The people behind the papers - Paul Huber and Carole LaBonne.

The bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family of proteins reads epigenetic histone acetylation marks on the genome and regulates the transcriptional machinery. In their study, Carole LaBonne and colleagues reveal the role of BET protein activity in the maintenance of pluripotency and establishment of the neural crest in Xenopus laevis. To know more about their work, we spoke to the first author Paul Huber and the corresponding author Carole LaBonne, Developmental and Stem Cell Biologist at Northwestern University.

The people behind the papers - Denis Faerberg and Ilya Ruvinsky.

Male pheromones accelerate the development of hermaphrodite larvae in Caenorhabditis elegans, but the importance of this phenomenon is not well understood. A new paper in Development shows that pheromone exposure during larval stage 3 helps coordinate behaviour and development by modulating the timing of the transition to larval stage 4. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Denis Faerberg who carried out the work in the lab of the corresponding author Ilya Ruvinsky at Northwestern University, USA.

The people behind the papers - Tiffany Roach and Kari Lenhart.

Germ stem cells in Drosophila reside within a specialized stem cell niche, but the effects of stress on these stem cell populations have been elusive. In a new study, Roach and Lenhart show that repeated mating stress induces reversible changes in the germ stem cell niche. To know more about their work, we spoke to first author, Tiffany Roach, and corresponding author, Kari Lenhart, Principal Investigator at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA.

The people behind the papers - Douglas Terry and Kenneth Moberg.

The steroid hormone ecdysone (Ec) is secreted from the prothoracic gland for growth in the developing Drosophila larva. How Ec-dependent regeneration can occur despite a drop in circulating Ec in the injured developing larvae remains unclear. In a new study in Development, Kenneth Moberg and colleagues find that injury induces local Ec synthesis at the wounded site to delay development and promote tissue repair in Drosophila. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Douglas Terry and corresponding author Kenneth Moberg, Professor of Cell Biology at Emory University School of Medicine, USA.

The people behind the papers - Léa Rambaud-Lavigne, Namrata Gundiah, Arezki Boudaoud and Pradeep Das.

The shoot apical meristem is a key stem cell niche in plants, and proper stem cell maintenance is partly regulated by CLAVATA3 (CLV3). Without CLV3 meristems overgrow, but the mechanistic basis of this phenotype was unclear. A new paper in Development suggests that CLV3 modulates the physical properties of meristematic stem cells, and that these properties help shape meristem morphology. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Léa Rambaud-Lavigne and corresponding authors Namrata Gundiah, Arezki Boudaoud and Pradeep Das.

The people behind the papers - Sangeeta Ghuwalewala, David Shalloway and Tudorita (Doina) Tumbar.

Skin renewal is characterised by progenitor cells at the epidermal basal layer dividing and differentiating, yet the identity and properties of these progenitors remain poorly understood. In a new study, Tudorita Tumbar and colleagues identify, for the first time in vivo in the mouse epidermis, a distinct population of non-self-renewing progenitor cells that exhibit biphasic transit-amplifying behaviour. To find out more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Sangeeta Ghuwalewala, penultimate author David Shalloway and corresponding author Tudorita (Doina) Tumbar, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University, USA.

An interview with Jean-Paul Vincent.

Jean-Paul (JP) Vincent is Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, London. His lab is interested in understanding how cells communicate to form organs during development. In 2024, he was awarded the British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB) Waddington medal, which honours outstanding research performance and services to the developmental biology community. This interview was conducted at the 2024 BSDB and Genetics Society Joint Spring Meeting in Warwick, UK, where JP was presented with the medal.

A framework for the integration of development and evolution: The forgotten legacy of James Meadows Rendel.

The historical challenges to bridge the gaps between developmental biology and population or statistical genetics under the explanatory dominance of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis during the 20th century have been thoroughly documented. However, although several attempts to integrate these fields have been made, most have been deemed unsuccessful. As an example of those efforts, in this paper I discuss the work of James Meadows Rendel, a student of J. B. S. Haldane and disciple of Conrad Hal Waddington. I present his largely forgotten or unrecognized, but innovative, ideas about canalization and the role of development in phylogeny as a valuable piece to connect these fields that could still have important ramifications for today's evolutionary biology. In fact, it is expected that the legacy of J. M. Rendel will be rediscovered, and more importantly, incorporated and extended by future researchers, in light of the growth of evolutionary developmental biology in the last decades. What is more, this case offers a chance to critically revisit standard historiographies about the dichotomy between developmental and population genetics research frameworks in 20th century biology.

The people behind the papers - Jingjing Sun and Angelike Stathopoulos.

Collective migration of caudal visceral mesoderm (CVM) cells in Drosophila embryos helps form the longitudinal muscles of the larval gut. In their study, Angelike Stathopoulos and colleagues reveal that cell division coordinates two gene expression programmes in migrating CVM cells. To know more about their work, we spoke to the first author, Jingjing Sun, and the corresponding author, Angelike Stathopoulos, Professor in the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, USA.

