Morphogens act through only a few signalling pathways but elicit many different cellular responses during development. In their investigation of how morphogens accomplish this, Brugger and colleagues identify a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-responsive element in the mouse Msx2gene, a target of BMP signalling (see p. 5153). Consensus Smad-binding sites and a consensus homeodomain sequence within the 52-bp core of this element are both needed for general BMP responsiveness in mouse cells and embryos; ancillary elements mediate signalling in diverse developmental settings. The sequence of the minimal BMP-responsive element, although conserved in mammals, is absent from other vertebrates and non-vertebrates. Even so, provided both Smad and homeodomain sites are present, the core Msx2 BMP-responsive element responds to Dpp signals when introduced into Drosophila embryos. Thus, synergistic interactions between homeodomain and Smad-related proteins may be an ancient mechanism for mediating the transcriptional activation of BMP/Dpp-regulated genes.
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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the Node: Have your say
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