Heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are complex molecules that are critically important for signalling by secreted molecules during development. Despite this, pinning down their individual roles in development has proved a challenge. Norton and colleagues now report that the exostosins Ext2 and Extl3, which synthesise the HS sidechains of HSPG, are required for Fgf signalling during zebrafish development (see p. 4963). The researchers show that fgf10 is disrupted in deadalus, a zebrafish pectoral fin mutant that closely resembles ext2 and extl3 mutants. They report that while Fgf10 rescues target gene expression in fgf10 mutants, it does not do so in ext2 or extl3 mutants, indicating that HSPG synthesis is needed for Fgf10 signalling. The rescue of ext2 and extl3 mutants by Fgf4 revealed an unexpected specificity of HSPGs in regulating vertebrate Fgfs. On p. 5055, Stickens et al. report that Ext2-null mouse embryos fail to gastrulate, while Ext2+/– mice develop ectopic bony growths, providing further insights into Ext2's role in vertebrate development.
History of our journals
As our publisher, The Company of Biologists, turns 100 years old, read about Development’s journey and highlights from some its first issues, and explore the history of each of our sister journals: Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.
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 15 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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