ComBio, the largest annual life sciences conference in Australasia, combines the annual meetings of the Australia & New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology (ANZSCDB), the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), and the ANZ Society for Plant Biology (ANZSPB). The conference attracts around 1000 researchers, not only from Australia and New Zealand but worldwide. Due to its broad scope, this meeting provides an exceptional opportunity to expand your knowledge beyond one’s own field of research and to meet and network with leading researchers from all over Australasia.

This years meeting was held at the Perth Conference and Exhibition Centre in Perth, Western Australia from the 29^th September to the 3^rd of October. The meeting covered a broad range of topics including developmental and cell biology, cell-cell signaling, gene regulation, structural biology and regenerative science.

There were several Plenary lectures from both local and invited overseas speakers on topics diverse as RNA metabolism, re-designing photosynthesis and the splicesome.  Prof. Philip Ingham (A*STAR Insititute of Molecular and Cell Biology Singapore) reflected on a quarter of a century of hedgehog signaling research, his research careers includes many pioneering studies in Drosophila and zebrafish identifying the role of hedgehog signaling components.

With multiple concurrent symposium it was often very hard to decide which talk to attend.  I’ve highlighted some of the talks I attended to give you a sense and a taste of the impressive scope of developmental biology research presented at the meeting.

2013 ANZSCDB President Professor Peter Currie (Monash University, Melbourne) discussed his group’s work studying muscle progenitor cell biology in muscle growth and regeneration using a zebrafish model.  To study this, they are using transgenic animals to follow old and new growth muscle fibres to determine the age of muscle and trace how muscle grows.

Dr Ian Smyth (also of Monash University in Melbourne) revealed some amazing 3D images showcases the their work using optical projection tomography and their own software (TreeSurveyor) to understand branching morphogenesis during development of the nephrons in the mouse kidney.  This technology allows for finer mapping of branch volumes, length and angles to not only study branching over time but also how disease states influence on branching morphogenesis and the final nephron number.

Dr Annemiek Beverdam heads a new group at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, studying the role of YAP proteins in stem cell proliferation in the mouse post-natal epidermis.  Skin cancer is a huge problem in Australia and New Zealand, with over 400,000 Australians being treated for skin cancer each year.   Her group is studying the role of the Hippo pathway in epidermis homeostasis and skin cancer.

There were several great talks on sex-biased gene expression, sex-differentiation and fertility.  Professor Jozef Gecz  (University of Adelaide) presented his group’s work investigating sex-differences and abnormal expression of genes in PCDH19-female limited epilepsy disorder.  I was honoured to present my own group’s work examining RNA pausing as a mechanism of sex-differential gene regulation during development of the mouse gonad and brain.  A/Prof Dagmar Wilhelm (Monash University) presented recently published work on sexually dimorphic expression of short and long ncRNAs and their likely roles in sex determination.  Professor Peter Koopman (Institute for Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane) showcased the latest work from his laboratory on factors influencing the sex specific differentiation of foetal germ cells.  Professor Eileen McLaughlin (University of Newcastle, NSW) presented findings on the role of RNA binding proteins Musashi-1 and -2 as key regulators of germ cell development during spermatogenesis in Drosophila and vertebrates.

As always, ComBio also incorporated the annual general meeting and awards presentation for the ANZSCDB. The highly prestigious ANZSCDB President’s Medal was awarded to Professor Alpha Yap from the Institute for Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland. Professor Yap’s laboratory studies the cellular mechanisms behind cadherin-morphogenesis and their role in epithelial organization, health and disease.  He presented new exciting cell biology studies aiming to understand how cadherins co-operate with the actin cytoskeleton and the factors that drive cell extrusion from an epithelial sheet.

The ANZSCDB Young Investigator Award was won by A/Prof Natasha Harvey  (Centre for Cancer Biology, University of Adelaide) for her work studying the development of the lymphatic system, which is not as well understood as the rest of cardiovascular system development.  She presented recent work aimed at unraveling the molecular mechanisms behind the role of an ubiquitin ligase protein, Nedd4, essential for the formation of the mouse lymphatic vascular system.

