Welcome to our monthly trawl for developmental and stem cell biology (and related) preprints.

The preprints this month are hosted on bioRxiv – use these links below to get to the section you want:

Developmental biology

• Patterning & signalling
• Morphogenesis & mechanics
• Genes & genomes
• Stem cells, regeneration & disease modelling
• Plant development
• Environment, evolution and development

Cell Biology

Modelling

Tools & Resources

Research practice and education

Developmental biology

| Patterning & signalling

Deconstructing the common anteroposterior organisation of adult bilaterian guts
Stefano Davide Vianello,  Ching-Yi Lin, Wahyu Cristine Pinem, Han-Ru Li,  Kun-Lung Li, Grace Sonia,  Shu-Hua Lee, Szu-Kai Wu,  Vincent Laudet,  Yi-Hsien Su,  Jr-Kai Yu,  Stephan Q. Schneider

Alizarin red perturbs skeletal patterning and biomineralization via Catalase inhibition
Abigail E. Descoteaux, Marko Radulovic, Mayank Ghogale, Santhan Chandragiri, Deema Abayawardena, Bikram D. Shrestha, Athula H. Wikramanayake,  Vivek N. Prakash,  Cynthia A. Bradham

Spatiotemporal Coordination of Guidance Cues Directs Multipolar Migration During Retinal Lamination
Jaakko I Lehtimäki,  Jingtao Lilue,  Mario Del Rosario,  Elisa Nerli,  Ricardo Henriques,  Caren Norden

Retinoic acid-responsive hox genes in hoxba and hoxbb clusters direct pharyngeal pouch formation in zebrafish
Sohju Toyama, Nanami Hamano, Junpei Imagawa, Takumi Sugawara, Renka Fujii, Morimichi Kikuci, Yuki Kawabe, Akinori Kawamura

Regulation of mRNA polyadenylation governs mammalian body plan formation in gastruloids
David Taborsky, Fabiola Valdivia-Francia, Neguin Ranjbar, Laura Llop-Grau, Clara Duré, Umesh Ghoshdastider, Peter F. Renz, Ramona Weber, Merve Yigit, Aleksei Mironov, Katie Hyams, Stefano Vianello, Mihaela Zavolan, Matthias P. Lutolf, Ataman Sendoel

Temporal coordination of tissue transformation, olfactory sensory neural development and central axon projections through morphogens
Shao-Chieh Chen, Tsai-Ming Lu, Chun-Ting Lin, Iris Low, Ya-Hui Chou

Dual Bmp-negative feedback loops modulate both AER and ZPA function to buffer and constrain postaxial digit number
Rashmi Patel, Susan Mackem

A hormonally regulated gating mechanism controls EMT timing to ensure progenitor cell specification occurs prior to epithelial breakdown
Andrew T Plygawko, Jamie Adams, Zack Richards, Kyra Campbell

The Calcium Pump ATP2B1/PMCA1 Regulates CNS Vascular Development by Facilitating Norrin- and WNT7A/B-induced Frizzled4 signaling
Ha-Neul Jo, Elizabeth Kiffmeyer, Chi Zhang, Lingling Zhang, Emmanuel Odame, Quynh Chau Dinh, Jacklyn Levey, Miranda Howe, Kyle J. Roux, Klaus-Dieter Fischer, Zhe Chen, Harald J. Junge

Hedgehog and Bmp signaling pathways play opposing roles during establishment of the cardiac inflow tract in zebrafish
Rhea-Comfort A. Robertson, Hannah G. Knight, Catherine Lipovsky, Jie Ren, Neil C. Chi, Deborah Yelon

A pivotal role for Wnt antagonists in constraining Wnt activity to promote digit joint specification
Bau-Lin Huang, Sean Davis, Eiki Koyama, Maurizio Pacifici, Susan Mackem

The neurotrophin DNT-2 regulates cell survival and connectivity via the Toll-2 receptor during visual system development of Drosophila
Naser Alshamsi, Francisca Rojo-Cortés, Bangfu Zhu, Samaher Fahy, Guiyi Li, Anna Lassota, Marta Moreira, Alicia Hidalgo

Gradient of Wnt signaling facilitates Mef2 heterogeneity and limits commitment of the developmental muscle progenitor pool
Laura Schütze, Maria Jelena Musillo, Bilyana Popova, Natalja Engel, Verena Holzwarth, Milena Lucia Hild, Anna Geissdorf, Jennifer Nadine Gross, Ingrid Lohmann, Josephine Bageritz

Dynamic Functional Pathway Development in Type 1 Spinal Interneurons: Stage-specific roles of retinoic acid activity
Dina Rekler, Sarah Kagan, Noa Rachel Krutous, Gilgi Friedlander, Chaya Kalcheim

Quantifying bristle cell organization in Drosophila melanogaster using spatial clustering features
Wisdom K. Attipoe, Audrey Neighmond, Oakley Waters, S.H Dinuka Sewwandi De Silva, Ginger L. Hunter, Emmanuel Asante-Asamani

Socially regulated developmental plasticity in the color pattern of an anemonefish
Laurie J. Mitchell, Saori Miura, Youjung Han, Jann Zwahlen, Camille A. Sautereau, Bruno Frédérich, Vincent Laudet

A novel function for Prdm12 during neural crest migration reveals a link between Wnt and N-cadherin
Subham Seal, Cécile Milet, Chenxi Zhou, Anne-Hélène Monsoro-Burq

A neurovascular template guides the spatial and functional compartmentalization of the adrenal gland
Alessia Motta, Santo Diprima, Aurora Badaloni, Ganesh Parameshwar Bhat, Elena Ioannou, Chiara Malpighi, Ilaria Brambilla, Chiara Saulle, Alessandro Sessa, Christiana Ruhrberg, Dario Bonanomi

Essential regulation of heparan sulfate proteoglycan signalling controls cell behaviour to support cardiac development
Andia N. Redpath, Irina-Elena Lupu, Louis Haffreingue, Quang Dang, Ian R. McCracken, Tamara Carsana, Toin H. van Kuppevelt, Joaquim Miguel Vieira, Nicola Smart

Nuclear rerouting of paracrine Fgf3 in source cells represses target genes to pattern morphogen responses
Sevi Durdu, Murat Iskar, Alicia Roig-Merino, Elisa Gallo, Ezgi Karaca, Andreas Kunze, Erika Donà, Peer Bork, Dirk Schübeler, Darren Gilmour

| Morphogenesis & mechanics

Three-Dimensional-Mapping of Smooth Muscle Morphogenesis in the Vertebrate Gastrointestinal Tract
Salomé Ruiz Demoulin,  Amandine Falco,  Norbert Chauvet,  Pascal de Santa Barbara,  Sandrine Faure

Mechanical Coordination of Intestinal Cell Extrusion by Supracellular 3D Force Patterns
Marija Matejčić, Meng Wang, Elia López Serrano, Carlos Pérez-González, Ronja Houtekamer, Gerardo Ceada, Pere Roca-Cusachs, Martijn Gloerich,  Xavier Trepat

Long-range chemical signalling in vivo is regulated by mechanical signals
Eva K. Pillai, Sudipta Mukherjee, Niklas Gampl, Ross J. McGinn, Katrin A. Mooslehner, Julia M. Becker, Alex Winkel, Amelia J. Thompson,  Kristian Franze

A protocadherin mediates cell-cell adhesion and integrity of the oral placode in the tunicate Ciona
Sriikhar Vedurupaka, Bita Jadali, Christopher J. Johnson,  Alberto Stolfi, Sydney Popsuj

Three-Dimensional Mechanical Cooperativity Optimises Epithelial Wound Healing
Shu En Lim, Pablo Vicente-Munuera, Robert J. Tetley, Martin Zhang, José J. Muñoz, Yanlan Mao

Transient versican expression is required for β1-Integrin accumulation during podocyte layer morphogenesis in amphibian developing kidney
Isabelle Buisson, Jean-François Riou, Muriel Umbhauer, Ronan Le Bouffant, Valérie Bello

Basal Cell-Contact Dynamics Influence Tissue Packing in a Proliferating Mammalian Epithelium
Subramanian P. Ramanathan, Tanmoy Sarkar, Matej Krajnc, Rosemary Mwithiga, Azize Cerci, Chongbei Zhao, Matthew C. Gibson

