Ultraspiracle (usp) encodes the Drosophila cognate of RXR, the human retinoid X receptor. To examine how RXR subfamily members function in development, we have undertaken a phenotypic analysis of usp mutants. usp is required at multiple stages of development for functions that occur in a wide variety of tissues. usp is required in the eye-antennal imaginal disc for normal eye morphogenesis and in the somatic and germline tissues of adult females for fertilization, eggshell morphogenesis and embryonic development. An unusual sunken eye phenotype with marked ventral-dorsal polarity appears to be caused by a lack of usp function in the imaginal disc cells that reside between the eye and antennal anlage. The usp functions include cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous components, suggesting that usp controls the production of factors important for both cell-cell communication and cellular differentiation. These usp signalling pathways have mechanistic parallels to steroid and retinoid action in developing vertebrate tissues.
Development Journal Meeting 2022: From Stem Cells to Human Development
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Following a virtual meeting in 2020, we are delighted to announce that the fifth iteration of our popular Journal Meeting will be held from 11-14 September 2022 at the historic Wotton House, Surrey. Registration is open now.
Preprints in Development
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As part of our efforts to support the use of preprints and help curate the preprint literature, we are delighted to launch a new article type: ‘In preprints’. These pieces will discuss one or more recent preprints and place them in a broader context.
Submit your next Techniques and Resources paper to Development
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Development regularly publishes Techniques and Resources papers. These manuscripts describe a novel technique, a substantial advance of an existing technique, or a new resource that will have a significant impact on developmental biology research. Find out more here.
Transitions in development: Rashmi Priya
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Rashmi Priya’s research group uses the zebrafish heart as a model system to understand the complex morphogenetic events of organogenesis. We interviewed Rashmi to learn about her career path so far, and to discuss the challenges of starting a lab in the middle of a global pandemic.
The Node Network
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The Node Network is a global directory of developmental and stem cell biologists, designed to help you find speakers, referees, panel members and potential collaborators. Find out more about the Node Network.
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