ASBMB Lemberg Lecture and Medal winner Professor Sharah Kumar (also of the Centre for Cancer Biology at the University of Adelaide) gave an overview of his work characterized a several developmentally regulated genes including Nedd genes (ubiquitin ligases) in neural and vascular development and overall animal  growth.  Mutations in these proteins produce specific developmental phenotypes, and data from his lab show that they are required for correct trafficking of cell surface proteins such as receptor proteins required for the IGF-1 signaling pathway. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of Nedd protein function, the Kumar group have extended their studies into the Xenopus oocyte system and Drosophila, making optimal use of the advantages these systems offer over mammalian models.

If you’re interested in attending Combio2014, to be held in Australia’s capital Canberra, information can be found at http://www.asbmb.org.au/combio2014/.

For more information on the activities of the ANZSCDB have a look at the Society’s Facebook page or follow the @ANZSCDB on Twitter.

Dr Megan Wilson (@DrMegsW)

Next week will see the first joint meeting of the French Society for Developmental Biology and the French Society for Genetics, taking place close to the beautiful Avignon in the South of France!

The Node will be there, so please say hello to Cat, our community manager, if you see her around! She would love to meet you and know what you think about the Node. If you don’t know what Cat looks like, don’t worry. She will be speaking briefly about the Company of Biologists and the Node at the end of the first morning session (see the programme here).

If you are not attending, we will try to give you a taste of the conference. We will be tweeting from the meeting if internet connection is available, and we will also blog about it afterwards. You can still register for the conference until Monday (the 11th of November).

Salary: £37,382 – £47,314

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 30 November 2017 in the first instance.

As part of the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP), three UK Research Councils; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council have invested £25m in research and equipment to support the development of regenerative medicine therapies for a range of applications.

The Pluripotent Stem Cell Hub has been awarded £4.5m to establish a collaboration which brings together researchers from industry and academia to develop the processes needed to take these cells from laboratory-based research to the commercial manufacture of safe, effective and reproducible products for use in regenerative medicine.  The Hub will work with the other strands of the UKRMP to tackle some of the critical challenges in developing new regenerative treatments from discoveries made in the lab (www.ukrmp.org.uk).

For exceptional candidates it may be possible to appoint up to the top of Grade 9 (£48,729-£53,233).  In addition, it may be possible to offer a supplement to the salary range stated for this role any such supplement would be awarded on the basis of a demonstrable history of exceptional achievement and is entirely at the discretion of the University

An exciting opportunity for a Project Manager who has held a senior management role in a complex environment and a proven track record in business/ bioindustry whilst empathising with academic ethos.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to manage projects effectively according to industry best practice, determining and delivering to agreed scope, quality, budget and deadlines. The Project Manager will manage a number of projects concurrently and will maintain accurate project plans, work schedules, issue and risk logs to enable projects to be delivered successfully.

The successful applicant will be commercially astute, intellectually agile with excellent communication skills.

The successful applicant will be educated to at least degree level and have a further qualification (MSC, PhD or MBA).  You will be able to demonstrate your ability to build effective relationships with funders, Engage with experts worldwide, develop summary documents and reports, organisation meetings and associated administration, and work related communication.  Hands on experience of budgeting, grant applications and other administrative tasks in a research- led environment would be highly advantageous as would experience of working as part of a senior management team with budgetary responsibility and accountability for group and individual performance.

The role-holder will be a confident and articulate communicator and will possess a highly collaborative and inspirational leadership style with a track record of managing and developing multi-disciplinary teams as well as building relationships with external partners.

Based in central Cambridge, you must be willing to travel between the partner sites.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

To apply, please visit our vacancies webpage: http://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/careers-study/vacancies/

Informal enquiries are also welcome via email to: cscrjobs@cscr.cam.ac.uk

Applications must be submitted by 17:00 on the closing date of Friday 6th December 2013.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 16th December 2013. If you have not been invited for interview by 12th December 2013, you have not been successful on this occasion.

Please quote reference PS02099 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

TWO-YEAR VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Department of Biology, Swarthmore College

The Department of Biology at Swarthmore College invites applications for a two-year visiting assistant professor position for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. Teaching responsibilities include participation in a team-taught introductory biology course as well as teaching intermediate-level courses with weekly laboratories in cell biology (2014-15) and developmental biology (2015-16).  Additionally, there may be an opportunity to teach an advanced seminar-style course (with laboratory projects) in an area that is complementary to our existing curriculum.