Molecular dynamics of the matrisome across sea anemone life history
B. Gideon Bergheim, Alison G. Cole, Mandy Rettel, Frank Stein, Stefan Redl, Michael W. Hess, Aissam Ikmi, Suat Özbek

A role for Myosin in triggering and executing amnioserosa cell delaminations during dorsal closure
Nicole Gorfinkiel, Yanara Ferrer, Jon Recalde, Javier Gutiérrez, Guillermo Sáez

Dynamic interactions between epithelial skin cells and a sensory cavity sculpt the growing olfactory orifice
Gordillo Pi Clara, Cabrera Mélody, Gilles Jean-François, Bardet Pierre-Luc, Eschstruth Alexis, Bonnet Isabelle, Breau Marie Anne, Baraban Marion

| Genes & genomes

KMT2C and KMT2D regulate skeletal development through stage-specific epigenetic control of chondrogenesis
Gabrielle Quickstad, Dimitrios V. Bikas, Sara Vardabasso, Karl B. Shpargel

Single-oocyte transcriptional profile of early-stage human oocytes reveals differentially expressed genes in the primordial and transitioning stages
J. H. Machlin, D. F. Hannum, A. S.K. Jones, T. Schissel, K. Potocsky, E. E. Marsh, S. Hammoud, V. Padmanabhan, J.Z. Li,  A. Shikanov

Nucleation-dependent propagation of Polycomb modifications emerges during the Drosophila maternal to zygotic transition
Natalie Gonzaga-Saavedra,  Eleanor A. Degen,  Isabella V. Soluri,  Corinne Croslyn,  Shelby A. Blythe

Transcriptome comparison between the cultured and in vivo Chick Primordial Germ Cells by SMART-seq-based single cell RNA sequencing
Yoshiki Hayashi, Atsushi Doi, Hiroko Iikawa, Hirokazu Kimijima, Yutaka Suzuki, Akinori Kanai, Hideki Hirakawa,  Daisuke Saito

Early transcriptional divergence underlies cell fate bias in bovine embryos
Koyama Hinata, Daisuke Mashiko, Masahiro Kaneda, Atchalalt Khurchabilig,  Satoshi Sugimura

Disruption of hemocyte differentiation and distribution in Drosophila Ptr23c mutants
Cristina Parada,  María Constanza Silvera, Tabaré de los Campos,  Rafael Cantera,  Carmen Bolatto,  Daniel Prieto

An Epigenomic Roadmap Primes Non-Growing Oocytes for Maturation and Early Embryogenesis
Mengwen Hu,  Yasuhisa Munakata,  Yu-Han Yeh, Han Wang,  Neil Hunter, Richard M. Schultz,  Satoshi H. Namekawa

FLYWCH transcription factors act in a LIN-42/Period autoregulatory loop during gonad migration in C. elegans
Brian Kinney, Jason Menjivar-Hernandez, Fred Koitz, Dmitry Grinevich, Madonna Baselios,  Christopher M. Hammell,  Kacy Lynn Gordon

Conserved roles of GATA4 and its target gene TBX2 in regulation of human cardiogenesis
Nicola Graham, Pavel Kirilenko, Ilya Patrushev, Ewan D. Fowler, Peter Kille, Michael Gilchrist, Nick D.L. Owens,  Branko Latinkic

Single-nucleotide Resolution Epitranscriptomic Profiling Uncovers Dynamic m6A Regulation in Bovine Preimplantation Development
Rajan Iyyappan, Yichi Niu, Ming Hao, Kinga Pajdzik, Noah R. Rakestraw, Piyush K. Jain, Chuan He,  Chenghang Zong,  Zongliang Jiang

Predicting disease-overarching therapeutic approaches for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation using multi-OMICS
I.J.J. Muffels, R. Budhraja, R. Shah, S. Radenkovic, E. Morava, T Kozicz

Genetic variation reveals a homeotic long noncoding RNA that modulates human hematopoietic stem cells
Peng Lyu, Gaurav Agarwal, Chun-Jie Guo, Tianyi Ye, Chen Weng, Mateusz Antoszewski, Samantha Joubran,  Alexis Caulier, Michael Poeschla,  Vijay G. Sankaran

Novel Fluorescent and Photoconvertible Fusions Reveal Dorsal Activator Dynamics
Meghan A. Turner, Nicholas M. Gravina, Bruno Moretti, Sadia Dima, Gabriella Martini, Greg Reeves, Hernan G. Garcia

Genetic lineage tracing identifies intermediate mesoderm as a novel contributor to mammalian kidney lymphatics
Daniyal J Jafree, Lauren G Russell, Athanasia Stathopoulou, Christopher J Rowan, Andrew T White, Charlotte O’Riordan, Maria Kolatsi-Joannou, Karen L Price, Sarah Ivins, Liam A Ridge, Catherine Roberts, Jennie C Chandler, Laura Wilson, Dale Moulding, Julie Siegenthaler, Adrian S Woolf, Paul R Riley, Christiana Ruhrberg, Peter J Scambler, Norman D Rosenblum, David A Long

The CFII components PCF11 and Cbc change subnuclear localization as cells differentiate in the male germ line adult stem cell lineage
Iliana Nava, Margaret T. Fuller, Lorenzo Gallicchio

PRDM paralogs are required for Meckel’s cartilage formation during mandibular bone development
Qootsvenma Denipah-Cook, Bryanna V. Saxton, Kristin B. Artinger, Lomeli C. Shull

SOX9 is part of a combinatorial marker that reveals early development and embryological origins of the mouse brown adipose tissue depots
Ava E. Brent, Rika Chan, Vaishnavi Sirkay, Brian R. Morton, Jennifer H. Mansfield

Single-cell spatial mapping reveals reproducible cell type organization and spatially-dependent gene expression in gastruloids
Catherine G. Triandafillou, Pranav Sompalle, Yael Heyman, Arjun Raj

The SMARCA5–DMRT1 Pioneer Complex Establishes Epigenetic Priming to Direct Male Germline Development
Yuka Kitamura, Yasuhisa Munakata, Hironori Abe, Mengwen Hu, Satoyo Oya, Shanmathi Murugesan, Mahnoor Rizwan, Shawna P. Katz, David J. Picketts, Richard M. Schultz, Satoshi H. Namekawa

Developmental analysis of the cone photoreceptor-less little skate retina
Chetan C. Rangachar, Denice D. Moran, Mark M. Emerson

Lower-order methylation states underlie the maintenance and re-establishment of Polycomb modifications in Drosophila embryogenesis
Eleanor A. Degen, Natalie Gonzaga-Saavedra, Shelby A. Blythe

DAXX governs the silencing of LINE1 during spermatogenesis in mice
Zejia Li, Chaoyang Xiong, Jin Shen, Chen Tan, Dupeng Ma, Jun Chen, Rong Liu, Qi Sun, Weihao Gong, Wenming Yuan, Mengya Huang, Li Huang, Yueqiu Tan, Guohong Li, Mengcheng Luo

Polycomb Repressive-Deubiquitinase Complex Safeguards Oocyte Epigenome and Female Fertility by Restraining Polycomb Activity
Jinwen Kang, Peiyao Liu, Shoko Ichimura, Lauryn Cook, Zhiyuan Chen

Nuclear RNA cap-chaperones eIF4E and NCBP2 govern distinct fates for 1000s of mRNAs uncovering an unexpected regulatory point in gene expression
Jean-Clement Mars, Caleb M. Embree, Biljana-Culjkovic-Kraljacic, Aidan W.B. Carlile, Patrick Gendron, Katherine L.B. Borden

Maternal CENP-C restores centromere symmetry in mammalian zygotes to ensure proper chromosome segregation
Catherine A. Tower, Gabriel Manske, Emily L. Ferrell, Dilara N. Anbarci, Kelsey Jorgensen, Binbin Ma, Mansour Aboelenain, Rajesh Ranjan, Saikat Chakraborty, Lindsay Moritz, Arunika Das, Michele Boiani, Ben E. Black, Shawn Chavez, Erica E. Marsh, Ariella Shikanov, Karen Schindler, Xin Chen, Saher Sue Hammoud

