@article{pickett_dush_nascone-yoder_2017, title={Acetylcholinesterase plays a non-neuronal, non-esterase role in organogenesis}, volume={144}, ISSN={["1477-9129"]}, DOI={10.1242/dev.149831}, abstractNote={Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is crucial for degrading acetylcholine at cholinergic synapses. In vitro studies suggest that, in addition to its role in nervous signaling, AChE can also modulate non-neuronal cell properties, although it remains controversial whether AChE functions in this capacity in vivo. Here, we show that AChE plays an essential non-classical role in vertebrate gut morphogenesis. Exposure of Xenopus embryos to AChE-inhibiting chemicals results in severe defects in intestinal development. Tissue-targeted loss of function assays (via microinjection of antisense morpholino or CRISPR-Cas9) confirm that AChE is specifically required in the gut endoderm tissue, a non-neuronal cell population, where it mediates adhesion to fibronectin and regulates cell rearrangement events that drive gut lengthening and digestive epithelial morphogenesis. Notably, the classical esterase activity of AChE is dispensable for this activity. As AChE is deeply conserved, widely expressed outside of the nervous system, and the target of many environmental chemicals, these results have broad-reaching implications for development and toxicology.}, number={15}, journal={DEVELOPMENT}, author={Pickett, Melissa A. and Dush, Michael K. and Nascone-Yoder, Nanette M.}, year={2017}, month={Aug}, pages={2764–2770} }
 @misc{womble_pickett_nascone-yoder_2016, title={Frogs as integrative models for understanding digestive organ development and evolution}, volume={51}, ISSN={["1084-9521"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.semcdb.2016.02.001}, abstractNote={The digestive system comprises numerous cells, tissues and organs that are essential for the proper assimilation of nutrients and energy. Many aspects of digestive organ function are highly conserved among vertebrates, yet the final anatomical configuration of the gut varies widely between species, especially those with different diets. Improved understanding of the complex molecular and cellular events that orchestrate digestive organ development is pertinent to many areas of biology and medicine, including the regeneration or replacement of diseased organs, the etiology of digestive organ birth defects, and the evolution of specialized features of digestive anatomy. In this review, we highlight specific examples of how investigations using Xenopus laevis frog embryos have revealed insight into the molecular and cellular dynamics of digestive organ patterning and morphogenesis that would have been difficult to obtain in other animal models. Additionally, we discuss recent studies of gut development in non-model frog species with unique feeding strategies, such as Lepidobatrachus laevis and Eleutherodactylous coqui, which are beginning to provide glimpses of the evolutionary mechanisms that may generate morphological variation in the digestive tract. The unparalleled experimental versatility of frog embryos make them excellent, integrative models for studying digestive organ development across multiple disciplines.}, journal={SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY}, author={Womble, Mandy and Pickett, Melissa and Nascone-Yoder, Nanette}, year={2016}, month={Mar}, pages={92–105} }