Applicants should have a Ph.D., teaching experience, and a strong commitment to undergraduate education. The College provides laboratory space and funds to support student research and faculty travel.  The Biology Department is dedicated to educating and supporting a rich, diverse body of students and encourages candidates who will further advance the goals of fostering an inclusive community with diverse ideas and experiences.  All application materials (curriculum vitae, statements of teaching and research interests, and three letters of recommendation) should be submitted online at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/3578 by January 13^th, 2014. For more information, please visit our website at www.swarthmore.edu/biology. Questions regarding this position should be addressed to the Biology Department chair, Amy Cheng Vollmer, at avollme1@swarthmore.edu or by calling 610-328-8044.

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college, located in the suburbs of Philadelphia,whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility.  Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence through diversity in its educational program and employment practices.  The College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world.

This interview first appeared in Development.

Benoit Bruneau is a developmental biologist based at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. His lab studies the transcription factors and chromatin remodelling complexes that regulate cardiac organogenesis and differentiation, with the aim of uncovering the basis for congenital heart defects. Benoit has recently become an editor for Development, and we asked him about his research and career and discussed how social media can help scientific progress.

When did you first become interested in developmental biology?

When I was in my third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Ottawa, I took a developmental biology course that had a research component. The university had an axolotl colony, so we did all sorts of classic experiments, such as grafting Spemann organisers. I totally fell in love with developmental biology. However, when I asked the teaching assistant what it took to become a developmental biologist he wasn’t very motivating. He said you had to spend 6 years in graduate school, then postdoc for a number of years, then find a job that doesn’t pay well and fight for grants; I shelved that idea and instead had thoughts of medical school. Then a plant genetics research project the following year got me interested in genetics, and I ended up doing a PhD in physiology, looking at heart gene expression.

Developmental biology took a back seat for several years, but during my PhD I found myself reading lots of developmental biology papers, as well as papers on transcriptional regulation. These got me thinking about how great it would be to understand how gene expression is regulated in development. When I was doing my postdoc with Jon and Christine Seidman they discovered that the gene encoding the T-box transcription factor TBX5 was the mutated gene in Holt-Oram syndrome, which includes congenital heart defects. They asked me whether I wanted to make the Tbx5 knockout mouse, model the disease and understand its function. Right there I saw the opportunity for putting together everything that I had always dreamed of doing in one project. I wasn’t in a developmental biology lab but it seemed like I was embarking on a project in that field, and I was fortunate to be surrounded by developmental biology labs, such as those run by Cliff Tabin, Norbert Perrimon and Connie Cepko. Simply by osmosis, by doing and talking constantly about developmental biology over the years, I immersed myself in it.

Why did you decide to focus your research on the heart?

My graduate work was on cardiac physiology, and I joined the Seidman lab so that I could make mouse models of cardiomyopathies. I always had an interest in the heart because of heart disease in the family. When I started out, one might have said that if I wanted to study heart disease I should have been studying heart attacks and atherosclerosis. Now, it is obvious that if we really want to fix hearts after a heart attack, we need to be able to build new heart cells, and that is what developmental biology is all about. This has actually become a reality, and I have been fortunate to participate in some of those discoveries.

What are the projects your lab is working on at the moment?

An important clinical motivation for our research is to understand the basis for congenital heart defects. I am really excited because we are finally able to do things in a way and on a scale that I had always dreamt of. We want to understand all the genomic switches and regulators that are involved in cardiac lineage determination and cardiac differentiation. We are taking a strategic approach by focusing on certain chromatin remodellers and DNA-binding transcription factors that we know are involved. We are also using new approaches to understand gene regulation during differentiation: for example, investigating the 3D interactions in the genome that shape or control these regulatory events.