The Dream and MEC NuRD Complexes reinforce SPR-5/MET-2 maternal reprogramming to maintain the germline-soma distinction
Sindy R. Chavez, Jazmin Dozier, Saahj P. Gosrani, Sandra K. Nguyen, Jovan S. Brockett, Sarah D. Blancher, Sydney L. Morgan-Benitez, Juan D. Rodriguez, Onur Birol, Monica N. Reeves, Karen L. Schmeichel, David J. Katz, Brandon S. Carpenter

Loss of CTLH component MAEA impairs DNA repair and replication and leads to developmental delay
Soren H. Hough, Satpal S. Jhujh, Samah W. Awwad, Simon Lam, John C. Thomas, Oliver Lewis, Thorsten Mosler, Aldo S. Bader, Lauren E. Bartik, Shane McKee, Shivarajan M. Amudhavalli, Estelle Colin, Nadirah Damseh, Emma Clement, Pilar Cacheiro, Anirban Majumdar, Damian Smedley, Isabelle Thiffault, Guido Zagnoli Vieira, Rimma Belotserkovskaya, Stephen J. Smerdon, Petra Beli, Yaron Galanty, Christopher J. Carnie, Grant S. Stewart, Stephen P. Jackson

Approximate Bayesian computation supports a high incidence of chromosomal mosaicism in blastocyst-stage human embryos
Qingya Yang, Sara A. Carioscia, Matthew Isada, Rajiv C. McCoy

| Stem cells, regeneration & disease modelling

MYCBP interacts with Sakura and Otu and is essential for germline stem cell renewal and differentiation and oogenesis
Azali Azlan,  Ryuya Fukunaga

From Development to Regeneration: Insights into Flight Muscle Adaptations from Bat Muscle Cell Lines
Fengyan Deng,  Valentina Peña, Pedro Morales-Sosa,  Andrea Bernal-Rivera, Bowen Yang, Shengping Huang, Sonia Ghosh, Maria Katt, Luciana Castellano, Cindy Maddera,  Zulin Yu,  Nicolas Rohner,  Chongbei Zhao,  Jasmin Camacho

Genetics of growth rate in induced pluripotent stem cells
Brian N. Lee,  Henry J. Taylor, Filippo Cipriani,  Narisu Narisu,  Catherine C. Robertson, Amy J. Swift,  Neelam Sinha, Tingfen Yan,  Lori L. Bonnycastle, Nathan Dale, Annie Butt, Hemant Parsaud,  Stefan Semrau, NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array Team, GENESiPS Consortium, iPSCORE Consortium,  Joshua W. Knowles,  Ivan Carcamo-Orive,  Agnieszka D’Antonio-Chronowska,  Kelly A. Frazer,  Leslie G. Biesecker,  Scott Noggle,  Michael R. Erdos,  Daniel Paull,  Francis S. Collins,  D. Leland Taylor

Epidermal Stem Cells Control Periderm Injury Repair via Matrix-Driven Specialization of Intercellular Junctions
Helen Mengze He, Liana C. Boraas, Jon M. Bell, Xiangyu Gong, Sophia L. Iannaccone, Zhang Wen, Michael Mak, Marina Carlson, Kaelyn Sumigray, Stefania Nicoli

Two parallel lineage-committed progenitors contribute to the developing brain
Carolyn E. Dundes, Rayyan T. Jokhai, Hadia Ahsan, Rachel S. Kang, Rachel E.A. Salomon-Shulman, Arjun Rajan, Yoon Seok Kim, Liam J. Stanton, Christine Xu, Stephanie Do, Brennan D. McDonald, José Miguel Andrade López, Hugo A. Urrutia, Hannah Greenfeld, Alicia Wong, Yimiao Qu, Andrew S. Petkovic, Yi Miao,  K. Christopher Garcia, Michelle Monje, Daniel E. Wagner,  Marianne E. Bronner, Christopher J. Lowe,  Kyle M. Loh

An organoid model of the menstrual cycle reveals the role of the luminal epithelium in regeneration of the human endometrium
Konstantina Nikolakopoulou,  Weand Ybañez,  Lhéanna Klaeylé,  Lisa Frugoli,  Hans-Rudolf Hotz,  Charlotte Soneson,  Margherita Yayoi Turco

Thrombin-preconditioned Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes For Wound Healing in vitro and in vivo
Liu Yang, Minming Lou, Hongwei Wang, Shuo Zhang,  Jie Ma

ASD mutations in the ciliary gene CEP41 impact development of projection neurons and interneurons in a human cortical organoid model
Kerstin Hasenpusch-Theil, Alexandra Lesayova, Zrinko Kozic, Mariana Beltran, Grace Wilson,  Neil C Henderson,  Owen Dando, Thomas Theil

Fetal reversion from diverse lineages sustains the intestinal stem cell pool and confers stress resilience
Sakura Kirino, Fumiya Uefune, Kensuke Miyake, Nobuhiko Ogasawara, Sakurako Kobayashi, Satoshi Watanabe, Yui Hiraguri, Go Ito, Keiichi Akahoshi, Daisuke Ban, Johan H. van Es,  Hans Clevers, Mamoru Watanabe,  Ryuichi Okamoto,  Shiro Yui

Stem cells actively suppress regenerative plasticity in human colon
Joris H. Hageman, Defne Yalcin, Julian R. Buissant des Amorie, Sascha R. Brunner, Thomas A. Kluiver, Aleksandra Balwierz, Franziska L. Langner, Maria C. Puschhof, Yannik Bollen, Thanasis Margaritis, Hugo J.G. Snippert

Gastruloid patterning reflects division of labor among biased stem cell clones
Vinay Ayyappan, Catherine Triandafillou, Kavitha Sarma, Arjun Raj

Single-cell spatial mapping reveals reproducible cell type organization and spatially-dependent gene expression in gastruloids
Catherine G Triandafillou, Pranav Sompalle, Yael Heyman, Arjun Raj

Juxtaposition of human pluripotent stem cells with amnion-like cells is sufficient to trigger primitive streak formation
Xiangyu Kong, Anastasiia Nemashkalo, M Cecilia Guerra, Miguel Angel Ortiz-Salazar, Elena Camacho-Aguilar,  Aryeh Warmflash

Her9 is required for the migration, differentiation, and survival of neural crest cells
Cagney E. Coomer, Sumanth Manohar, Evelyn M. Turnbaugh, Ann C. Morris

Wnt5a gain- and loss-of-function present distinctly in craniofacial bone
Claire J. Houchen, Portia Hahn Leat, Cassandra Delich, Jocelyn Vang, Sara Haggard, Joseph L. Roberts, Hicham Drissi, Erin E. Bumann

The CPEB ortholog Orb2 regulates brain size through the TRIM-NHL RNA-binding protein, Brain tumor
Taylor Hailstock, Joseph Buehler, Beverly V. Robinson, Timothy C.H. Low, Yuqing Hua, Temitope H. Adebambo, Jack Govaerts, Todd A. Schoborg, Howard D. Lipshitz, Dorothy A. Lerit

HSD17B7 is required for Auditory Function by Regulating Cholesterol Synthesis in Sensory Hair Cells
Yuqian Shen, Ziyang Wang, Xun Wang, Fuping Qian, Mingjun Zhong, Xin Wang, Jing Cheng, Dong Liu

Primary cilia and BBS4 are required for postnatal pituitary development
Kathryn M. Brewer, Katlyn K. Brewer, Nicholas C. Richardson, Jeremy F. Reiter, Nicolas F. Berbari, Mia J. Konjikusic

Single Cell RNA Sequencing and Spatial Profiling Identify Mechanisms of Neonatal Brain Hemorrhage Development and Resolution
Santiago A. Forero, Zhihua Chen, Ali Pirani, Arpan De, Zachary Wise, John E. Morales, Joseph H. McCarty

Identification and Characterization of Adult Islet Pancridia Cells Capable of Differentiating into Islet Organoids
Carly M. Darden, Jayachandra Kuncha, Jeffrey T. Kirkland, Jordan Mattke, Srividya Vasu, Bashoo Naziruddin, Michael C. Lawrence

DNAH14 deficiency impairs sperm motility by reducing flagellar beat amplitude
Yawen Liu, Yanan Zhao, Yali Qiu, Jiaxin Zeng, Haifeng Xu, Bingbing Wu, Xiang Tang, Liying Wang, Wei Li, Chao Liu