The people behind the papers - J. Guillermo Sanchez and Jim Wells.

During development, the gastrointestinal tract undergoes patterning along its anterior-posterior axis to define regions with distinct organs and functions. A new paper in Development derives human intestinal organoids from an individual with duodenal defects and a compound heterozygous variant in the gene encoding the transcription factor RFX6. By studying these organoids, the authors identify novel roles for RFX6 in intestinal patterning. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author J. Guillermo Sanchez and corresponding author Jim Wells, an endowed professor in the Division of Developmental Biology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, USA, where he is also the Director for Basic Research in the Division of Endocrinology.

The people behind the papers - Jason Ko and Daniel Lobo.

Planarians grow when they are fed and shrink during periods of starvation. However, it is unclear how they maintain appropriate body proportions as their size changes. A new paper in Development investigates the differences between growth and shrinkage dynamics and builds a mathematical model to explore the mechanisms underpinning these two processes. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author, Jason Ko, and corresponding author, Daniel Lobo, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland.

The people behind the papers - Margret Bülow and Pilar Carrera.

Bez is a Class B scavenger receptor in Drosophila that is yet to be characterised. In a new study, Margret Bülow and colleagues uncover a role for Bez in mobilising lipids from Drosophila adipocytes into the ovary for oocyte maturation. To find out more about the people behind the paper, we caught up with first author, Pilar Carrera, and corresponding author, Margret Bülow, Group Leader at the University of Bonn.

The people behind the papers - Julie Klepstad and Luciano Marcon.

The patterning of somites is coordinated by presomitic mesoderm cells through synchronised oscillations of Notch signalling, creating sequential waves of gene expression that propagate from the posterior to the anterior end of the tissue. In a new study, Klepstad and Marcon propose a new theoretical framework that recapitulates the dynamics of mouse somitogenesis observed in vivo and in vitro. To learn more about the story behind the paper, we caught up with first author Julie Klepstad and corresponding author Luciano Marcon, Principal Investigator at the Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology.

The people behind the papers - Yongjun Yin and David Ornitz.

During alveologenesis, multiple mesenchymal cell types play crucial roles in maximising the lung surface area. In their study, David Ornitz and colleagues define the repertoire of lung fibroblasts, with a particular focus on alveolar myofibroblasts. To know more about their work, we spoke to the first author, Yongjun Yin, and the corresponding author, David Ornitz, Alumni Endowed Professor at the Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.

The people behind the papers - Bridget Ostrem, Nuria Domínguez-Iturza and Paola Arlotta.

Maternal immune activation can affect the development of embryos, but the underlying mechanisms have been unclear. In a new study, Bridget Ostrem and colleagues show that embryonic microglia detect maternal inflammation, resulting in transcriptional changes in neighbouring brain-cell types. To find out more about the behind the paper story, we caught up with the first authors, Bridget Ostrem and Nuria Domínguez-Iturza, and corresponding author Paola Arlotta, Chair of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University, USA.

Transitions in development - an interview with Thibaut Brunet.

Thibaut Brunet is a group leader at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, where he works on choanoflagellates (known as 'choanos' for short). These unicellular organisms are close relatives of animals that have the potential to form multicellular assemblies under certain conditions, and Thibaut's lab are leveraging them to gain insights into how animal morphogenesis evolved. We met with Thibaut over Zoom to discuss his career path so far, and learnt how an early interest in dinosaurs contributed to his life-long fascination with evolutionary biology.

An interview with Jonathan Slack.

Jonathan Slack is Emeritus Professor at the University of Bath. His research interests have included early development of the Xenopus embryo, regeneration of limbs and tails, and attempts to reprogramme other cell types to ß cells. In September 2023, Jonathan was awarded the 2023 British Society for Developmental Biology Wolpert Medal, which recognizes an outstanding individual who has made major contributions to the teaching and communication of developmental biology in the UK. We chatted to Jonathan at the European Developmental Biology Congress, where he was presented with the medal, to find out more about his career and his experience writing textbooks and the 'A Very Short Introduction' books on stem cells and genes.

An interview with Marysia Placzek.

Marysia Placzek is Professor of Developmental Neurobiology at the University of Sheffield, UK, where her lab studies the development of the hypothalamus. In 2023, she was awarded the British Society for Developmental Biology's (BSDB) Waddington Medal, which recognises outstanding individuals who have made major contributions to UK developmental biology. Marysia gave her award lecture at the European Developmental Biology Congress (EDBC), a hybrid meeting with hubs in Oxford, Paris and Barcelona. We met in Oxford after her talk to learn more about her research, her love of teaching and her thoughts on the future of the field.

An interview with Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert.

Aimee Jaramillo-Lambert is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. Aimee was awarded the Society for Developmental Biology 2023 Elizabeth D. Hay New Investigator Award in recognition of her outstanding research in developmental biology during the early stages of her independent career. We caught up with Aimee over a video call to talk about her research into sexual reproduction in Caenorhabditis elegans, the importance of mentorship, and what drives her work in diversity, equity and inclusion.