We have really migrated from investigating a single gene at a time to addressing what is actually happening at the genome level: what is interacting with what, and how is that important? With the advent of new genomic and engineering technologies, such as TALENs (transcription activator-like effector nucleases) and CRISPRs (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), the sky is the limit. For example, it took me 2 years of my postdoc to make the Tbx5 mutation, but a new postdoc in my lab generated the same mutation in 3 weeks. This means we can now address the function of regulatory elements not just in a heterologous context or in an artificial assay, but in a differentiating cell and, as we work on mouse, in a differentiating organism. Ultimately, the goal is to get a genomic blueprint of cardiac differentiation.

How stem cell research fits within developmental biology is a much-discussed topic. Your work is at the crossroads between these two fields: where do you stand in this discussion?

Yesterday someone referred to me as a ‘stem cell guy’, which is funny because we have really only published one and half stem cell-related papers! I’ve had this discussion with the lab recently: do we have a lab identity, and does it matter? Are we a stem cell lab now? Are we still a heart development lab? Or are we a transcription/chromatin lab that happens to be studying that molecular process in the developing heart? Our conclusion was that we are all of those things. We don’t need to pigeon-hole ourselves, because stem cells are a part of developmental biology. We want to understand progenitor allocation, morphogenesis, and how cells behave from the point of view of gene regulation. Our research topic allows us to be stem cell scientists, developmental biologists and chromatin biologists. I have had people join my lab with a background in developmental biology who are now doing primarily stem cell-based differentiation projects or chromatin-based projects, and vice versa. We incorporate all of their different skill sets and approaches, and I have fantastic people in the lab who can keep track of all the techniques and approaches. I hope we are uncategorisable!

Did you have a mentor or someone who inspired you during your career?

There are two people who have been major influences on my career. One of them is Janet Rossant and the other is Eric Olson. They have both been enthusiastic supporters of my science, which is really important. When you are starting out you don’t know if what you are doing is actually any good or if it will be appreciated, and I got really wonderful encouragement from both of them. I sought and got fantastic career advice from Janet very early on, when I was still a postdoc, and afterwards when I moved to Toronto. She has been a very good career mentor, and a generous colleague. Eric was an influence scientifically. I have got to know him over the years and the way he does things is tremendously inspiring. After I hear Eric give a talk I have two immediate reactions. The first is that I might as well quit science, because I will never be able to achieve something as impressive. But the stronger reaction is to be really motivated to go where I didn’t think I would be able to go, and go there without any fear.

How have you found your first months as a Development editor?

It is a tremendous honour. Development has always been one of my favourite journals and to be an editor among all the current and former editors who are the giants of developmental biology is humbling and a great honour. One of my goals is to try to help the journal increase its visibility and broaden its scope. In a way, the journal has already been doing this quite successfully with the recent Stem Cells and Regeneration section. I also want to encourage those colleagues in my field who are not contributing so much anymore to come back to the journal and those that are newer to consider sending their best stuff in. The history and the prestige behind Development is apparent to most but is not appreciated by many. That is what I would like to be able to bring to my role as editor.

Is there any particular type of paper, or particular topics, that you would like to see people submitting to Development?

I would like people who work on stem cell models of differentiation to think of the journal as a good place for their papers. I would also like to see more people who are doing very high quality molecular embryology to send their best work to the journal. There’s more competition now in the journal sphere, and I think Development has one of the most important places. However, we need to continue persuading people to send what they consider their best work to the journal. We will do that by accepting the best papers and by submitting our own best papers.

You are a very active user of Twitter, but many scientists see social media as a waste of time. Why do you use Twitter, and do you think scientists should be more active on social media?

Most scientists aren’t aware of the advantages of using Twitter. People wonder why it is interesting to know what someone had for lunch, or where they are going every minute, but that is not what Twitter is about. Twitter for me has been a really important source of information. I have been able to have real-time scientific discussions from my living room with people across the four corners of the world – mini conversations that I would not necessarily have otherwise had. I also get to know about some of the science that people are doing, especially in the genomics field, which has embraced Twitter as a means of communication. Of course, there are a lot of general views and amusing things that are nice to know about, but I see it more as a global science communication tool. You are also able to interact and get people’s opinions in a really immediate way. Sometimes people are overly frank on Twitter, which can be a bad thing; but it can also be nice: you really get to know what people are thinking, as opposed to just reading their work. I’m enthusiastic about Twitter, and I tell people about it, but I try not to beat them over the head with the gospel of Twitter. It’s not for everyone.

