In the Drosophila olfactory system, axons of the olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), each of which typically expresses a single specific olfactory receptor, converge onto specific glomeruli in the antennal lobe to create a spatial odour map. Olfactory information is relayed from glomeruli to higher brain centres by projection neurons (PNs), each of which forms synaptic connections with a single class of ORNs. To investigate how this wiring is established, Jefferis et al. have used `mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker', MARCM, to study PN development at single-cell resolution (see p. 117). Surprisingly,given that previous work suggested that ORNs are central to olfactory map formation, PN dendrites established a prototypic neural map in the antennal lobe before ORN arrival. The researchers propose that this coarse PN dendritic map interacts with a coarse map formed by developing ORNs to generate the mature glomerular organisation.
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.
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