Developmental wave of programmed ganglion cell death in human retinal organoids
Tara Brooks, Yuna K. Park, Anne Vielle, Michael Ha, Katia Del Rio-Tsonis, Michael L. Robinson, M. Natalia Vergara

Expression of mutant TIE2 p.L914F during mouse development causes embryonic lethality and defects in vascular remodeling
Lindsay J Bischoff, Sandra Schrenk, Kara Soroko, Elisa Boscolo

Cell Cycle Arrest of a ‘Zippering’ Epithelial Cell Cluster Shapes the Face and is Disrupted in Craniofacial Disorders
T. Qu, B.H. Chacón, L. Faure, M. Losa, R. Hernández-Martínez, K. Robinson, A. Jones, S. Lisgo, J. De Anda, M. Risolino, G. Panagiotakos, E.J. Leslie-Clarkson, I. Adameyko, L. Selleri

Postnatal Abrogation of VEGFR2 Blocks Terminal Cap2 Differentiation by Preventing the Developmental Progression from a Capillary Intermediate Cell State
Daoqin Zhang, Carsten Knutsen, David J. Stroud, Cristina M. Alvira

JAG2-related muscular dystrophy and Notch signaling dysfunction in muscle stem cells
Nam Chul Kim, Minoru Tanaka, Isabelle Draper, Hannah R. Littel, Mekala Gunasekaran, Johnnie Turner, Natalya M. Wells, Qasim Mujteba, Yoko Asakura, Peter B. Kang, Atsushi Asakura

Retinal pigment epithelium-derived PD-L1 reprograms microglial cells and protects against retinal degeneration in mouse models of experimental AMD and genetic retinitis pigmentosa
Zhongyuan Su, Jing Wang, Qinghua Lai, Zhenhang Wang, Pingping Liu, Zhiyan Tang, Hang Yu, Yu Chen, Xiaoyin Ma, Ling Hou

Fibroblast depletion reveals mammalian epithelial resilience across neonatal and adult stages
Isabella M. Gaeta, Shuangshuang Du, Clémentine Villeneuve, David G. Gonzalez, Catherine Matte-Martone, Smirthy Ganesan, Deandra Simpson, Jessica L Moore, Chen Yuan Kam, Sara Gallini, Haoyang Wei, Fabien Bertillot, Dagmar Zeuschner, Lauren E. Gonzalez, Kaelyn D Sumigray, Sara A Wickström, Valentina Greco

Multilayered molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying intestinal epithelial regeneration
Dong Woo Seo, Seungsoo Kim, Hoibin Jeong, Mi Hyeon Cho, Ming Gyeong Lee, Jea Hwa Jang, Jun-Seok Lee, Sang-Hyun Choi, Dong-Hoon Kim, Jungmin Choi, Yong Taek Jeong

| Plant development

Ligand-induced ubiquitination regulates endocytosis and homeostasis of the ERECTA receptor kinase for stomatal development
Liangliang Chen,  Minh Huy Vu, Alicia M. Cochran,  Crystal F. Ying,  Keiko U. Torii

Pathogenic fungus exploits the lateral root regulators to induce pluripotency in maize shoots
Mamoona Khan, Nithya Nagarajan, Kathrin Schneewolf, Caroline Marcon, Danning Wang, Frank Hochholdinger, Peng Yu,  Armin Djamei

Interaction of Wnt and SHH gradients synchronizes cell cycle exit and differentiation
Ruiqi Li, Yiqun Jiang, Sarah Platt, Kevin A. Peterson, Hainan Lam, Sarah Van, Chae Ho Lim, Jonathan Levinsohn, Eva-Larue Barber, David Wang, M. Mark Taketo, Yuval Kluger, Peggy Myung

Coordinated regulation of trichome morphogenesis and flavonoid pathway by a MYB–HDZIP–JAZ module in banana (Musa sp.)
Samar Singh,  Shivi Tyagi, Prashant Misra,  Ashutosh Pandey

The proximal proteome of FLOWERING LOCUS T LIKE 1 during rice panicle development suggests cell-to-cell mobility features
Daniele Chirivì,  Giulia Ave Bono,  Jeroen de Keijzer,  Ludovico Dreni,  Franco Faoro,  Francesca Giaume,  Cristina Ferrándiz,  Fabio Fornara,  Camilla Betti

Photoperiodic effects on early plant development in everbearing and seasonal flowering strawberry
Stephan David, Gabriela Ficová,  Leo F.M. Marcelis,  Julian C. Verdonk

Shedding light on the embryo:endosperm balance diversity that pseudogamy can achieve in the polyploid apomictic Psidium cattleyanum (Myrtaceae, Myrteae)
Claudia Da Luz-Graña, Magdalena Vaio, Joerg Fuchs, Alejandra Borges, Gabriela Speroni

Overcoming extensive redundancy in the arabidopsis TREHALOSE-6-PHOSPHATE PHOSPHATASE gene family reveals connections to development and iron homeostasis
Tara Skopelitis, Kyle W Swentowsky, Alexander Goldshmidt, Regina Feil,  John E. Lunn,  David Jackson

Optimized LC-MS method for simultaneous polyamine profiling and ADC/ODC activity quantification and evidence that ADCs are indispensable for flower development in tomato
Erin Samantha Ritchie, Edda von-Roepenack-Lahaye, Dennis Perrett, Dousheng Wu, Thomas Lahaye

Brassinosteroids mediate proper coordination of sepal elongation
Byron Rusnak,  Lilijana Oliver, Kyle Procopio,  Adrienne Roeder

Fragaria ananassa DAM4 expression correlates with vegetative growth during endodormancy breaking
Stephan David, Philippe Kersten, Xiren Cao,  Leo F.M. Marcelis,  Julian C Verdonk

Loss of Nucleotide Sugar Transporter (AtNST) gene function in the Golgi membranes impairs pollen development and embryo sac progression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Rimpy Diman, Pinninti Malathi, Ramamurthy Srinivasan, Shripad Ramchandra Bhat, Sreenivasulu Yelam

De novo meristem development in Marchantia requires light and an apical auxin minimum
Eva-Sophie Wallner, Natalie Edelbacher, Liam Dolan

Sex-Specific Ethylene Responses Drive Floral Sexual Plasticity in Cannabis
Adrian S. Monthony, Julien Roy, Maxime de Ronne, Olivia Carlson, Susan J. Murch, Davoud Torkamaneh

ARABIDOPSIS Bsister and SEEDSTICK MADS-box transcription factors modulate maternal nutrient flow for seed development in Arabidopsis
Camilla Banfi, Nicola Babolin, Chiara Astori, Chiara Mizzotti, Rosario Vega-Léon, Giulia Leo, Ueli Grossniklaus, Matthew R. Tucker, Fabrizio Araniti, Riccardo Aiese Cigliano, Walter Sanseverino, Ignacio Ezquer, Jose M. Muino, Kerstin Kauffman, Maurizio Di Marzo, Lucia Colombo

Comparative Proteomic Profiling of Receptor Kinase Signaling Reveals Key Trafficking Components Enforcing Plant Stomatal Development
Pengfei Bai, Minh Huy Vu, Chiaki Komatsu, Ophelia Papoulas, Kazuo Ebine, Akira Nozawa, Tatsuya Sawasaki, Takashi Ueda, Edward M. Marcotte, Keiko U. Torii

WALLFLOWER, an Arabidopsis receptor-like kinase, is polarized in root epidermal cells where it represses cell elongation impacting root waving
Patricio Pérez-Henríquez, Jessica N. Toth, Cecilia Rodriguez-Furlan, Rachel E. De La Torre, Jaimie M. Van Norman

Brassinosteroid controls leaf air space patterning non-cell autonomously by promoting epidermal growth
James M. Fitzsimons, Ana B. Rock, Richard L. De Falbe, Samantha Fox, Chris D. Whitewoods

| Environment, evolution and development

Gamete release in Ciona robusta: roles of gonadotropin-releasing hormone and the photoreception system
Tomohiro Osugi,  Shin Matsubara,  Akira Shiraishi, Azumi Wada, Yuki Miyamoto,  Issei S. Shimada, Yasunori Sasakura,  Takehiro G. Kusakabe,  Honoo Satake