What would people be surprised to find out about you?

Despite being Canadian I didn’t live much of my childhood in Canada. My father was a diplomat, so I have lived in a number of different countries across the world. I was born in Tel Aviv, and I was baptised in the ancient monastery of Latrun, which only very rarely (every 50 years or so) has baptisms.

Here are the highlights from the current issue of Development:

Profiling the mammalian brain

In mammals, adult neurogenesis is highly restricted to the subventricular zone and to the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Is neurogenesis in these regions a recapitulation of developmental neural production, or does it involve distinct molecular and cellular processes? And are these processes conserved across mammalian species? To help answer these questions, Ed Lein and colleagues (p. 4633) have performed a detailed expression profiling analysis of the SGZ in adult mice and in developing and adult rhesus macaques. Their datasets suggest that the SGZ niche is highly heterogeneous, with enrichment for markers of various progenitor and differentiated cell types. These results also identify a large set of genes enriched in the SGZ of both species, many of which are also well known to be involved in developmental neurogenesis, suggesting a conserved programme operating during development and in adulthood. Together, these data provide a valuable resource for the community and highlight key factors for neurogenesis in both mice and monkeys.

No auxin gradient in the gametophyte

The female gametes of flowering plants are produced within a structure known as the gametophyte, which develops inside the carpel of the flower. The female gametophyte (FG) contains several cell types, and it has been proposed that their fate is specified, according to position, by an internal auxin gradient. Ueli Grossniklaus and co-workers (p. 4544) set out to model this proposed auxin gradient in silico, to understand better how it might regulate fate determination. Using physiologically plausible parameters, they found that only very shallow auxin gradients could be maintained, which were unlikely to allow robust patterning of the FG, suggesting that cell fate may not be defined by an auxin gradient. Indeed, more detailed examination of auxin patterns suggested that no such gradient exists in either Arabidopsis or maize. Instead, dynamic auxin signals could be observed in surrounding sporophytic tissues, and the authors propose that auxin may act indirectly in the sporophyte rather than directly in the FG to control FG cell fate.

Guiding mDA neurons

Although much is known about the specification and differentiation of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons, the mechanisms regulating their migration within the ventral midbrain (VM) are poorly understood. Migration of several other neuronal types is under the control of CXCL12/CXCR4 signalling, which has been shown to impact on migration, neuritogenesis and axonal pathfinding. Now, Ernest Arenas and colleagues (p. 4554) set out to investigate whether this chemokine pathway might also regulate mDA neuron migration. They find that Cxcl12 is expressed in the meninges surrounding the VM, whereas the Cxcr4 receptor is expressed in the mDA neurons and their precursors. Using both in vitro culture and in vivo approaches, the authors show that mDA neurons migrate towards the meningeal source of CXCL12, in a Cxcr4-dependent manner; importantly, in Cxcr4 mutant embryos, mDA neurons are misplaced. Moreover, neuritogenesis of these neurons is impaired when CXCL12/CXCR4 signalling is perturbed. Together, these results reveal a key role for this chemokine pathway in the regulation of mDA neuron migration.

Stem cells need escorts

Stem cell renewal in vivo often requires a specialised microenvironment, the stem cell niche. Niche cells provide self-renewal signals as well as structural and spatial cues to regulate stem cell maintenance and differentiation. Here, Pankaj Sahai-Hernandez and Todd Nystul (p. 4490) investigate the follicle stem cell (FSC) niche of the Drosophila ovary, providing evidence that the escort cells of the germarium – which surround germline cysts and support their development – are also key for FSC maintenance. Hedgehog (Hh) and Wingless (Wg) pathways are known to promote FSC self-renewal, and the distant terminal filament and cap cells were proposed to be the sources for these signals. However, the authors here show that escort cells are the essential source of Wg for FSC function, whereas Hh is produced from multiple somatic cell types – including escort cells – and acts on both FSCs and their progeny. Moreover, escort cells contact FSCs and likely provide a dynamic niche for their maintenance, revealing a new component of the niche and a new function for escort cells.

