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Cells & Development
@cellsdev.bsky.social
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'Cells & Development' journal (formerly 'Mechanisms of Development'). Official journal of the International Society of Developmental Biology isdb.bsky.social
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Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · Nov 15
From January 2021 MoD will become “CELLS & DEVELOPMENT”, subtitle: “CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THEIR QUANTITATIVE APPROCHES”. We expect that C&D will become a forum for interdisciplinary research combining biology, physics and mathematics to study cell and dev biology.
Reposted by Cells & Development
nicoleedwds.bsky.social
Animal caps are the original organoid!
cellsdev.bsky.social Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 4d
A fascinating review on the role of Activin in organ induction. Isn't it wild that in Xenopus embryos, a piece of the animal cap can be induced with Activin at different concentrations and buffers to form the ❤️, kidney, the pancreas, head, tail, and even a whole embryoid 🤯:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Animal cap assay and sandwich method as in vitro induction systems. In amphibians, a blastocoel cavity clearly forms inside the animal hemisphere during the blastula and early gastrula stages. The cap-like portion lining the roof of the blastocoel cavity is the animal cap. This region consists of a sheet of pluripotent cells, organized into one or several layers. In the animal cap assay, the animal cap was treated with a physiological saline solution containing inducing factors and then cultured. Depending on the type, concentration, and duration of exposure to the inducing factors, animal caps can differentiate into various cell types. In contrast, the sandwich method, involves culturing the inducer source in between two animal caps. In this technique, the sources of induction can include the dorsal lip of the blastopore (organizer), adult tissues, pelletized soluble factors, or animal caps pretreated with soluble factors. In this figure, activin is used as an example of an inducing factor. Fig. 12. Summary of the in vitro induction system using activin as an inducing factor. This in vitro induction system utilizes activin and retinoic acid as inducing factors to treat animal caps, employing techniques such as animal cap assay, dissociation/reaggregation protocol, and the sandwich method. By applying these methods, various levels of self-organization can be replicated and controlled in vitro, ranging from lower-order cell differentiation to higher-order tissue differentiation, organogenesis, and even the formation of fundamental body plans. Abbreviations: Dorsal [D], ventral [V], and retinoic acid [RA]. Fig. 11. Formation of embryoids by artificial activin concentration gradients. To create embryoids, animal caps were prepared through treatment with low (0.5–1 ng/ml), intermediate (5–10 ng/ml), or high (50–100 ng/ml) concentrations of activin. These three types of activin-treated animal caps were then sequentially arranged and cultured with untreated animal caps. After 3 days of culture, embryoids with distinct head and trunk-tail structures were formed (A). Histological sections revealed differentiation into head tissues, such as the cement gland [cg] and eyes, and trunk-tail tissues including the ear vesicle [ev], brain [br], notochord [not], muscle [mus], and gut (B). When newt embryos are used in similar combination cultures, neural plate structures forming the brain [white arrow] and axial structures forming the trunk-tail regions [black arrow] are sometimes observed (C). Fig. 7. In vitro heart formation and in vivo transplantation experiment. When treated with a high concentration of activin, the animal caps of Xenopus embryos did not differentiate into heart tissue. However, if the animal cap dissociates into individual cells before activin treatment and then reaggregates, it forms a beating heart [arrow] with 100 % efficiency (A). This heart expresses differentiation marker genes, such as Nkx2.5, GATA-4, Tbx5, MHCα, TnIc (cardiac troponin I), and ANF, none of which are expressed in an animal cap treated with activin alone, without dissociation/reaggregation (B). Electron microscopy reveals the presence of intercalated discs [id] specific to the cardiac muscle, along with visible mitochondria [m] and Z-bands [z] (C). When the reaggregated heart tissue is orthotopically transplanted into the cardiac primordium of a neurula-stage embryo, it integrates without rejection and continues to beat (D), although it does not persist through host metamorphosis. In contrast, when the reaggregated tissue is ectopically transplanted into the ventral region of the neurula, it begins to beat synchronously with the host heart and gradually reddens as it initiates blood circulation (E).