Establishment, conservation, and innovation of dorsal determination mechanisms during the evolution of vertebrate paired appendages
M. Brent Hawkins,  Sofía Zdral,  Silvia Naranjo, Miguel Juliá, Manuel Sánchez-Martín,  Jacob M. Daane,  Nicolas Cumplido,  David Jandzik,  Daniel M. Medeiros,  Sarah K. McMenamin,  Matthew P. Harris,  Juan J. Tena,  Marian A. Ros

Genetic mapping in the red mason bee Osmia bicornis implicates ANTSR as an ancient sex-determining locus in bees and ants
Tilman Rönneburg, Demetris Taliadoros, Anna Olsson, Sara Magnusson, Linn Huser, Muhammad Nafiz Ikhwan Bin Nor Fuad, Turid Everitt, Giselle C. Martín-Hernández, Björn Cederberg, Robert J. Paxton, Karsten Seidelmann,  Matthew T. Webster

Evolutionary dynamics of the vertebrate Wnt gene repertoire
Lily G. Fogg,  Maxime Policarpo,  Walter Salzburger

Developmental system drift in the patterning of the arthropod tarsus
Benjamin C. Klementz,  Sophie M. Neu,  Ethan M. Laumer,  Emily V.W. Setton,  Isaac A. Hinne,  Austen A. Barnett, Max Hämmerle,  Georg Brenneis,  Monika Gulia-Nuss,  Prashant P. Sharma

Maternal high-fat/high-sugar diet has short-term dental effects and long-term sex-specific skeletal effects on adult offspring mice
Mohamed G. Hassan, Kyle Koester, Natalia S. Harasymowicz, Arin K. Oestreich, Kelle H. Moley,  Farshid Guilak, Erica L. Scheller

Nuclear Hormone Receptor NHR-49/HNF4α Couples Fertility Regulation to Resource Allocation and Longevity in C. elegans
Sharada Gopal, Amaresh Chaturbedi, Tej Ramachandrula, John OuYang, Rebecca Rodell, Siu Sylvia Lee

Glycogen metabolism in mouse embryonic Sertoli cells sustains the germ line through the lactate shuttle
Martín A. Estermann, Joseph Sheheen, Sara A. Grimm, Boris Tezak, Yu-Ying Chen, Tsuyoshi Morita, Humphrey H.C. Yao, Blanche Capel

SPEECHLESS duplication in grasses expands potential for environmental regulation of stomatal development
Joel M. Erberich, Britney Bennett, Dominique C. Bergmann

Neural crest cell biology shapes lizard skull evolution across evolutionary time scales
Quentin Horta-Lacueva, Tobias Uller, Morris Flecks, Mariam Gabelaia, Christy Anna Hipsley, Martin Kirchner, Johannes Müller, Nathalie Feiner

Cell Biology

Autism-associated oxysterol regulates GABAergic neurogenesis and subtype fates
Maria Cruz-Santos, Ethan Kidd, Zongze Li, Daniel Cabezas De La Fuent, Sara Davies, Ngoc-Nga Vinh, Marija Fjodorova,  Meng Li

Tumour-driven lipid accumulation in oenocytes reflects systemic lipid alterations
Chang Liu, Sofya Golenkina,  Louise Y Cheng

Physical and functional interaction of Lrrc56 and Odad3 controls deployment of axonemal dyneins in vertebrate multiciliated cells
Nayeli G. Reyes-Nava,  Chanjae Lee,  Ophelia Papoulas,  Juyeon Hong,  Edward M. Marcotte,  John B. Wallingford

A non-canonical role for Jagged1 in endothelial mechanotransduction
Freddy Suarez Rodriguez,  Noora Virtanen,  Elmeri Kiviluoto,  Rob C. H. Driessen,  Feihu Zhao,  Carlijn V. C. Bouten,  Oscar M. J. A. Stassen,  Cecilia M. Sahlgren

Single-cell dissection of cervix and placenta reveal both novel and overlapping cell types
Margot van Riel, Lore Lannoo, Anne Pexsters, Olga Tsuiko, Ilse Parijs, Irene Claes, Thierry Voet, Dirk Timmerman,  Joris R. Vermeesch

Renin Cells Drive Kidney Neurovascular Development and Arterial Remodeling when Renin Activity is Deficient
Manako Yamaguchi,  Hiroki Yamaguchi,  Jason P. Smith,  Lucas Ferreira de Almeida,  Daisuke Matsuoka, Alexandre G. Martini,  Sara M Wilmsen, Sijie Hao,  Kazuki Tainaka,  Silvia Medrano,  Maria Luisa S. Sequeira Lopez,  R. Ariel Gomez

Deletion of the scavenger receptor Scarb1 in osteoblast progenitors and myeloid cells does not affect bone mass
Michela Palmieri, Teenamol E Joseph, Horacio Gomez-Acevedo,  Ha-Neui Kim, Stavros C Manolagas, Charles A O’Brien,  Elena Ambrogini

A Novel Mouse Model Reveals a Role for Mitochondria in Early Lineage Specification and Gastrulation
Mona Ahmed, Niyati Gadepalli, Gayathri PS,  Anjana Badrinarayanan,  Raj K Ladher

Somatic cells compartmentalise their metabolism to sustain germ cell survival
Diego Sainz de la Maza, Holly Jefferson, Celine I. Brucker, Sonia Paoli, Marc Amoyel

Electron transport chain complex I and mitochondrial fusion regulate ROS for differentiation in Drosophila neural stem cells
Rahul Kumar Verma, Atharva Bhingare, Dnyanesh Dubal, Richa Rikhy

Two Spag6 genes control sperm formation and male fertility in mice
Yunhao Liu, Wei Li, Tao Li, Cheng Zheng, Changmin Niu, Alain Schmitt, Yi Tian Yap, Mohammad Abdulghani, Shuiqiao Yuan, Christian Melander, Jerome F Strauss III, Aminata Toure, Ling Zhang, Zhibing Zhang

Chromosome Ageing Occurs at the Primordial Follicle Stage in both Mouse and Human Oocytes
Matilda Bui, Apiwat Moolnangdeaw, Hannes Becher, Shelagh Boyle, Vlastimil Srsen, Yvonne L. Odey, Richard A. Anderson, Evelyn E. Telfer, Ian R. Adams

Dicer is essential for proper maturation, composition, and function in the postnatal retina
Seoyoung Kang, Daniel Larbi, Eik Bruns, Konstantin Hahne, Alireza Khodadadi-Jamayran, Chaitra Sreenivasaiah, Mariana Lima Carneiro, Monica Andrade, Khulan Batsuuri, Shaoheng Chen, Julia Jager, Suresh Viswanathan, Brian S. Clark, Stefanie G. Wohl

The Drosophila ovarian terminal filament imports molecules needed to produce lipid droplets, the fusome, and functional germ cells
Bhawana Maurya, Allan C Spradling

Partial coupling of the proliferation and differentiation programs during C. elegans intestine development
Joris Dieng, Harpreet Singh, Grégoire Michaux, Anne Pacquelet

Early female germline development in Xenopus laevis: stem cells, nurse cells and germline cysts
Asya Davidian, Allan C Spradling

Cytoplasmic localization of the mRNA encoding actin regulator, Serendipity-α, promotes adherens junction assembly and nuclear repositioning
Tejas Mahadevan, Lauren Renee Figard, Hasan Seede, Poonam Sehgal, Yuncong Geng, Kevin McDonald, Ido Golding, Anna Marie Sokac

The chicken retrovirus-like gene ENS-1/ERNI and its LTR Soprano are involved in primordial germ cell development
Yuya Okuzaki, Akane Kawaguchi, Yumi Ozaki, Takeo Uemura, Daisuke Saito, Ken-ichi Nishijima

The rupture and independent extension of sister membranes in C. elegans embryos
Jingjing Liang, Tingrui Huang, Xun Huang, Mei Ding

The Rho effector ARHGAP18 coordinates a Hippo pathway feedback loop through YAP and Merlin to regulate the cytoskeleton and epithelial cell polarity
Emma C. Murray, Gillian M. Hodge, Khanh Pham, Leighton S. Lee, Cameron A.R. Mitchell, Yongho Bae, Andrew T. Lombardo

