The adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumour suppressor is best known as a Wnt signalling regulator, but it also plays cytoskeletal roles, including during mitosis. APC mutant cells show enhanced chromosomal instability, while in early Drosophila embryos undergoing syncytial mitoses, APC2 mutants show enhanced ‘nuclear fallout’ - whereby nuclei that have undergone defective division are removed from the cortex. To understand the mechanisms underlying the mitotic function of APC, Mark Peifer and colleagues (p. 4226) have analysed the mitotic defects in APC2 mutant Drosophila embryos in detail. Their data suggest that APC2 is not essential for mitosis, but does promote mitotic fidelity. The primary consequence of APC2 loss appears to be a defect in centrosome separation; when this fails, the mitotic spindle can still form, but ectopic cleavage furrows appear and disrupt chromosome segregation. Moreover, the APC-binding partner Axin is also involved in this process. These data suggest a...
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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