You may have seen on twitter that our Senior Editor, Seema Grewal, will shortly be leaving Development (sob, sob) to take up a new role as the Executive Editor of our sister journal, Journal of Cell Science (hurrah!). This means that there’s an opening for a new Reviews Editor on Development, and we’re excited to be recruiting a new colleague to join our team. Full details of the position can be found here, and if you’re potentially interested but want to find out more, you are welcome to get in touch with me for an informal chat. Obviously I’m biased, but this really is a great opportunity to contribute to the journal and hence to the community more broadly.
We also have another job opening at the moment, for a new Community Manager for FocalPlane, our platform for the microscopy community. FocalPlane operates along similar lines to the Node, and the Community Manager has a great opportunity to help shape the future of the site, support the community and build their science communication skills. To find out more, take a look at the full job advert, and again you’re welcome to reach out if you’d like more details.
In 2017, our Node Intern, Sarah Morson, revamped our ‘Resources’ topic area on the Node. With a bigger emphasis on advocacy and outreach, we also cover teaching resources, societies and journals, audio-visual resources and resources for researchers.
More recently, we have added a ‘Featured resource’ series to the Node. In this series, we invite the ‘resources’ to showcase the services that they offer the scientific community. So far, we have heard from the following resources, with more to come in the future!
We would welcome any nominations (including self-nominations). You can contact us at thenode@biologists.com, with nominations or links to include in our Resources topic area.
“And that is one of the sort of worrying things about climate change; as we get more unpredictable weather patterns, can we actually design resilient wheat? So switching from a focus of just increasing wheat yields at any cost to having wheat that’s really robust to fluctuating weather conditions such as drought, but also flooding and unpredictable patterns basically.”
Dr Hannah Rees, Earlham Institute
In the latest episode of the Genetics Unzipped podcast, we’re looking at the future of food. With climate change making crop harvests more unpredictable and fresh water becoming a more scarce resource, what are geneticists doing to make sure we will still have food on our plates? Dr Kat Arney chats with Dr Hannah Rees about giving wheat jet lag to create a more reliable crop, and Dr Sally Le Page talks to Dr Tarang Mehta about breeding genetically improved tilapia for fish farming.
The next Society for Developmental Biology Ethel Browne Harvey Postdoctoral Seminar will be held Friday, October 14, at 3 pm ET (9 pm CEST). This seminar featuring Hae Ryong Kwon from Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and Leslie Slota-Burtt from Duke University is generously sponsored by The Node.
Hae Ryong Kwon did his undergraduate studies in Microbiology at Chungbuk National University in South Korea. He completed a Master’s in Microbiology and Biotechnology at Chugbuk National University and a Master’s in Genome Science and Technology at the University of Tennessee. Kwon went on to earn his doctorate in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental, and Neural Biology at the University of Albany, State University of New York where he studied the function of endothelial cells in early salivary gland development in Melinda Larson’s lab. In 2016, Kwon joined Lorin E. Olson’s lab at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation where he studies the roles of platelet-derived growth factor signaling in human pathogenesis driving genetic diseases such as Kosaki overgrowth syndrome, Penttinen syndrome, and infantile myofibromatosis. Kwon was the recipient of an NIH National Research Service Award (F32) from the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute.
Leslie Slota-Burtt did her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Florida. She earned her doctorate in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program at Duke University where she studied cell type specification and evolution of the developing sea urchin nervous and digestive systems in Dave McClay’s lab. In 2019, Slota-Burtt joined Kenneth Poss’ lab at Duke University where she studies adult brain regeneration, specifically how genes and signaling pathways are activated after brain injury in the zebrafish. Slota-Burtt is the recipient of the NIH National Research Service Award (F32) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
What’s in a name? From defining ‘epigenetics’, to naming nervous system organoids and assembloids, #SciTwitter has been alive with debate over the last two weeks. We bring you some of our favourite Twitter threads on these topics.
What’s in a name, part one
The lively discussion from #EMBOepigenome on what is real and hearsay in epigenetics spilled over onto Twitter. What does epigenetics mean to you and where do you sit on Zack Chiang’s epigenetics alignment chart? As always, click on the Tweets to read the full thread!
Things are getting intense! @ericmiska is leading a roundtable about what is real and what is heresy in epigenetics. As you can imagine, a lot of nuanced thoughts in this crowd. #EMBOepigenomepic.twitter.com/EqGJPReCyE
To facilitate discussion both within the scientific community and with the general public, researchers came together to produce a framework for naming neural organoids and assembloids: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05219-6
Self-organizing systems have been one of the most exciting recent advances in stem cell research However, many names & classifications are used making it challenging to convey the science We now got together as a field to provide a nomenclature framework Out in @Nature today👇1/9 pic.twitter.com/MpBs858Wmx
Initially Hox genes were called with the species letter (mhox for mouse, Xhox for Xenopus..) until it was realized that there were more than 26 species on earth🙄 Standardisation worked pretty well in this case https://t.co/oh8SaeFWfo
During the panel discussion at our recent Development Meeting ‘From Stem Cells to Human Development’, we also discussed the importance of public perception, as well as consistency, in naming the multitude of in vitro models of human development. Go to 1hr45mins for the start of the panel discussion.