January 31, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
A fascinating review on the role of Activin in organ induction. Isn't it wild that in Xenopus embryos, a piece of the animal cap can be induced with Activin at different concentrations and buffers to form the ❤️, kidney, the pancreas, head, tail, and even a whole embryoid 🤯:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Animal cap assay and sandwich method as in vitro induction systems. In amphibians, a blastocoel cavity clearly forms inside the animal hemisphere during the blastula and early gastrula stages. The cap-like portion lining the roof of the blastocoel cavity is the animal cap. This region consists of a sheet of pluripotent cells, organized into one or several layers. In the animal cap assay, the animal cap was treated with a physiological saline solution containing inducing factors and then cultured. Depending on the type, concentration, and duration of exposure to the inducing factors, animal caps can differentiate into various cell types. In contrast, the sandwich method, involves culturing the inducer source in between two animal caps. In this technique, the sources of induction can include the dorsal lip of the blastopore (organizer), adult tissues, pelletized soluble factors, or animal caps pretreated with soluble factors. In this figure, activin is used as an example of an inducing factor. Fig. 12. Summary of the in vitro induction system using activin as an inducing factor. This in vitro induction system utilizes activin and retinoic acid as inducing factors to treat animal caps, employing techniques such as animal cap assay, dissociation/reaggregation protocol, and the sandwich method. By applying these methods, various levels of self-organization can be replicated and controlled in vitro, ranging from lower-order cell differentiation to higher-order tissue differentiation, organogenesis, and even the formation of fundamental body plans. Abbreviations: Dorsal [D], ventral [V], and retinoic acid [RA]. Fig. 11. Formation of embryoids by artificial activin concentration gradients. To create embryoids, animal caps were prepared through treatment with low (0.5–1 ng/ml), intermediate (5–10 ng/ml), or high (50–100 ng/ml) concentrations of activin. These three types of activin-treated animal caps were then sequentially arranged and cultured with untreated animal caps. After 3 days of culture, embryoids with distinct head and trunk-tail structures were formed (A). Histological sections revealed differentiation into head tissues, such as the cement gland [cg] and eyes, and trunk-tail tissues including the ear vesicle [ev], brain [br], notochord [not], muscle [mus], and gut (B). When newt embryos are used in similar combination cultures, neural plate structures forming the brain [white arrow] and axial structures forming the trunk-tail regions [black arrow] are sometimes observed (C). Fig. 7. In vitro heart formation and in vivo transplantation experiment. When treated with a high concentration of activin, the animal caps of Xenopus embryos did not differentiate into heart tissue. However, if the animal cap dissociates into individual cells before activin treatment and then reaggregates, it forms a beating heart [arrow] with 100 % efficiency (A). This heart expresses differentiation marker genes, such as Nkx2.5, GATA-4, Tbx5, MHCα, TnIc (cardiac troponin I), and ANF, none of which are expressed in an animal cap treated with activin alone, without dissociation/reaggregation (B). Electron microscopy reveals the presence of intercalated discs [id] specific to the cardiac muscle, along with visible mitochondria [m] and Z-bands [z] (C). When the reaggregated heart tissue is orthotopically transplanted into the cardiac primordium of a neurula-stage embryo, it integrates without rejection and continues to beat (D), although it does not persist through host metamorphosis. In contrast, when the reaggregated tissue is ectopically transplanted into the ventral region of the neurula, it begins to beat synchronously with the host heart and gradually reddens as it initiates blood circulation (E).
January 31, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
A whole embryoid is wild. Check out this review by Makoto Asashima et al.
cellsdev.bsky.social Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 4d
A fascinating review on the role of Activin in organ induction. Isn't it wild that in Xenopus embryos, a piece of the animal cap can be induced with Activin at different concentrations and buffers to form the ❤️, kidney, the pancreas, head, tail, and even a whole embryoid 🤯:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Animal cap assay and sandwich method as in vitro induction systems. In amphibians, a blastocoel cavity clearly forms inside the animal hemisphere during the blastula and early gastrula stages. The cap-like portion lining the roof of the blastocoel cavity is the animal cap. This region consists of a sheet of pluripotent cells, organized into one or several layers. In the animal cap assay, the animal cap was treated with a physiological saline solution containing inducing factors and then cultured. Depending on the type, concentration, and duration of exposure to the inducing factors, animal caps can differentiate into various cell types. In contrast, the sandwich method, involves culturing the inducer source in between two animal caps. In this technique, the sources of induction can include the dorsal lip of the blastopore (organizer), adult tissues, pelletized soluble factors, or animal caps pretreated with soluble factors. In this figure, activin is used as an example of an inducing factor. Fig. 12. Summary of the in vitro induction system using activin as