Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: An embryo maternally null for Scribble but inheriting a wild-type paternal copy. Zygotic expression of Scribble (blue) restores epithelial integrity, indicated by an apical belt of junctional Armadillo (red) and Canoe (green). However, the consequences of early loss of Scribble for apical-basal polarity and tissue organization prevent successful completion of embryogenesis. See Research article by Bonello et al. (dev180976)
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
INTERVIEWS
An interview with Bénédicte Sanson
Summary: Bénédicte Sanson, winner of the BSDB's Cheryll Tickle medal, looks back on her career and discusses the importance of collaboration and interdisciplinarity in science.
An interview with Kate Storey
Summary: Kate Storey, winner of the BSDB's Waddington Medal, discusses how she came to study neural development, the importance of having a broad skill set in science, and the questions that will dominate the field in the next decade.
REVIEWS
Development of the human placenta
Summary: A broad review encompassing basic science to clinical relevance of human placental development.
Establishing neuronal diversity in the spinal cord: a time and a place
Summary: This Review summarizes the spatial and temporal gene regulatory patterning systems that produce the diversity and organization of neurons in the vertebrate spinal cord.
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATION
C. elegans Runx/CBFβ suppresses POP-1 TCF to convert asymmetric to proliferative division of stem cell-like seam cells
Summary: To switch asymmetric to proliferative cell division, the C. elegans RNT-1/BRO-1 transcriptional repressor opposes POP-1 TCF expression in seam stem cells, which turns POP-1-induced differentiation into self-renewal.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
E2FA and E2FB transcription factors coordinate cell proliferation with seed maturation
Highlighted Article: During seed and embryo development the E2FA and E2FB transcription factors coordinate cell proliferation with differentiation and accumulation of seed reserves; however, they are not essential for sustaining cell proliferation.
Smooth muscle differentiation shapes domain branches during mouse lung development
Highlighted Article: The pattern and rate of smooth muscle differentiation is essential to shape the airway epithelium into domain branches in the embryonic mouse lung.
Dorsal convergence of gastrula cells requires Vangl2 and an adhesion protein-dependent change in protrusive activity
Summary: A change in membrane protrusion formation is required for planar cell polarity and directed migration during zebrafish gastrulation.
Synthesis and maintenance of lipid droplets are essential for mouse preimplantation embryonic development
Summary: A method for delipidation of mouse MII oocytes reveals that lipid droplets are newly synthesized even after delipidation, and that their proper storage is important for preimplantation embryonic development.
Scribble and Discs-large direct initial assembly and positioning of adherens junctions during the establishment of apical-basal polarity
Summary: The Scribble/Dlg module, well known for promoting basolateral identity during apical-basal polarity maintenance, has a surprising role in apical-basal polarity initiation, placing it near the top of the network that positions adherens junctions.
Pineal progenitors originate from a non-neural territory limited by FGF signalling
Highlighted Article: Gene expression and fate mapping/lineage tracing in zebrafish reveals that the pineal organ develops from the non-neural pre-placodal ectoderm under the control of FGF signalling.
Centrosome Aurora A regulates RhoGEF ECT-2 localisation and ensures a single PAR-2 polarity axis in C. elegans embryos
Summary: Centrosomal Aurora A ensures a single PAR-2 polarity axis in C. elegans embryos.
Repression of an activity-dependent autocrine insulin signal is required for sensory neuron development in C. elegans
Summary: Insulin signaling is involved in C. elegans nervous system development as part of a mechanism that integrates intrinsic and activity-dependent gene expression programs.
Drosophila Doublefault protein coordinates multiple events during male meiosis by controlling mRNA translation
Summary: The Drosophila C2H2 zinc-finger protein Doublefault controls meiotic chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, and is required for cyclin B translation in mature spermatocytes.
Matriptase drives early-onset intestinal failure in a mouse model of congenital tufting enteropathy
Highlighted Article: A Spint2-deficient mouse model of congenital tufting enteropathy (CTE) reveals that overactivation of the membrane-anchored serine protease matriptase in the absence of its inhibitor HAI-2 triggers intestinal failure.
The minimal gap-junction network among melanophores and xanthophores required for stripe pattern formation in zebrafish
Summary: Analysis in zebrafish reveals that Cx39.4 expression in melanophores but not in xanthophores is required for stripe patterning; however, Cx41.8 expression in xanthophores is sufficient for stripe patterning.
Morphogenetic control of zebrafish cardiac looping by Bmp signaling
Highlighted Article: The asymmetric activity of Bmp signaling within the superior atrioventricular canal is essential for normal looping morphogenesis of the zebrafish heart.
PREPRINT HIGHLIGHTS
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.