Opposing roles for lipocalins and a CD36 family scavenger receptor in apical extracellular matrix-dependent protection of narrow tube integrity
Alexandra C. Belfi, Sage G. Aviles, Rachel Forman-Rubinsky, Hasreet K. Gill, Jennifer D. Cohen, Aleksandra Nawrocka, Axelle Bourez, Pierre van Antwerpen, Patrick Laurent, Meera V. Sundaram

Chromosomes remain individualized through interphase in embryos of the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris
Lillian D. Papell, Adriana N. Coke, Bailey N. de Jesus, Clayton J. Harry, Pu Zhang, Bob Goldstein

Hbs and Rst adhesion molecules provide a regional code that regulates cell elimination during epithelial remodelling
Miguel Ferreira-Pinto, Mario Aguilar-Aragon, Christa Rhiner, Eduardo Moreno

SRSF12 is a primate-specific splicing factor that induces a tissue-specific gene expression program
Jimmy Ly, Sarah L. Cady, Ekaterina Khalizeva, Sofia Haug, Iain M. Cheeseman

Homer condensates orchestrate YAP-Wnt signaling crosstalk downstream of the Crumbs polarity complex
Siti Maryam J M Yatim, Linda Jiabao Woo, Yuhong Chen, Barbara Hübner, Alexander Ludwig

Modelling

A mathematical framework for human neutrophil state transitions inferred from single-cell RNA sequence data
Gustaf Wigerblad, Jonathan Carruthers, Sumanta Ray, Thomas Finnie, Grant Lythe, Carmen Molina-París, Saumyadipta Pyne, Mariana J. Kaplan

Molecular noise modulates transitions in the cell-fate differentiation landscape
Y. Liu, A. Zanca, M.P.H. Stumpf, L. Ham

Directed cell migration is a versatile mechanism for rapid developmental pattern formation
Chengyou Yu, Malte Mederacke, Roman Vetter, Dagmar Iber

Tools & Resources

Quantitative high-resolution imaging of mouse nephron formation to study Wnt signaling dynamics
Nobuko Tsuchida-Straeten, Simon Hammer,  Aliaksandr Halavatyi,  Christian Tischer, Gislene Pereira,  Matias Simons

Cell atlas of the developing human meninges reveals a dura origin of meningioma
Elin Vinsland, Sergio Marco Salas, Ivana Kapustová, Lijuan Hu, Simone Webb, Xiaofei Li, Xiaoling He, Mats Nilsson, Muzlifah Haniffa, Roger Barker, Oscar Persson, David R. Raleigh, Erik Sundström, Peter Lönnerberg,  Sten Linnarsson

Protocol combining RNA interference and regeneration assays in planarian embryos
Ennis W. Deihl, Clare L. T. Booth, Erin L. Davies

A genetic model for development, physiology and behavior of zebrafish larvae devoid of catecholamines
Susana Paredes-Zúñiga, Rebecca Peters, Kristine Østevold, Gerard Arrey, Dennis Frank, Johannes Oswald, Florian Veit, Theresa Schredelseker, Jochen Holzschuh, Wolfgang Driever

Mapping mesenchymal diversity in the developing human intestine and organoids
Kelli F. Johnson, Xiangning Dong, Yu-Hwai Tsai, Angeline Wu, Sydney G. Clark, Sha Huang, Rachel K. Zwick, Ian Glass, Katherine D. Walton, Ophir D. Klein, Jason R. Spence

Cryopreservation of Sea Urchin (Lytechinus pictus) Embryos and Development Through Metamorphosis
Victor D. Vacquier, Amro Hamdoun

SlimVar for rapid in vivo single-molecule tracking of chromatin regulators in plants
Alex L. Payne-Dwyer, Geng-Jen Jang, Caroline Dean, Mark C. Leake

Research practice & education

A retrospective analysis of 400 publications reveals patterns of irreproducibility across an entire life sciences research field
Joseph Lemaitre, Désirée Popelka,  Blandine Ribotta,  Hannah Westlake,  Sveta Chakrabarti, Li Xiaoxue,  Mark A. Hanson,  Haobo Jiang,  Francesca Di Cara,  Estee Kurant,  Fabrice David,  Bruno Lemaitre

Gender imbalances of retraction prevalence among highly cited authors and among all authors
Stefania Boccia,  Antonio Cristiano,  Angelo Maria Pezzullo,  Jeroen Baas,  Guillaume Roberge,  John P.A. Ioannidis

Most science is published from countries lacking in democracy and freedom of press
John P.A. Ioannidis, Jeroen Baas

Addressing cultural and knowledge barriers to enable preclinical sex inclusive research
Brianna N. Gaskill,  Benjamin Phillips, Jonathan Ho, Holly Rafferty, Oladele Olajide Onada, Andrew Rooney,  Amrita Ahluwalia,  Natasha A. Karp

U.S. Visa Bureaucracy and Its Burdens Among Early Career Scholars
Michel Nofal, Raquel Ferrer-Espada, Payel Ganguly, Mayank Chugh

The Intergenerational Classroom: A Case Study Integrating Undergraduate and Lifelong Learning Curricula for Biology Education
Julie Earles, Bethany Stanhope, Kristen Robbins, Alex C. Keene

Absolute and Relative Declines in National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Basic Science Publications
Michael S Lauer

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The Company of Biologists is recruiting a new Community Manager for the Node – a community site hosted by Development for developmental and stem cell biologists.

Why are we hiring?

Since the Node was launched 15 years ago, we’ve had five fantastic Community Managers who support the day-to-day running and long-term development of the site. We’ve found that a full-time Community Manager is really instrumental to keeping the site running smoothly, securing a regular stream of content and developing new features. Last month, we said goodbye to Joyce, our most recent Community Manager, as she took on a new challenge in her career, so now, we are recruiting a new Community Manager to lead the site.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for a passionate science communicator with research experience in developmental or stem cell biology, interested in working in a not-for-profit publishing environment, and eager to bring new ideas to the Node. Experience in science communication, using social media to disseminate research and using the WordPress platform makes for a competitive candidate. Knowledge of technical web development is not a requirement since external IT partners support the Node, but some basic coding skills are a plus.

What does the role involve?

From supporting Node users (mostly research-active scientists), to writing posts and commissioning content, there’s variation and opportunity to try new things as a Community Manager. For more details on the tasks that come with the role, including working with the other Community Managers at the Company to help develop early-career researchers, read this recent breakdown from Joyce. The successful candidate will work within the Development journal team, where they will also contribute non-peer-reviewed content to the journal and manage the social media accounts for both the Node and Development.

Where is the job based?

This is a permanent, full-time position. The role requires being able to work from The Company of Biologists’ offices in Cambridge, UK, at least 50% of the working week. The role also requires national and international travel to attend meetings and conferences.

Interested?

Please see the full job description and apply before Friday 5 September 2025. If you have any questions about the role or the recruitment process, feel welcome to contact me informally at alex.eve@biologists.com.

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Press release from Development on the Research Report Ciliary biology intersects autism and congenital heart disease

Summary: It is difficult to predict whether newborns will develop autism, but autism can occur alongside congenital heart disease, which is identifiable at birth. Scientists from University of California, San Francisco, USA, are working to understand the shared biology of autism and congenital heart disease to predict the risk that a child has autism earlier. Their latest study, published in Development, shows that hair-like cell structures (cilia) found on all cells link autism and congenital heart disease.

Press release: Autism spectrum disorders are complex neurodevelopmental conditions affecting about 1 in 100 children worldwide. Early diagnosis would allow timely intervention to improve the development and quality of life for children with autism. Scientists have identified over 200 genes associated with autism, but predicting the risk of developing autism based on genetic information is not straightforward. Autism can co-occur with congenital heart disease, which affects the structure, growth and function of the heart. Because congenital heart disease can be readily identified in newborns, a congenital heart disease diagnosis could help identify children at higher risk of developing autism earlier. Scientists have been trying to understand why the two conditions, which affect the development of the brain and the heart respectively, occur together. A team of scientists, led by Dr Helen Willsey from University of California, San Francisco, USA, discovered that tiny hair-like structures called cilia, found on the surface of almost every cell, underlie the shared biology of autism and congenital heart disease, taking us a step closer to early prediction of children at risk of developing autism. This study is published in the journal Development on 24 June 2025.