A new twist on Hox in the limb

Hox genes provide positional information along both the body’s anterior-posterior and the limb’s proximal-distal axes. Analysis of Hox gene function in the limb has primarily focussed on their roles in skeletal patterning. Now, Deneen Wellik and co-workers (p. 4574) find that Hox11 genes are most strongly expressed in the connective tissue of the developing mouse limb, rather than the skeletal elements. Moreover, Hoxa11/Hoxd11 mutants show severe defects in tendon and muscle patterning in addition to their well-characterised role in patterning the skeleton. All defects are confined to the zeugopod region where Hox11 is known to function. These phenotypes do not appear to be a consequence of skeletal malformation, as compound mutants with a single functional Hox11 allele show no defects in the skeleton, but display significant disruption of tendons and muscles. These results define a previously unappreciated function for Hox genes in the limb, and suggest that they may act regionally to coordinate development of the various tissues of the musculoskeletal system.

Egg arrest: a tale of two phosphatases

Before fertilization, animal eggs are maintained in cell cycle arrest, to prevent parthenogenetic activation. In vertebrates, this is achieved by MAPK- and Emi2-mediated inhibition of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). Sperm induce egg activation by calcium-dependent activation of CaMKII, which triggers the destruction of Emi2, activating APC/C. However, invertebrates do not possess an Emi2 homologue, raising the question of how egg activation is achieved in these species. On p. 4583, Alex McDougall and colleagues address this problem in ascidians, the closest relatives to the vertebrates. They find no role for CaMKII, but show that the phosphatase calcineurin (CN) is required, acting to promote APC/C activity. Moreover, basal activity of the phosphatase PP2A is also essential for full APC/C function and egg activation. As CN is involved in egg activation in Drosophila, and plays an auxiliary role in Xenopus, the authors suggest that this may represent the ancestral mechanism of egg activation, which has been lost in mammals and replaced by a CaMKII-dependent pathway.

PLUS…

The cell biology of mammalian fertilization

Despite numerous studies, the molecular mechanisms underpinning the fertilization event in mammals remain largely unknown. However, as summarized here by Masuru Okabe, recent work using both gene-manipulated animals and in vitro studies has begun to elucidate essential sperm and egg molecules and to establish predictive models of successful fertilization. See the Primer on p. 4471

Left-right asymmetry: lessons from Cancún

The satellite symposium on ‘Making and breaking the left-right axis: implications of laterality in development and disease’ was held in June 2013 in conjunction with the 17th ISDB meeting in Cancún, Mexico. As summarized by Rebecca Burdine and Tamara Caspary, leaders in the field gathered at the symposium to discuss recent advances in understanding how left-right asymmetry is generated and utilized across the animal kingdom. See the Meeting Review on p. 4465

An interview with Benoit Bruneau

Benoit Bruneau is a developmental biologist based at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. His lab studies the transcription factors and chromatin remodelling complexes that regulate cardiac organogenesis and differentiation, with the aim of uncovering the basis for congenital heart defects. Benoit has recently become an editor for Development, and we asked him about his research and career and discussed how social media can help scientific progress. See the Spotlight article on p. 4463

Greetings, Node readers! We at The University of Chicago have just resumed our yearly Development, Regeneration and Stem Cell Biology Journal Club. I would like to take this opportunity to thank this year’s student organizer, Steve Briscoe. Steve is a 3rd year student in the DRSB program and a member of Dr. Cliff Ragsdale’s laboratory. He is already doing an excellent job arranging speakers and making sure refreshments are provided (keeping both students and faculty happy). Thanks, Steve! This month’s post comes from our very first meeting, in which we discussed Xiong et al.’s recent paper Specified Neural Progenitors Sort to Form Sharp Domains after Noisy SHH Signaling (Cell. Vol. 153, Issue 3, 25 April 2013, Pages 550-561). 

Morphogens hold a special place in the heart of developmental biologists. Hated by some, frustrating many, attracting countless others, morphogens have captivated scholars for many years. The beauty of the morphogen lies in its ability to create complex patterns, which often have both structural and functional significance. These patterns frequently appear as sharp delineations of cell types in a developing tissue.

