Chick brain factor 1 (CBF1), a nasal retina-specific winged-helix transcription factor, is known to prescribe the nasal specificity that leads to the formation of the precise retinotectal map, especially along the anteroposterior (AP) axis. However, its downstream topographic genes and the molecular mechanisms by which CBF1 controls the expression of them have not been elucidated. We show that misexpression of CBF1 represses the expression of EphA3 and CBF2, and induces that of SOHo1,GH6, ephrin A2 and ephrin A5. CBF1 controls ephrin A5by a DNA binding-dependent mechanism, ephrin A2 by a DNA binding-independent mechanism, and CBF2, SOHo1, GH6 and EphA3 by dual mechanisms. BMP2 expression begins double-gradiently in the retina from E5 in a complementary pattern to Ventroptin expression. Ventroptin antagonizes BMP2 as well as BMP4. CBF1 interferes in BMP2 signaling and thereby induces expression of ephrin A2. Our data suggest that CBF1 is located at the top of the gene cascade for the regional specification along the nasotemporal (NT) axis in the retina and distinct BMP signals play pivotal roles in the topographic projection along both axes.
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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