For me the most important message
behind this image is that you can generate a quite complex and beautiful picture (organism) simply by assembling very simple, unstructured tiles (genes or proteins). It just matters how you assemble (splice) them to get an organism, which is by itself the most wonderful structure to look at. —Christian Klämbt Figure options Download full-size image Download high-quality image (164 K) Download as PowerPoint slideThis cover image is an original acrylic-on-canvas painting that I painted. It is an artistic interpretation of the scientific content of Courtney Miller’s paper that is published in that issue. It is 36” × 48” and was painted with the canvas flat on my studio floor, using BEZ235 a dripping/pouring technique that is reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s.
In the painting I try to capture the dynamic effects of DNA methylation and regulation of chromatin structure on cell-wide gene transcription, which in Courtney’s paper we discovered is necessary for the formation of long-term memory. I gave the painting to Courtney learn more as a celebration gift when her paper was accepted at Neuron, with it also in mind that we would submit it as potential cover art as well. —David Sweatt Figure options Download full-size image Download high-quality image (160 K) Download as PowerPoint slideOur study was based on using a forward genetic next screen in mouse to identify factors that guide motor axons through complex trajectories to their peripheral targets during development. As is standard in genetic screens, we chose to give each of our mutants a name that represented the phenotype while we were maintaining the line prior to cloning the mutated gene. Because the screen identified molecules that allowed these axons to navigate significant distances, we thought it appropriate to give our mutants the names of explorers from the European colonial period, such as Columbus and Magellan, who embarked
on similar long-distance ventures. The cover was designed to capture this idea of exploring uncharted territory while including projecting axons in the background to tie in our experimental results, which also gives the effect of a storm on the horizon. —Sam Pfaff Figure options Download full-size image Download high-quality image (124 K) Download as PowerPoint slide !!!FRAG!!! The image was created by my then lab manager Zachary T. Bitzer, who is extremely interested in the merging of art and science. His use of fractal imagery to construct an apparent spinal cord from images of individual neurons that formed the yin/yang symbol captured the need for positive and negative signals necessary for spinal motor neuron development. He also embedded the first author’s initials in the image (but I still have not found them).