The classic model of how such specific patterns can form is described in Lewis Wolpert’s “French flag” model (1969). Imagine a gradient of a diffusible morphogen across a field of unspecified cells, drawn as large blank rectangles (fig. 1). As the morphogen diffuses from source to sink, the concentration of the signal drops, creating a gradient from high to low concentration. Within this gradient, there are threshold concentrations to which cells can respond. The fate of each cell is determined by its position in the signaling field; that is, which threshold concentration the cell encounters. A cell receiving a high concentration of the morphogen will respond differently from a cell receiving a low concentration of the morphogen, creating a spatial pattern, such as the three broad stripes of the French flag (fig. 1).

However, to create the sharp boundaries of cell types seen in embryos, this model relies on precise signal responses at stable cell locations. But, as we all know, development is a messy business. Cells in developing tissues are not typically sitting still; rather, they undergo complex movement, migration, division, and death. How can a clear pattern come from this chaos? Xiong et al. (2013) provide a possible answer as to how sharp boundaries of cell types form in a dynamic, growing tissue.

An excellent example of such a tissue can be found in the vertebral neural tube, in which sharply defined progenitor domains form along the dorsal-ventral axis. It is thought that cells in the neural tube respond to a ventral-to-dorsal gradient of Sonic Hedgehog (SHH), entering a specific state of gene expression relative to the SHH levels encountered. At this point, intracellular gene regulatory network interactions between SHH-related transcription factors establish discrete cell fates, which are no longer dependent on SHH signaling (Xiong et al. 2013 and reverences therein). Again, however, we are faced with an important question. How can cells receive such precise spatial and temporal cues when they are moving and proliferating?

Using a new imaging platform they term “in toto imaging” of zebrafish, Xiong et al. investigated the neural tube in more detail. They not only analyzed the pattern of cell specification, but also investigated the migration trajectories of the neural tube progenitors. Instead of the expected “French flag-style” separation of specified progenitor cells, the researchers discovered that cells with different fates were spatially mixed in the developing neural tube (fig. 2). Thus, there seem to be heterogeneous signaling responses to SHH in the neural tube. The authors also show that the cells are sorted out into discrete domains based on their fate (fig 2), although how this task is accomplished is yet unknown.

Overall, it seems that cell sorting acts to correct the imprecision of a gradient-system with noisy inductive signals in a dynamic tissue (fig. 3). Many have pondered the morphogen gradient, wondering how such a system could really function in the embryonic milieu. With this study, we have another way to consider the way in which precise, beautiful and functional patterns are enacted in dynamic tissues. Exciting future work in other classic morphogen-gradient systems will determine whether this is an isolated case or a widely-spread phenomenon.

This post was composed by Haley K. Stinnett, PhD Candidate in the department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago. 

 
The Node was full of activity in October. Here are some of the highlights!

New series

– ‘A day in the life’ is our new series on the model organisms used in developmental biology. Check out the current posts already available:

   A day in the life of a Xenopus lab

   A day in the life of a zebrafish lab

   A day in the life of a mouse lab

   A day in the life of a Drosophila lab

– As if one series was not enough, we also launched a series on Science Outreach, which we hope will highlight interesting projects out there, as well as few easy activities you may want to try. Check out our first case studies: Science outreach in music festivals, the EMBL programme bridging the gap between labs and schools, how to combine music, art and performance to talk about Evo Devo, and what it is like to participate in ‘I’m a scientist, get me out of here!’. Also have a look at our two first activities- speed dating with scientists and explaining protein folding.

Meeting reports

– The students who attended the 13th FASEB Plant Biology conference on ‘Mechanisms in Plant Development’ wrote about the meeting.

– Francesca reposted her article for the BSDB newsletter about the BSDB meeting on Axon Guidance and Regeneration.

– Steve and Alexandra wrote about attending the Company of Biologists workshop on the evolution of the human neocortex, while Katherine reported on the associated public talk at the Royal Society.

– and we summarised some coming meeting deadlines that you might want to put in your diary.

Research

– This month’s Stem Cell Beauty post is on a Cell Stem Cell paper where Andoniadou and colleagues identify a pool of stem cells in the adult pituitary gland.

– A recent paper by the Benitah lab (IRB Barcelona) described the daily cyclic activity of the genes in skin stem cells, and how disruption of this cyclical activity has implications for disease.