Enthusiastic about science communication and looking for a chance to broaden your writing experience alongside your research activities? The Node, our community site for developmental and stem cell biologists, is looking to appoint three correspondents who will play a key role in developing and writing content over the coming year.
As part of a small cohort, you will have the chance to engage with fellow researchers and scicomm enthusiasts as you work together to plan and generate fresh content. You will also gain insight into the publishing industry through meetings with our in-house Editors, Community Managers and Science Communications Officer, and receive regular feedback on your writing.
We will help raise your profile as a researcher and science communicator, and are also happy to support you by contributing towards conference attendance costs relating to the role, providing reference letters, or in other ways.
You will be expected to contribute around six posts over the course of the year – this could involve creating your own blog series around a theme of your choice, reporting on the latest exciting developments in developmental and stem cell biology, interviewing inspiring scientists, or writing about conferences and other events. We are also open to any other ideas you might have as we would like to shape a programme that both appeals to your interests and benefits the research community.
Please note, we are also recruiting correspondents for FocalPlane, so when applying you will have the option of choosing to apply for the Node, FocalPlane or both.
We encourage applications from all individuals regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity or disability status. We also welcome applicants from a range of geographic locations.
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about the programme at thenode@biologists.com
In June 2022 The Company of Biologists organised an unusual Workshop for creative science writing. For the first time, scientists interested in communication were gathered together to experiment fiction and non-fiction science writing. The outcome far exceeded the expectations of the participants. The recipe for success was a combination of professional fiction and non-fiction writers, a group of motivated students, and the amazing venue of Wiston House (built circa. 1576) in the English countryside.
The Workshop was organised and directed by Professors Buzz Baum, Enrico Coen, Jennifer Rohn, and Mark Miodownik, assisted by the great logistic support of The Company of Biologists and in particular Frank O’Donnell and Jane Elsom. Students from different countries and career backgrounds contributed to the unique multicultural and interdisciplinary vibes. Students were selected and some flew all the way from India, USA, Sweden – just to mention a few. Native as well as non-native speakers had the chance to ameliorate their writing skills or practice their first fiction writing in a supportive and enriching environment. I had the honour of being one of the students in the Workshop and I benefited from this experience beyond words. In actual words, as it is required for writers, I appreciated the attentive supervision from the acclaimed writers, junior writers, and science journalists present at the Workshop. They all had different writing styles and expertise, thus mentoring the students in their own personal and unique way.
During those four days, students were challenged to leave behind the rigor of the scientific method and explore creativity. We discussed literary fiction, writing style, all the way to how to get your piece published and deal with editors. The most valuable resource was receiving feedback from authors with different writing background and styles. Mentees had the chance to share writing pieces with peers and mentors, thus creating a collaborative and supportive environment.
The experiment of the Workshop was as follows: group together scientists with an interest in writing and observe the result. Students came from different disciplines – marine biology, entomology, biotech, genetics – but they all shared a passion for writing. Some of us were interested in fiction writing, others in science journalism. Some had just started drafting, others were about to submit their first manuscript. Everyone was given equal time to share their work and engage in exciting debates about literature. The result was a kaleidoscope of creativity, novelty, drama, and certainly a new perspective on science.
The Workshop was carefully planned to give students time to write, revise pieces and discuss them with supervisors. At every feedback session there was at least one mentor every two students, which meant that everyone received detailed and exhaustive comments.
Another highlight of the Workshop was the dining hall and the meals. During dining time, we had the most interesting and enlightening conversations. Writers have plenty of exciting stories to share. Students have plenty of energy and motivation to give. The bidirectional sharing of resources was simply powerful and enriching.
The glorious historic venue with its vast green certainly played a major role in finding inspiration and focus to write. Finding time and calm is not trivial on the daily life of a scientist. The Workshop created the right atmosphere to truly dive into books, words, and phrases. I would like to personally thank The Company of Biologists and all Wiston house staff for making all of this possible.
