Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Evolutionary rewiring of regulatory topology refines butterfly wing patterns

The paper investigates how changes in gene regulatory network topology contribute to phenotypic evolution by analyzing color pattern genes in butterflies.

POSH (Plenty of SH3): a novel genetic modifier of Myc function in Drosophila

This study identifies POSH as a genetic modifier of Myc function in Drosophila through a genetic screen and functional analysis.

A post-embryonic specific and ecologically selective network underlies metamorphic remodelling in teleosts

This study identifies a conserved post-embryonic gene network in teleost fish that is responsive to thyroid hormone and ecological variation, showing how it evolves through gene copy number changes.

Multipotent tail bud cells originated with the chordate common ancestor

The paper traces the fate of tail bud cells in amphioxus, showing they generate neural tube, notochord, and somites, supporting the hypothesis that ancestral chordates had multipotent tail bud cells.

Normal Somitogenesis Despite the Absence of Snai1 in the Presomitic Mesoderm

This study shows that Snai1 is not essential for somitogenesis, as its absence in the presomitic mesoderm does not disrupt segmentation clock activity or somite formation.

Timed binary WNT activity is sufficient to model the early human neural axis

This paper shows that timed WNT pulses can specify distinct neural domains in human pluripotent stem cells, enabling the generation of specific neuron and progenitor types.

Vascular specification from diversified mesoderm culminates in endothelial convergence

This study reconstructs mouse vasculogenesis using single-cell and spatial analyses, revealing a transient vascular-primed state and the role of VEGF in endothelial specification.

Integration of ATAC and RNA-sequencing identifies chromatin and transcriptomic signatures in classical and non-classical zebrafish osteoblasts and indicates mechanisms of entpd5a regulation

The paper integrates ATAC-seq and RNA-seq data from zebrafish osteoblasts to identify chromatin and transcriptomic signatures and mechanisms of entpd5a regulation.

Lost and found: beer belly is a novel, ancient regulator of animal development

The paper identifies a novel gene, beer belly, as a regulator of segmentation in spiders using single-cell RNA sequencing and shows its evolutionary loss in mammals and holometabolous insects.

Identification of cis-regulatory modules responding to positional cues regulating the patterned expression of the Drosophila follicle cell fate determinants mid and mirr.

The paper identifies cis-regulatory modules from the mid and mirr loci that respond to positional cues and drive patterned expression in Drosophila follicle cells.

PHC2-Dependent PRC1 Assemblies Stabilize Motor Neuron Hox Codes

This study shows PHC2-dependent PRC1 assemblies stabilize Hox gene boundaries and motor neuron identities during development.

MYC/MAX balance dictates cell progenitor fate by altering the HOX program in the Drosophila eye

This study shows that altering the MYC/MAX ratio in Drosophila eye progenitors changes cell fate by rewiring HOX gene expression and reprogramming progenitor identity.

Spatiotemporal proteomics reveals dynamic antagonistic gradients shaping signalling waves

The paper uses a microfluidics and proteomics approach to study dynamic protein gradients in mouse embryos, revealing antagonistic ligand-receptor patterns that regulate Wnt oscillations and somite formation.

Comparative single-cell transcriptomics links gene expression divergence to Drosophila genital morphogenesis

This study uses comparative single-cell transcriptomics to identify gene expression differences and their role in genital morphogenesis in two Drosophila species.

Antenna cells of ascidian larvae are gravity-sensing neurons

This study identifies antenna cells in ascidian larvae as gravity-sensing neurons by ablating them and observing loss of upward swimming behavior.

APLNR regulates directed migration to spatially pattern mesoderm in human gastruloids

This study identifies APLNR as a regulator of directed mesoderm migration in human gastruloids, showing chemotactic guidance through an epithelial ligand field.

Combinatorial regulation of cellular rotation by CUL-3-actomyosin-dependent oriented division, eggshell geometry, and Ras-MAPK signaling during dorsal-ventral axis establishment in Caenorhabditis elegans

The paper identifies three mechanisms regulating cellular rotation in C. elegans during dorsal-ventral axis formation and shows they act in distinct phases and roles.

Unilateral gene expression via maternally controlled zygotic recombination in Drosophila

The paper introduces a method to achieve unilateral gene expression in Drosophila by using maternal-to-zygotic transition machinery for somatic recombination during early development.

The Hox code abolishes anatomical variation in an insect gonad

The paper shows that the Hox code enforces invariant gonad subunit number in the milkweed bug by linking gonad development to segmental patterning.

Functional dissection of ultraconserved non-coding regions present near the Hoxd complex in vertebrates

The paper investigates the functional roles of ultraconserved non-coding regions near the Hoxd complex in zebrafish by using CRISPR-Cas9 to delete different regions and assess their impact on development and viability.

NOTCH-driven oscillations control cell fate decisions during intestinal homeostasis

The paper shows that NOTCH-driven Hes1 oscillations with different periods control cell fate decisions in intestinal stem cells, influencing secretory and absorptive lineage commitment.

Parallels in leg and wing proximal-distal patterning in Diptera and Lepidoptera

The paper compares proximal-distal gene expression patterns in leg and wing development across Diptera and Lepidoptera, finding conserved regulatory networks and lineage-specific changes.

Plpp3 regulates craniofacial morphogenesis but is dispensable for establishing the midbrain-hindbrain boundary

This study shows that PLPP3 is essential for craniofacial development and cardiac function but not for midbrain-hindbrain boundary formation.

Epithelial Self-Organization Patterns the Tadpole Oral Disc

This study shows that the tadpole oral disc develops through epithelial self-organization without mesenchymal organizers, leading to module-specific variations that mirror evolutionary patterns.

A single epigenetic repressor controls opposing developmental tempos in human neural and cranial neural crest lineages

This study identifies ZNF462 as an epigenetic repressor that controls opposing developmental tempos in human neural and cranial neural crest lineages by regulating lineage-specific enhancers.

Spatiotemporal distribution of Delta-like protein 1 during mouse pituitary ontogeny and its relationship with differentiating endocrine cell populations

This study maps the spatiotemporal distribution of DLK1 during mouse pituitary development and shows its association with differentiating endocrine cell populations.

Lineage tracing reveals asynchronous fate restriction in mouse embryos and stem cell-derived embryo models

The paper uses lineage tracing to show that fate restriction in mouse embryos and stem cell-derived models is asynchronous and not solely determined by cell identity.