New secondary mesenchyme specific genes, expressed exclusively in pigment cells, were isolated from sea urchin embryos using a differential screening of a macroarray cDNA library. The comparison was performed between mRNA populations of embryos having an expansion of the endo-mesodermal territory and embryos blocked in secondary mesenchyme specification. To be able to isolate transcripts with a prevalence down to five copies per cell, a subtractive hybridization procedure was employed. About 400 putative positive clones were identified and sequenced from the 5′ end. Gene expression analysis was carried out on a subset of 66 clones with real time quantitative PCR and 40 clones were positive. This group of clones contained sequences highly similar to: the transcription factor glial cells missing(gcm); the polyketide synthase gene cluster (pks-gc); three different members of the flavin-containing monooxygenase gene family(fmo); and a sulfotransferase gene (sult). Using whole mount in situ hybridization, it was shown that these genes are specifically expressed in pigment cells. A functional analysis of the S. purpuratus pks and of one S. purpuratus fmo was carried out using antisense technology and it was shown that their expression is necessary for the biosynthesis of the sea urchin pigment echinochrome. The results suggest that S. purpuratus pks, fmo and sult could belong to a differentiation gene battery of pigment cells.
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 Sadaf Farooqi, 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.
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