Analysis of the splicing of several different genes has led to the discovery of RNA-processing events that are specific for certain developmental stages. Although some alternative splicing events are clearly regulated by very specific mechanisms, the fact that exogenous (viral) as well as endogenous genes display stagespecific splicing patterns makes it likely that the basic splicing machinery itself differs in composition or activity at different times in development. U snRNPs (small nuclear ribonucleoproteins) are essential components of the complexes in which intron removal takes place. Evidence has been accumulating for several years that U snRNPs, in particular their RNA components the U snRNAs, are expressed in some species in a developmentally regulated manner. In this review, we will discuss this work and its possible significance for stage-specific RNA processing. In addition, we discuss several of the best-understood cases of alternative splicing which are regulated by mechanisms that appear to be...
History of our journals
As our publisher, The Company of Biologists, turns 100 years old, read about Development’s journey and highlights from some its first issues, and explore the history of each of our sister journals: Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.
Call for papers – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues
Development invites you to submit your latest research to our upcoming special issue – Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues. This issue will be coordinated by Guest Editors Meritxell Huch (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany) and Mansi Srivastava (Harvard University and Museum of Comparative Zoology, USA), working alongside our team of academic Editors. Submit your articles by 15 May 2025.
A case for broadening our view of mechanism in developmental biology
In this Perspective, B. Duygu Özpolat and colleagues survey researchers on their views on what it takes to infer mechanism in developmental biology. They examine what factors shape our idea of what we mean by ‘mechanism’ and suggest a path forward that embraces a broad outlook on the diversity of studies that advance knowledge in our field.
In preprints
About us
Social media
