Axons grow out along predictable routes to specific destinations. An EM study of the early development of one of the main chick wing nerves - the interosseous nerve - helps to show how they do it. The growing tip of the nerve appears frayed, consisting of nerve fibres occurring singly or in small bundles, taking slightly divergent paths. Most of these pioneer nerve fibres have the characteristic appearance of growth cones. They are not seen to advance along fibrils of the intercellular matrix (as one might expect from some tissue culture experiments), but instead are generally in close contact over their whole surface either with mesenchyme cells or with other nerve fibres. The same is true of the axons at more proximal levels of the developing nerve: they too are never naked, but always in contact either with other axons or with mesenchyme cells. Later nerve fibres follow the pioneers: their growth cones travel out in contact with the pre-existing axons, within the primitive perineurium formed by the enveloping mesenchyme cells, and most often close to the periphery of the fascicle.
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.
Special Issue: The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
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Our latest special issue is now complete. It showcases articles that add to the repertoire of immune cell functions during development, repair and regeneration, and provide insights into the developmental pathways leading to the generation and dispersal of these cells.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
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. You can read the first article here.
FocalPlane Network launched
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Like the Node Network, the aim of the FocalPlane Network is to facilitate promotion and networking as well as assist those seeking conference speakers, committee members, reviewers or collaborators. We hope that it will help promote diversity in the community. Find out more and join the Network here.
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