‘Understanding how autism and congenital heart disease intersect biologically has been technically challenging just due to the sheer number of risk genes involved in both disorders,’ said Willsey. Previous evidence had shown that mutations in 361 genes increased the risk of individuals developing either autism, congenital heart disease, or both. The scientists wondered whether genes linked to congenital heart disease that directly affect nerve cells may be genes that also increase the risk of autism. ‘Here, we looked at how these risk genes function in the development of both the brain and heart and contribute to disease,’ said Willsey.

Nia Teerikorpi, who performed most of the experiments in this study, grew immature human nerve cells that had been mutated to lack one of the 361 key genes in the lab and monitored how well the cells grew. She found 45 genes that affected the growth of the nerve cells. Looking more closely, Teerikorpi and the team found that all 45 genes function in tiny hair-like protrusions (cilia) extending from our cells that are involved in movement, sensation and communication between cells. Willsey explained why one gene in this group – taok1 – caught their attention: ‘Patients with mutations in the taok1 gene appear to have a higher risk of developing autism, and we previously identified taok1 as a predicted congenital heart disease risk gene, but we had not yet tested whether it functions in heart development. So, seeing this gene come up again in this work looking at the shared biology of the two conditions motivated us to study it more closely.’

To study the role of taok1 in the heart and brain, the team altered the gene in frog embryos and then monitored their growth and development. They found that cilia could not form properly on cell surfaces, and they observed defects developing in the heart and brain. This suggests that the other 44 genes identified could also be relevant for the development of the brain and heart, contributing to autism and congenital heart disease.

Building on this work, the team is now actively pursuing the extent to which genes involved in cilia overlap with genes associated with autism and congenital heart disease, ‘what we discovered is the tip of the iceberg for the intersection of autism and congenital heart disease,’ said Willsey, ‘Our findings offer the opportunity to prioritize people with genes associated with both conditions for early monitoring and intervention.’

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Join stem cell, gene, and regenerative medicine researchers, manufacturers, and patient representatives in Boston, USA on 11-12 December 2025 for a program focused on developing the next generation of technologies and platforms for the application of therapies to improve human health. 

“[This] symposium arrives at a truly exciting time for regenerative medicine. I am thrilled by the incredible potential of PSC-derived cell therapies to tackle intractable diseases, a future powered by the innovative science and the incredibly diverse, international and collaborative community of researchers dedicated to bringing these transformative treatments to patients.” – Stefan Irion, MD, BlueRock Therapeutics  (Organizing Committee Member) 

With global speakers across a wide variety of disciplines and expertise, this program is sure to spark conversations and collaborations surrounding ESC & iPSC-derived cell therapies. 

Submit an abstract by 10 September 2025 for the chance to present alongside pioneers in the field, including our keynote presenter, George Church! 

Visit our webpage to learn more!  

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Do not miss this call for mentees from the Drosophila community.

The Fly Board is excited to announce the second cycle of FlyCROSS (2025–2026). The goal of FlyCROSS is to empower early career Drosophila researchers by connecting them with mentors who can help them fly in their careers – whether in academia or beyond. If you’re part of the Drosophila community and seeking guidance on professional development, career transitions, or navigating personal, academic, or non-academic challenges — this is a truly unique opportunity you won’t want to miss.

We are currently seeking mentees.
Early-career scientists including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers working in fly labs or equivalent settings, pre-tenure faculty/equivalent leading Drosophila research groups, non-tenure-track or teaching faculty are eligible to participate as mentees. Mentee survey is now open through September 1.

The mentee survey will gather important details about your career goals, professional challenges and the type of mentorship being sought. With a large pool of mentors from around the world offering unique mentoring experiences already on board — you’ll have the opportunity to review their responses and indicate your preferred matches based on your goals and interests. FlyCROSS prioritizes mentee needs in the matching process while supporting mentees from a wide range of backgrounds and research environments. After receiving mentee submissions, the FlyCROSS committee will carefully review the preferences and finalize pairings, ensuring an optimal match between mentors and mentees. Matches will be announced by October.

In the previous FlyCROSS cycle, 37 mentees were matched to mentors of their choice. This is a unique opportunity to receive personalized guidance, expand your network, and gain valuable career insights from leaders across the global fly community.

We encourage all eligible mentees to apply by September 1, 2025, and take part in this enriching mentoring experience! Incase of any queries reach out to dmelcross@gmail.com. FlyCROSS was adapted from a similar mentoring program running in the worm community, and we sincerely appreciate their support of our endeavor.

Thankyou
Shefali
FlyCROSS Co-chair
Grad student rep, Fly Board
PhD candidate, Tennessen Lab
IU Bloomington
Bluesky : ‪@iamshef.bsky.social‬
X : @iam_shef

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At the end of each month, I pick the same month from a random year from the past 15 years of the Node, and take a look at what people were talking about back then.

Previously, I’ve been busy travelling back to February 2011, March 2013, April 2014, May 2016 and June 2013 to have a look around the Node. It’s now July, and I enjoyed my time travelling back to June of 2013 so much that I decided to stay behind until the end of July…

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Join us to hear three early-career researchers speaking on the topic of stem cells and organoids, chaired by Yuchuan Miao. One of Development’s first PI fellows, Yuchuan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Yuchuan’s lab uses stem cells to study human vertebral column development.

Wednesday 13 August – 16:00 BST

At the speakers’ discretion, the webinar will be recorded to view on demand. To see the other webinars scheduled in our series, and to catch up on previous talks, please visit: thenode.biologists.com/devpres

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The Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (InSDB) is hosting our 2025 meeting from December 14–17 at IISER Berhampur. This year will be a joint meeting with the International Society for Differentiation (ISD). The meeting promises to be a fantastic gathering of researchers from around the world, with a brilliant lineup of speakers. 

Apart from talks, the meeting will also have dedicated panel discussions, workshops, and networking events for early-career researchers. There will also be highly interactive poster sessions every day.

This time, thanks to the generous support from ISD, the registration fee will be fully reimbursed for student and postdoc members of InSDB. All registrants will also get a free one-year membership to ISD. We strongly encourage international students to join, as this will be a great chance to interact with peers from India.

Registrations are open now, but don’t wait too long; the deadline is August 31, 2025. We urge everyone to register, and we look forward to welcoming you to India. 

Registration link: https://insdb.in/events/insdb-isd-joint-meeting-2025/

Venue and transport details: https://insdb.in/venue-and-transport/

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The Node is 15 years old this year! We thought it’d be fun to get in touch with prolific authors of the Node over the past 15 years, revisit the posts they wrote for us and see what they’re up to now.

What were you doing when you first started writing for the Node?

Postdoc, looking for a change in research direction after having worked on RNA Localization for 10 years.  

What motivated you to write for the Node?

I wanted to try out writing about data visualization in biology. The Node offered an instant audience without having to first start and grow my own blog.

Choose a favourite/most memorable piece you’ve written for us and tell us why you’ve picked it.

Scales in science figures – I was testing out my first ideas about improving image figures, which led to several papers, the founding of the working group for image presentation in figures and our eventual community guidelines  (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-023-01987-9). And, the best, I got some insightful comments and mails from readers!

Where are you now? What are you currently working on?

I am associate professor for data visualization in life sciences in Switzerland, and I research data visualization workflows for exploring complex datasets, explorative data visualization for figures, and most dear to me, data visualizations as aide in cancer patient communication.

Do you have any writing advice?

Only the boring one: just do it. And, do it every day.

What have you been reading/listening to lately? Any book or podcast recommendations?

Books and Podcasts for me are a break from my science, so no biology or biology adjacent recommendations. I very much enjoyed Roland Allen’s The Notebook: a History of Thinking on Paper – about writing! For podcast I love listening to stories from history, a German history podcast.es are also relevant for the scientific process and therefore I enjoyed the book a lot.

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We pick up where we left off with Anna-Lena Vigil, now a PhD candidate in the Crocker Group at EMBL, as her journey unfolds to moments beyond the bench that shaped her path. In part one, we traced how questions of metabolism, cell fate, and adaptation shaped her scientific path — from studying cancer cells in a dish to exploring how metabolic shifts guide development in flies. But Anna’s story is also one of personal growth, bold moves, and a deep curiosity which make her among the few who took the leap from US to pursue grad school in Europe.

