Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: A skeletal preparation of an embryonic bamboo shark (ventral view) showing the gill arch branchial rays and pectoral fins. The branchial rays of cartilaginous fishes and the paired fins/limbs of jawed vertebrates are patterned by a common Shh-dependent signalling mechanism. See Research report by Gillis and Hall on p. 1313.
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IN THIS ISSUE
OBITUARY
Obituary: Hans Meinhardt (1938-2016)
Summary: This Obituary discusses the life and legacy of Hans Meinhardt, a pioneer in the field of theoretical biology who died earlier this year.
PRIMER
CncRNAs: RNAs with both coding and non-coding roles in development
Summary: This Primer discusses the bi-functional ‘coding and non-coding’ class of RNAs, known as cncRNAs, and reviews their roles, regulation and mechanisms of action during development.
REVIEWS
Developmental origin and lineage plasticity of endogenous cardiac stem cells
Summary: This Review summarises the different stem cell populations that have been described in the adult mammalian heart, as well their developmental origin and lineage potential both in vivo and in vitro.
Lineage-specific stem cells, signals and asymmetries during stomatal development
Summary: This Review summarises the transcription factor and epigenetic control of stomatal development and patterning, highlighting similarities between plant and animal developmental mechanisms.
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATION
The BAF chromatin remodelling complex is an epigenetic regulator of lineage specification in the early mouse embryo
Summary: Associations of BAF155 with other BAF complex subunits are enriched in extra-embryonic lineages prior to implantation, while changes in BAF155 levels modulate the expression of early developmental markers.
Concealed expansion of immature precursors underpins acute burst of adult HSC activity in foetal liver
Summary: A quantitative approach reveals how the pre-HSC pool undergoes dramatic growth in the AGM region and, by E11.5, reaches the size that matches the number of definitive HSCs in the E12.5 foetal liver.
Gene expression profiles uncover individual identities of gnathal neuroblasts and serial homologies in the embryonic CNS of Drosophila
Highlighted article: Characterisation of the neural stem cells in the gnathal head region completes the mapping of all individual neuroblasts that generate the Drosophila CNS.
An in vitro model of hemogenic endothelium commitment and hematopoietic production
Summary: A new model for understanding the earliest steps of hematopoiesis is based on the in vitro recapitulation of hemogenic endothelium commitment from quail pre-somitic mesoderm.
RESEARCH REPORT
A shared role for sonic hedgehog signalling in patterning chondrichthyan gill arch appendages and tetrapod limbs
Summary: Shh signalling polarises skate gill arches and maintains proliferative expansion of gill arch appendage endoskeletal progenitors, mirroring the function of Shh signalling in the tetrapod limb.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Developmental origin of lung macrophage diversity
Highlighted article: Macrophages populate the lung in three waves, each giving rise to a distinct lineage that expresses different markers, resides in a different location and renews in a different way.
Clarification of mural cell coverage of vascular endothelial cells by live imaging of zebrafish
Highlighted article: Live imaging of mural cell dynamics in zebrafish shows how the mural cells develop and cover the endothelial cells during vascular development.
Activation of a T-box-Otx2-Gsc gene network independent of TBP and TBP-related factors
Highlighted article: A network of embryonic genes, many of which are expressed in the mesoderm and the organiser, can initiate transcription through a non-canonical mechanism.
Dendritic diversification through transcription factor-mediated suppression of alternative morphologies
Highlighted article: Interactions among Cut, Pdm1/2, Scalloped and Vestigial transcription factors control cell type-specific dendrite morphogenesis in Drosophila sensory neurons.
A direct role for murine Cdx proteins in the trunk neural crest gene regulatory network
Summary: A novel role for the Cdx proteins at the top of the trunk neural crest gene regulatory network is revealed via a neuroectoderm-directed functional knockdown approach in mouse.
Influence of ovarian muscle contraction and oocyte growth on egg chamber elongation in Drosophila
Summary: Contraction of the ovarian muscles helps to produce the elongated shape of the Drosophila egg by stimulating yolk uptake by the oocyte.
α-Spectrin and integrins act together to regulate actomyosin and columnarization, and to maintain a monolayered follicular epithelium
Summary: α-Spectrin and integrins regulate apical constriction-independent cell elongation, identifying a primary role for α-Spectrin in controlling cell shape.
Nucleolar activity and CENP-C regulate CENP-A and CAL1 availability for centromere assembly in meiosis
Summary: Novel roles are uncovered for centromere assembly factors CENP-C and CAL1 in meiotic chromosome segregation, CENP-A assembly and maintenance of sperm, as well as fertility in Drosophila males.
The transcription factor Glass links eye field specification with photoreceptor differentiation in Drosophila
Summary: The transcription factor Glass functions downstream of Sine oculis to activate the expression of phototransduction proteins via its direct target, Hazy.
Deficiency of the placenta- and yolk sac-specific tristetraprolin family member ZFP36L3 identifies likely mRNA targets and an unexpected link to placental iron metabolism
Summary: ZFP36L3-deficient mice have fewer offspring than normal and increased placental expression of many potential target genes, including genes essential for placenta function.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST IN OUR OTHER JOURNALS
From Disease Models & Mechanisms
5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors as hypothalamic targets of developmental programming in male rats
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.
In preprints
Did you know that Development publishes perspectives on recent preprints? These articles help our readers navigate the ever-growing preprint literature. We welcome proposals for ‘In preprints’ articles, so please do get in touch if you’d like to contribute.