Ansley Conchola (MSTP MD/PhD candidate in Jason Spence‘s lab at the University of Michigan Medical School) ‘Stable iPSC-derived NKX2-1+ lung bud tip progenitor organoids give rise to airway and alveolar cell types’
Sham Tlili (CNRS research investigator at the Marseille Developmental Biology Institute (IBDM) in Aix-Marseille University) ‘A microfluidic platform to investigate the role of mechanical constraints on tissue reorganization’
Alexandra Wehmeyer (M.D. thesis student) and Sebastian Arnold (Acting Director, Institute of Pharmacology, University of Freiburg) ‘Chimeric 3D-gastruloids – a versatile tool for studies of mammalian peri-gastrulation development’
From the common cold to COVID-19, viruses have a massive impact on our day-to-day lives, but infections that occurred millions of years ago have shaped our evolution. This is because viral genes have been incorporated into the DNA of the infected host and then passed down the generations, often developing different functions over time. Now, in a study published in Development, Dr Fumitoshi Ishino, Professor of Molecular Biology at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan, and Dr Tomoko Kaneko-Ishino, Professor of Molecular Biology at the Tokai University, in Kanagawa, Japan, have discovered that two mouse genes, left behind by a viral infection millions of years ago, have evolved to help defend the brain against new infections.
The genes in question, known as ‘retrotransposon Gag-like’ 5 and 6 (Rtl5/Rtl6), are carried by almost all mammals, and are similar to genes found in retroviruses, such as HIV. The researchers were convinced that the genes must be doing something important, as despite coming from viruses, these inherited viral genes have been preserved in the mammalian genome for at least the last 120 million years. To work out what these genes are doing the scientists needed to know where they are active, so they looked for RTL5/6 proteins, which are only produced when genes are switched on. They discovered that Rtl5 and Rtl6 are switched on in the brain in cells called microglia, which act as the ‘first responders’ to infection. Dr Kaneko-Ishino said, “we never expected that Rtl6 and Rtl5 would function in microglia when we started this work 15 years ago, and even when we knew that Rtl6 was a microglial gene we didn’t understand its significance. Our ‘eureka moment’ came during a dissection when Dr Ishino was carefully removing a mouse brain. We realised that if instead we damaged the brain, we could activate RTL6”.
The RTL6 proteins, shown in green, guard the mouse brain capillaries (the branch-like structures in black) against ‘infection’ by clustering around the magenta-coloured bacterial mimic.
The team set up fake infections in mice brains to test how the microglia producing RTL5 or RTL6 would respond to either bacteria or viruses. They found that microglia containing RTL6 protein responded to the bacteria-like mimic, whereas the microglia with RTL5 reacted to the simulated viral infection. In addition, when the researchers removed the Rtl6 gene, they found that the mice could not eliminate the fake bacterial infections, while the mice without Rtl5 could not clear the viral mimics, meaning that together Rtl5 and Rtl6 protect the brain against two of the most common types of infection.
These results provide the first example of viral-derived genes that have been re-purposed to protect mammalian brains against infection. The idea that viruses have had such a positive impact on our lives may be surprising, but examples like Rtl5 and Rtl6 demonstrate that viral invaders can, in the long run, benefit their host. According to Dr Ishino, “virus-acquired genes are essential parts of our genome, playing various – but essential – roles in mammalian and human development. We think it is possible to extend this idea to primate- and human-specific acquired genes from retroviruses to help us understand human evolution”.
To find out more about this story check out our interview with authors Masahito Irie, Fumitoshi Ishino and Tomoko Kaneko-Ishino, for our ‘The people behind the papers’ series.
With the calendar about to click over from September to October, we are bringing you one last post highlighting some of our archive content that we hope will help make your academic year a good one! In this post, we look at getting organised, both in the lab and with your data analysis.
The topic of this post was prompted by a tweet from Teresa Rayon asking for advice on lab inventory management software, so we’ve included it below so you can see the replies that Teresa received.
#NewPI question. Can people recommend Lab-inventory management software? *Free *Web-based *Easy import/export database
@Quartzy seems a good option, any opinions for/against?
After the lab is organised and you are approaching your first experiments, you need to think about how you are going to record all your data and metadata. We have an article on The Pros and Cons of having an Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) here on the Node. The article also includes a link to five popular ELNs, updated in 2020.
We have collected below, a series of ‘how to’ guides from Joachim Goedhart, Helena Jambor, Jonas Hartmann and Steph Nowotarski covering organising, visualising and analysing data.
Once you have followed all the tips below, you are ready to present your data to the community. Helena tells us how to make a graphical abstract and how to win a poster prize (or how to make an impactful poster!)
If you have a ‘how to’ guide you would like to share, please get in touch or feel free to post it directly onto the Node. Details of how to register with the Node can be found here. You can contact us at thenode@biologists.com
Helena, Joachim and Jonas offer guides into presenting and analysing microscopy data. You can find more information on image analysis on our sister site FocalPlane, including Andrey Andreev’s recent post on presentation and analysis of calcium imaging data.
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