Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Third instar Drosophila larva ubiquitously expressing a redox-sensitive cyto-roGFP2-Orp1 element, which is excited at 405 nm (blue) in an oxidized environment, or 488 nm (green) in a reduced environment. Contact with commensal bacteria induces the generation of reactive oxygen species within enterocytes, the gradient of which influences the proliferation of the adult midgut progenitors and development of the fly intestine. See Research article by Reedy et al. (dev171520).
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
INTERVIEW
SPOTLIGHTS
CRISPR babies: a view from the centre of the storm
Summary: Robin Lovell-Badge gives his perspective on the recent report from Jiankui He of the world's first genome edited babies and discusses if and how clinical applications of germline genome editing in humans may be justifiable.
How can developmental biology help feed a growing population?
Summary: Technological advances in sequencing, genome editing and advanced data processing should allow developmental biologists to improve crop performance further as crop yields come under pressure to meet the growing human population's needs.
HYPOTHESIS
A theoretical framework for planar polarity establishment through interpretation of graded cues by molecular bridges
Summary: This Hypothesis uses a theoretical framework to explore how molecular bridges provide a general mechanism to interpret different forms of tissue gradients to establish planar polarity.
REVIEW
Mechanisms of Notch signaling: a simple logic deployed in time and space
Summary: Notch receptors relay information from the cell surface to the genome via a simple signaling mechanism. Yet Notch plays multiple roles: its various outputs arise, in part, from signaling dynamics.
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATION
Revitalising the rudimentary replacement dentition in the mouse
Highlighted Article: Mice only have one set of teeth but by manipulating Wnt signalling or the local environment it is possible to induce development of an extra set of tooth germs.
Lineage-specific reorganization of nuclear peripheral heterochromatin and H3K9me2 domains
Highlighted Article: A multipotent progenitor cell reorganizes its nuclear peripheral heterochromatin and spatially repositions key developmental loci specifically according to the cell fate it adopts.
Commensal microbiota-induced redox signaling activates proliferative signals in the intestinal stem cell microenvironment
Highlighted Article: Lactobacilli-induced ROS generation in the Drosophila larval midgut is confined to enterocytes, whereas undifferentiated adult midgut progenitor cells exist in a distinguishable ‘ROS sheltered zone’.
RESEARCH REPORTS
Wnt/Fgf crosstalk is required for the specification of basal cells in the mouse trachea
Summary: Wnt proteins from the epithelium control the formation of mouse airway cartilage and basal cells through crosstalk with Fgf signaling.
Myc is dispensable for cardiomyocyte development but rescues Mycn-deficient hearts through functional replacement and cell competition
Highlighted Article: Myc is dispensable for cardiomyocyte development in mouse but contrasting Myc levels between neighbouring cells is involved in elimination of unfit cardiomyocytes during heart development by cell competition.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
VERNALIZATION1 controls developmental responses of winter wheat under high ambient temperatures
Highlighted Article: Analysis of the flowering and growth responses of a range of Triticum aestivum cultivars to warmer growth temperatures reveals an additional layer of temperature regulation in the vernalization response pathway.
A TOR-YAK1 signaling axis controls cell cycle, meristem activity and plant growth in Arabidopsis
Highlighted Article: A pharmacogenetic screen of Arabidopsis mutants resistant to an ATP-competitive inhibitor of the TOR kinase reveals a new regulatory axis controlling meristem activity and plant growth through YAK1 kinase.
SOL1 and SOL2 regulate fate transition and cell divisions in the Arabidopsis stomatal lineage
Summary: Two Arabidopsis homologs of LIN54, SOL1 and SOL2, regulate cell fate and cell division in the stomatal lineage, and act in opposition to their closest paralog, TSO1.
Rab23/Kif17 regulate meiotic progression in oocytes by modulating tubulin acetylation and actin dynamics
Summary: The Rab23-Kif17 cargo complex associates with αTAT and Sirt2 to stabilize spindle microtubules, and transports the constituents of RhoA pathway to facilitate actin-mediated spindle migration during oocyte meiosis.
A crucial role for Arf6 in the response of commissural axons to Slit
Highlighted Article: At the ventral midline, developing commissural axons increase Slit sensitivity through a positive-feedback mechanism that is Arf6 mediated and driven by Robo1 receptor endocytic recycling.
The regulatory pathway from genes directly activated by maternal factors to muscle structural genes in ascidian embryos
Summary: In ascidian larval muscle cells, structural genes are activated first through quantitative control by Tbx6-r.b, and then under the control of a cross-regulatory circuit including Tbx6-r.b and Mrf.
TECHNIQUES AND RESOURCES
Broad applicability of a streamlined ethyl cinnamate-based clearing procedure
Summary: The non-toxic, broadly applicable and simplified protocol of 2Eci tissue clearing makes it possible for non-specialist labs to use clearing approaches on conventional inverted microscopes.
CORRECTION
PREPRINT HIGHLIGHTS
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
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 30 May 2025.
Meet our 2025 Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows
We are delighted to announce our third cohort of PI fellows - researchers whom we will be supporting as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. Read about the eight talented fellows chosen, whom we're excited to be working with as they navigate the job market.
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.
the Node: Have your say
Our community site, the Node, is conducting a user survey about the content and the design of the site. Help us shape the Node's future and thank you for being a part of the Node over the last 15 years.
