Issues
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Cover image
Cover Image
Cover: Multiciliated Xenopus embryonic epidermis, highlighting its motile cilia, stained for acetylated alpha-tubulin (cilia; magenta), polyglycylated tubulin (cilia; cyan) and phalloidin (actin; green). Image credit: Micaela Lasser. See Research Report by Teerikorpi et al. (dev204295).
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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
PERSPECTIVES
INTERVIEWS
DEVELOPMENT AT A GLANCE
Histone modifications in development
Summary: This Development at a glance article provides a summary of the role of selected histone modifications during development.
REVIEW
Polyphenisms: a developmental perspective
Summary: Polyphenisms – the development of alternative forms from a single genome – are remarkable. This Review describes mechanisms that establish them, current gaps in our understanding and their importance to developmental biology.
STEM CELLS AND REGENERATION
Donor embryonic stem cells displace host cells of 8-cell-stage chimeras to the extra-embryonic lineages by spatial crowding and FGF4 signalling
Highlighted Article: In mouse blastocyst chimeras, donor cells displace host cells from the epiblast by a combination of crowding and FGF4 signalling.
RESEARCH REPORTS
Ciliary biology intersects autism and congenital heart disease
Highlighted Article: The increased likelihood of autism in individuals with congenital heart disease may stem from shared genetic mechanisms centered on cilia biology.
KDM6B is a conserved activator at the top of the male sex determination pathway
Summary: A mouse Kdm6b knockout model reveals that KDM6B induces Sry expression and is a conserved activator at the top of the sex determination cascade in mammals and reptiles.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Hoxb genes determine the timing of cell ingression by regulating cell surface fluctuations during zebrafish gastrulation
Highlighted Article: Timely cell ingression during zebrafish gastrulation requires Hoxb gene expression at blastoderm margin promoting cell surface fluctuations and associated membrane blebs.
Distinct proliferative and neuronal programmes of chromatin binding and gene activation by ASCL1 are cell cycle stage-specific
Highlighted Article: ASCL1 binds to distinct targets in different cell cycle phases, controlling the switch from division to differentiation in neuroblastic cells in response to G1 lengthening.
Dynamic BMP signaling regulates sclerotome induction and lineage diversification in zebrafish
Summary: Loss- and gain-of-function manipulations reveal that dynamic regulation of BMP signaling is essential for the induction and diversification of the sclerotome lineage in zebrafish.
A sperm–oocyte protein partnership required for egg activation in Caenorhabditis elegans
Summary: This study reports the discovery of a sperm–oocyte protein partnership that is required for early post-fertilization development in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Distinct BMP-Smad signaling outputs confer diverse functions in dental mesenchyme
Summary: TGFβ-sustained atypical canonical BMP-Smad pathway generates diverse signaling outputs to ensure proper tooth innervation and to maintain odontogenic inductive potential in the dental mesenchyme.
Migration of Kupffer's vesicle-derived cells is essential for tail morphogenesis in zebrafish embryos
Summary: Inhibition of Kupffer's vesicle-derived cell migration affected tail morphogenesis and resulted in ectopic tail formation in zebrafish embryos.
Tbx1 stabilizes differentiation of the cardiopharyngeal mesoderm and drives morphogenesis in the pharyngeal apparatus
Summary: Mouse TBX1 regulates chromatin accessibility and expression of transcriptional modules required for cardiac and branchiomeric muscle development and is required to maintain a proper differentiation trajectory of the cardiopharyngeal mesoderm.
TECHNIQUES AND RESOURCES
Identifying optimal conditions for precise knock-in of exogenous DNA into the zebrafish genome
Summary: Quantitative side-by-side comparison of commonly used homology templates and CRISPR nucleases allows identification of optimal conditions for germline transmission of precise insertions in zebrafish.
Save the date - Human Development: Stem Cells, Models, Embryos
We will be hosting a 2026 Human Development: Stem Cells, Models, Embryos meeting. We have teamed up with the Wellcome-funded consortium, the Human Developmental Biology Initiative (HDBI) to co-organise this event, which will bring together researchers from around the world, united by an interest in understanding human developmental biology. Save the date for 7-9 September 2026 and register.
Development presents…
Development is delighted to host a webinar series showcasing the latest developmental biology and stem cell research. The webinars are held each month with talks from postdocs applying for independent positions as part of our Pathway to Independence programme. Visit Development presents... on the Node to see which stimulating topics are coming up in the next few months.
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.
From bench to business
In this Perspective, researchers who have transitioned from academia to industry tell us how they have navigated patents, intellectual property, investors and biotechnology start-ups to bring new biological advances from the bench and into the boardroom.
Browse by subject
![Development logo - Browse by subject: Explore Development's content, now easily accessible by subject area. The ad has a black background with three vibrant scientific images: a developing embryo on the left, a green plant-like structure in the center, and a gastruloid (a circular cell with a bright pink center and blue outer ring) on the right. [Blue button: browse content].](https://cob.silverchair-cdn.com/ImageLibrary/Development/Snippets/2025_05_Dev_Browse-by-subject_600x230_Snippet.png?versionId=9135)
From cardiovascular development and regeneration to tissue engineering and organoids, Development’s browse by subject archive allows you to access the latest papers (from late 2024 onwards) on a particular field of interest. In addition to our curated subject collections, these subject pages allow readers to browse a broader range of papers organised by topic.
