We establish that the jing zinc-finger transcription factor plays an essential role in controlling CNS midline and tracheal cell differentiation. jing transcripts and protein accumulate from stage 9 in the CNS midline, trachea and in segmental ectodermal stripes. JING protein localizes to the nuclei of CNS midline and tracheal cells implying a regulatory role during their development. Loss of jing-lacZ expression in homozygous sim mutants and induction of jing-lacZ by ectopic sim expression establish that jing is part of the CNS midline lineage. We have isolated embryonic recessive lethal jing mutations that display genetic interactions in the embryonic CNS midline and trachea, with mutations in the bHLH-PAS genes single-minded and trachealess, and their downstream target genes (slit and breathless). Loss- and gain-of-function jing is associated with defects in CNS axon and tracheal tubule patterning. In jing homozygous mutant embryos, reductions in marker gene expression and inappropriate apoptosis in the CNS midline and trachea establish that jing is essential for the proper differentiation and survival of these lineages. These results establish that jing is a key component of CNS midline and tracheal cell development. Given the similarities between JING and the vertebrate CCAAT-binding protein AEBP2, we propose that jing regulates transcriptional mechanisms in Drosophila embryos and promotes cellular differentiation in ectodermal derivatives.
Interviews with Biologists @ 100 conference speakers
Explore our interviews with keynote speakers from the Biologists @ 100 conference, hosted to celebrate our publisher’s 100th anniversary, where we discuss climate change and biodiversity with Hans-Otto Pörtner and Jane Francis, health and disease with Charles Swanton and emerging technologies with Manu Prakash and Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz.
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
How to build a community site for developmental biologists
Our community site, the Node, has been serving the developmental and stem cell biology community for 15 years. In this post, our Community Manager, Joyce Yu, shares how the Node was born and describes how to build a community site from scratch.
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