Anna’s scientific appetite spans fields and organisms — from plants to hibernating mammals to cancer cells — always chasing the big questions. As a technician in Lucas Sullivan’s lab, she honed both her skills and her curiosity, studying how metabolism rewires under stress. That experience sparked her shift to Drosophila, where she now explores how metabolism shapes development and adaptation. Whether in cell lines or whole organisms, Anna bridges disciplines, using metabolism as a language to make sense of biology’s complexity. Check out all her work here.

In this next part of our conversation, she reflects on what kept her in the field, how she navigated her transition into graduate school, and what advice she has for others at the crossroads of research and curiosity. In both parts of her interview she credits the infectious scientific culture in the Sullivan Lab, the value of mentorship, the thrill of scientific independence, and how metabolism remains both a personal fascination and a powerful lens for asking big biological questions. Along the way, she shares lessons in resilience, advice for young scientists, and the joy of embracing life (and science) with curiosity and a sense of adventure.

Do not forget to check out the part 1 of her interview here. Follow along and continue reading as Anna shares her experience about moving countries for grad school alongside the ideas that continue to drive her forward.

What kept you interested in continuing to pursue the field of metabolism?

To me, the biochemical processes that make a cell, a cell and an organism, an organism, is the most fascinating lens to view biology. The best thing about metabolic research is that it is the foundation to almost anything that biology focuses on: any question you ask or area you pursue, there is a metabolic system/process that is intertwined with it. These biological systems are deeply connected, and metabolism provides a more complex layer into how systems operate. I think what propelled me to stay in this field was not only the amazing work that has been done thus far, but all the work there is still yet to do and all the questions that still need to be pursued.

Tell us about what experiences/results/training from your time in the Sullivan Lab at Fred Hutch motivated you to continue pushing forward in grad school ?

As a research technician, I think the main motivation that drove me to pursue grad school was the unexplored opportunities for growth that come associated with scientific research. There is always room for improvement in science, so for me, pushing through to receive further training was something I wanted to experience, and I felt like I wanted to keep pushing myself further to reach my higher academic potential. As a technician, I learned a lot of independence with techniques and experiments, but I always felt as though I could go further intellectually and push myself to ask the important questions and decide on the right next steps. I find myself growing as a scientist everyday, and this is the exact reason I wanted to continue onto grad school.

Could you briefly share your experience transitioning from Fred Hutch in the U.S. to EMBL in Heidelberg? How did you apply, and what was the process of getting into graduate school?

Apart from wanting to try out life in Europe for a while, I was really interested in diversifying my research experiences and learning how research questions were approached in different institutes and countries. I knew that I absolutely want to be a biologist/scientist, so the goal of obtaining a PhD was something that I found necessary for my future plans of pursuing a scientific career. Also, learning of the metamorphosis that occurs as young scientists go through graduate school was something that I wanted to experience for my own personal development; even with all the ups and downs that come associated with it.

As the requirements for entering a PhD program were a bit different in the U.S. versus in Europe, I wanted to find a place where I could go directly into a PhD program without needing a Master’s degree (in the U.S. you can enter directly into a graduate program from your Bachelor’s studies, provided you have sufficient research knowledge and experience to help make the transition easier; in Europe, a Master’s degree is usually required). I felt my time as a technician helped reinforce my research independence, so I felt like obtaining a Master’s degree was an unnecessary step for me. So when I found the PhD program at EMBL I immediately became interested in pursuing an application. Not only was EMBL a leader in scientific research in Europe, it also had really cool research groups (like Justin’s group!) which made me very interested in pursuing a PhD in Heidelberg, Germany.

What were the cultural changes, how did you adapt? what were the biggest challenges/setbacks – how did you overcome them?

I have always been used to German culture growing up, as my mom is German by birth. That being said, there were definitely cultural changes I had to adjust to. I grew up and studied in Las Vegas before moving to Seattle, so needless to say most Europeans are far different than anyone from Vegas. One challenge was navigating how serious people can be, especially in some research settings. However, I am a true believer in the notion that we should not take life, and definitely not science, so seriously and instead focus on the joy that it brings and the gratitude we should all feel in being scientists. I have done many jobs in my life, and this one by far is the most fun and rewarding (and of course challenging). So I try to bring this mindset to every interaction I have here, either in science or in society, and it usually leads to a smile, even from very serious people. And for me, that smile makes cultural barriers break down and reveal the shared humanity we all have, as happiness and joy is universal.

What were the positive changes/surprises?

Generally, I found the move to Germany from the U.S. to be very refreshing. The way of life in Europe is a little more relaxed, so it has been a pleasant experience so far. Scientifically, I think it was also helpful to have a variety of different research experiences before coming here to help me navigate the landscape of such a different scientific environment, and different ways of thinking and approaching scientific questions. That being said, I work with amazing people and they have been integral to adjusting to a new place, scientifically and culturally. Having good people around can make all the difference. Although it has been a tough challenge to be far away from family and friends back in the States, I found the move to be generally more positive and rewarding than anything.

What advice would you offer to undergrads/postbacs interested in exploring the intersections of nutrition/metabolism and cell fate decisions?

My advice would be to start in a lab that specializes in metabolism to learn more mechanistic details of metabolic systems and pathways, and then move into more broader-themed labs. I think the trajectory of starting small (molecular) and zooming out (to disease, development, or evolution) gives you a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of cell fate decisions and evolutionary trajectories. Also, apply to as many summer internships as you can while in undergrad; they provide really amazing research experiences and will give you a head-start when it is time to continue on to graduate school. Lastly, another piece of advice is to never ever give up! You are capable of many great things and you owe it to yourself to find out what you can accomplish in this world. Follow your curiosities and enjoy the journey, wherever it takes you!

Were there any pivotal moments that shaped your career path?

The most life-changing event that happened for me academically was a summer internship that I participated in hosted by the University of Washington doing single-cell genomics in Arabidopsis. It not only gave me hands-on experience working in a state-of-the-art lab, but also opened many doors for me professionally. I think I would not be where I am today if I didn’t get a chance to have that summer research experience and I am so grateful to have had that opportunity.

What role does curiosity play in your life, both within and outside of science? What motivates you to be a basic science researcher?

Curiosity is the fuel that keeps all scientists going! Curiosity is crucial to make it through difficult periods that are inherent to science, and I am grateful to have new curiosities to pursue everyday. I think basic science research is the diesel that fuels our societal understanding of the natural world around us. I find it a great honor and privilege to be able to contribute my career to help broaden our collective understanding of how nature works. Knowing that something I observe in the lab may be the first time it has ever been observed is literally the most exciting thing you could experience. To me, there is no better way to spend the day! I believe that basic science questions lay the foundation for the rest of the scientific community to build upon, and aid in advancing our collective health as a society. Without basic science research, the realm of health advances that we have achieved would eventually collapse. Understanding basic principles of how biology occurs in a general sense is the only way we can progress in the fields of health sciences as well, as many basic science and clinical questions overlap. Moreover, I am a huge plant lover and have many plants in my house. I find having plants in my home and seeing all the crazy developmental stages and cell-type changes that occur when you propagate them brings me back to why I find biology so cool!

How do you maintain a balance between your rigorous research activities and personal life? Are there hobbies or practices you find particularly rejuvenating?

I really enjoy gardening and animals. My goal in the future is to have my own (small scale) farm with a few crops and of course a nice collection of chickens for eggs, sheep for wool, goats for milk, and dogs because they are a human’s best friend. So in my spare time I like to learn about best gardening and farming practices for the future, while tending to my house plants in the meantime. Alternatively, I just enjoy being outside and find time in nature to be very rejuvenating.

If you hadn’t embarked on a career in biological research, what other profession might you have pursued, and why?

If I didn’t pursue biology as a career, I probably would have pursued a career in anthropology or sociology. I like people, communities, and the wisdom that different cultures can provide, so I was very interested in studying people and the customs they have built from generational traditions.

Previously we learnt about the role of metabolism in developmental patterning and embryogenesis. Check out – Metabolic Origins: Steering of early developmental fate featuring Kristina Stapornwongkul. Krisitina will be starting her lab at her own lab at IMBA, Vienna and will be hiring soon. Check out her lab page here !

Check out the article All the world’s a metabolic dance, and how early career scientists are leading the way !!

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