During preimplantation development in mammals, most of the epigenetic marks in the genomes of the gametes are removed. Those on imprinted genes must be retained, however, in order to ensure expression of only the maternal or the paternal allele, and the correct growth of the embryo and placenta. On p. 3727, Mann and colleagues report that culturing preimplantation mouse embryos produces persistent alterations in the expression and methylation of several imprinted genes in the placenta, but leaves imprinted expression mostly unscathed in the embryo. Thus, for the imprinted genes H19, Ascl2, Snrpn, Peg3 and Xist, in vitro culture activates the normally silent allele only in placental tissues. For H19 and Snrpn, these expression changes are associated with decreased DNA methylation. The authors suggest that mechanisms to safeguard imprinting may be more robust in the embryo than in the placenta, and that these findings might aid the development...
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 30 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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