Also on the Node

– We interviewed mouse and stem cell developmental biologist and current ISSCR president Janet Rossant.

– Ewart wrote a literary interpretation of cellular reprogramming.

– and Thomas posted an opinion piece where he considered what may be wrong with the current structure of science.
 
 
Happy Reading!

The Wellcome Trust – Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute draws together outstanding researchers from 25 stem cell laboratories in Cambridge to form a world-leading centre for stem cell biology and medicine. The Institute receives core funding from the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council and is also a University Strategic Initiative. This generous support is enabling the Institute to expand and build on its reputation for excellence in this cutting-edge field.
Principal Technician

Salary: £33,230 – £44,607pa

The funds for this post are available until 30th June 2017 in the first instance.
We are now commencing an exciting period of change as we prepare for the design and build of 800m2 of new accommodation on the University’s Biomedical Campus. The role holder will be key in assisting the Administrator to both maintain and improve existing infrastructure but also, and vitally, in supporting and assisting with relocation design and planning. After the relocation, planned for 2017, the role holder will maintain and strengthen the core services as well as having input into their strategic planning.

To assist the Institute Administrator in the day-to-day running of the Institute the key aspects of the role are: Leadership, Communication and Problem Solving.

The role holder will be responsible for building maintenance and security, implementation Health and Safety procedures, and organisation and supervision of the Institute’s technical and cleaning staff.  Experience in managing building projects and refurbishments is desirable.

You should be able to demonstrate experience in recruitment, supervision and performance management and will have excellent written and oral communication skills.  You will be responsible for procurement and purchasing of high value goods and services and must have a good understanding of financial accounting processes. Practical experience of computerised accounting packages and familiarity with University Financial System is desirable but training can be provided.

Educated to degree level or equivalent in a biological science or related subject, you will have previous management experience in a senior post in a science-related area in either higher education or industry setting as well as excellent motivational and interpersonal skills. Extensive experience in a biomedical environment including a period of hands on research is essential.

The building is multi-occupancy building and you will act as the Safety Officer for the Stem Cell Institute and the Cambridge Systems Biology Centre and will liaise with the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in all matters relating to building maintenance.

To apply, please visit our vacancies webpage:

http://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/careers-study/vacancies/

Informal enquiries are also welcome via email: cscrjobs@cscr.cam.ac.uk

Applications must be submitted by 17:00 on the closing date of 28^th November 2013.

Previous applicants do not need to apply.

Interviews will be held in the afternoon of Wednesday 18^th December 2013. If you have not been invited for interview by Wednesday 11^th December 2013, you have not been successful on this occasion.

At EuroStemCell we’ve been watching The Node’s outreach series with interest. It’s really great to see public engagement featured ike this!

Meanwhile, we’ve been beavering away on all kinds of activities, which you can find out more about in our October Newsletter, just out last night. There’s lots to celebrate this month – we launched 5 new language versions of our film ‘Stem cells – the future‘ and it’s now also available to order on DVD; we held an event showcasing our writing competition winners; and, hot off the presses, our partner Elena Cattaneo has been awarded Stem Cell Person of the Year 2013 for all her wonderful work in science, public engagement and policy.

As usual, there’s also plenty of great new reading material on stem cells on our website, from Christele Gonneau’s latest image blog (also published on The Node in more specialist form) to an interview with Connie Eaves and a review of Paul Knoepfler’s new book, Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide.

Stem cells – the future, le futur, die Zukunft, il futuro, nasza przyszłość, el futuro

We’re excited to announce that our short film, Stem cells – the future: an introduction to iPS cells, is now available in French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish as well as English, with a supporting quiz for the classroom. You can order a DVD or view the film online and download the quiz, all in your language. Read more

Elena Cattaneo is Stem Cell Person of the Year!

Many congratulations to our partner, Dr Elena Cattaneo, who is the winner of the 2013 Stem Cell Person of the Year Award run by Dr Paul Knoepfler via his well-known blog. We know Elena not only as a leading scientist, but also as a very active, fantastically energetic and supportive collaborator in public engagement with stem cell research. She’s also recently become a senator. All in all, a great choice for Stem Cell Person of the Year!

Read more