates longevity and somatic repair in a sex-specific manner

This study shows that germline manipulation in killifish leads to sex-specific effects on longevity and repair mechanisms.

A scalable platform for functional interrogation of peptide hormones in fish

The paper introduces a high-throughput platform for functional studies of peptide hormones in fish, demonstrating its ability to rescue growth and fertility defects through genetic manipulation.

An Antagonistically Pleiotropic Gene Regulates Vertebrate Growth, Maturity and Aging

This study identifies vgll3 as an antagonistically pleiotropic gene in turquoise killifish, showing it accelerates growth and reproduction but increases late-life disease risk and mortality.

Evolutionary conservation of maternal RNA localization in fishes and amphibians revealed by TOMO-Seq

The paper uses TOMO-Seq to compare maternal RNA localization across four fish and amphibian species, revealing diverse localization patterns and poor correlation between vegetally localized genes.

Clonal gametogenesis is triggered by intrinsic stimuli in the hybrids germ cells but is dependent on sex differentiation

The paper investigates the triggers of clonal gametogenesis in hybrids, finding that it is initiated by intrinsic signals in hybrid germ cells but requires a female gonadal environment for execution.