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Creators/Authors contains: "Gagnon, Sarah"

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  1. Developed in collaboration with polar science experts, this virtual reality game immerses users in the life of a scientist maintaining weather stations in Antarctica. Designed for the Meta Quest 3, the game challenges players to complete realistic repair tasks reimagined as engaging tactile puzzles. As players tackle these challenges, a virtual assistant provides guidance, not only assisting with gameplay mechanics but also offering valuable insights into the real-world science behind their actions. This interactive experience aims to captivate players aged ten and above, offering a unique blend of education and entertainment. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available March 8, 2026
  2. The axon guidance cue netrin-1 signals through its receptor DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer) to attract commissural axons to the midline. Variants in DCC are frequently associated with congenital mirror movements (CMMs). A CMM-associated variant in the cytoplasmic tail of DCC is located in a conserved motif predicted to bind to a regulator of actin dynamics called the WAVE (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein–family verprolin homologous protein) regulatory complex (WRC). Here, we explored how this variant affects DCC function and may contribute to CMM. We found that a conserved WRC-interacting receptor sequence (WIRS) motif in the cytoplasmic tail of DCC mediated the interaction between DCC and the WRC. This interaction was required for netrin-1–mediated axon guidance in cultured rodent commissural neurons. Furthermore, the WIRS motif of Fra, theDrosophilaDCC ortholog, was required for attractive signaling in vivo at theDrosophilamidline. The CMM-associated R1343H variant of DCC, which altered the WIRS motif, prevented the DCC-WRC interaction and impaired axon guidance in cultured commissural neurons and inDrosophila. The findings reveal the WRC as a pivotal component of netrin-1–DCC signaling and uncover a molecular mechanism explaining how a human genetic variant in the cytoplasmic tail of DCC may lead to CMM. 
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