During vertebrate eye development, the cells of the optic vesicle (OV)become either neuroretinal progenitors expressing the transcription factor Chx10, or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) progenitors expressing the transcription factor Mitf. Chx10 mutations lead to microphthalmia and impaired neuroretinal proliferation. Mitf mutants have a dorsal RPE-to-neuroretinal phenotypic transformation, indicating that Mitfis a determinant of RPE identity. We report here that Mitf is expressed ectopically in the Chx10or-J/or-J neuroretina(NR), demonstrating that Chx10 normally represses the neuroretinal expression of Mitf. The ectopic expression of Mitf in the Chx10or-J/or-J NR deflects it towards an RPE-like identity; this phenotype results not from a failure of neuroretinal specification, but from a partial loss of neuroretinal maintenance. Using Chx10 and Mitf transgenic and mutant mice, we have identified an antagonistic interaction between Chx10 and Mitf in regulating retinal cell identity. FGF (fibroblast growth factor) exposure in a developing OV has also been shown to repress Mitf expression. We demonstrate that the repression of Mitfby FGF is Chx10 dependent, indicating that FGF, Chx10 and Mitf are components of a pathway that determines and maintains the identity of the NR.
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
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.
Meet our 2025 Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows
We are delighted to announce our third cohort of PI fellows - researchers whom we will be supporting as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. Read about the eight talented fellows chosen, whom we're excited to be working with as they navigate the job market.
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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