an inducing factor. This in vitro induction system utilizes activin and retinoic acid as inducing factors to treat animal caps, employing techniques such as animal cap assay, dissociation/reaggregation protocol, and the sandwich method. By applying these methods, various levels of self-organization can be replicated and controlled in vitro, ranging from lower-order cell differentiation to higher-order tissue differentiation, organogenesis, and even the formation of fundamental body plans. Abbreviations: Dorsal [D], ventral [V], and retinoic acid [RA]. Fig. 11. Formation of embryoids by artificial activin concentration gradients. To create embryoids, animal caps were prepared through treatment with low (0.5–1 ng/ml), intermediate (5–10 ng/ml), or high (50–100 ng/ml) concentrations of activin. These three types of activin-treated animal caps were then sequentially arranged and cultured with untreated animal caps. After 3 days of culture, embryoids with distinct head and trunk-tail structures were formed (A). Histological sections revealed differentiation into head tissues, such as the cement gland [cg] and eyes, and trunk-tail tissues including the ear vesicle [ev], brain [br], notochord [not], muscle [mus], and gut (B). When newt embryos are used in similar combination cultures, neural plate structures forming the brain [white arrow] and axial structures forming the trunk-tail regions [black arrow] are sometimes observed (C). Fig. 7. In vitro heart formation and in vivo transplantation experiment. When treated with a high concentration of activin, the animal caps of Xenopus embryos did not differentiate into heart tissue. However, if the animal cap dissociates into individual cells before activin treatment and then reaggregates, it forms a beating heart [arrow] with 100 % efficiency (A). This heart expresses differentiation marker genes, such as Nkx2.5, GATA-4, Tbx5, MHCα, TnIc (cardiac troponin I), and ANF, none of which are expressed in an animal cap treated with activin alone, without dissociation/reaggregation (B). Electron microscopy reveals the presence of intercalated discs [id] specific to the cardiac muscle, along with visible mitochondria [m] and Z-bands [z] (C). When the reaggregated heart tissue is orthotopically transplanted into the cardiac primordium of a neurula-stage embryo, it integrates without rejection and continues to beat (D), although it does not persist through host metamorphosis. In contrast, when the reaggregated tissue is ectopically transplanted into the ventral region of the neurula, it begins to beat synchronously with the host heart and gradually reddens as it initiates blood circulation (E).
January 31, 2026 at 6:40 PM
cellsdev.bsky.social
A fascinating review on the role of Activin in organ induction. Isn't it wild that in Xenopus embryos, a piece of the animal cap can be induced with Activin at different concentrations and buffers to form the ❤️, kidney, the pancreas, head, tail, and even a whole embryoid 🤯:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Animal cap assay and sandwich method as in vitro induction systems. In amphibians, a blastocoel cavity clearly forms inside the animal hemisphere during the blastula and early gastrula stages. The cap-like portion lining the roof of the blastocoel cavity is the animal cap. This region consists of a sheet of pluripotent cells, organized into one or several layers. In the animal cap assay, the animal cap was treated with a physiological saline solution containing inducing factors and then cultured. Depending on the type, concentration, and duration of exposure to the inducing factors, animal caps can differentiate into various cell types. In contrast, the sandwich method, involves culturing the inducer source in between two animal caps. In this technique, the sources of induction can include the dorsal lip of the blastopore (organizer), adult tissues, pelletized soluble factors, or animal caps pretreated with soluble factors. In this figure, activin is used as an example of an inducing factor. Fig. 12. Summary of the in vitro induction system using activin as an inducing factor. This in vitro induction system utilizes activin and retinoic acid as inducing factors to treat animal caps, employing techniques such as animal cap assay, dissociation/reaggregation protocol, and the sandwich method. By applying these methods, various levels of self-organization can be replicated and controlled in vitro, ranging from lower-order cell differentiation to higher-order tissue differentiation, organogenesis, and even the formation of fundamental body plans. Abbreviations: Dorsal [D], ventral [V], and retinoic acid [RA]. Fig. 11. Formation of embryoids by artificial activin concentration gradients. To create embryoids, animal caps were prepared through treatment with low (0.5–1 ng/ml), intermediate (5–10 ng/ml), or high (50–100 ng/ml) concentrations of activin. These three types of activin-treated animal caps were then sequentially arranged and cultured with untreated animal caps. After 3 days of culture, embryoids with distinct head and trunk-tail structures were formed (A). Histological sections revealed differentiation into head tissues, such as the cement gland [cg] and eyes, and trunk-tail tissues including the ear vesicle [ev], brain [br], notochord [not], muscle [mus], and gut (B). When newt embryos are used in similar combination cultures, neural plate structures forming the brain [white arrow] and axial structures forming the trunk-tail regions [black arrow] are sometimes observed (C). Fig. 7. In vitro heart formation and in vivo transplantation experiment. When treated with a high concentration of activin, the animal caps of Xenopus embryos did not differentiate into heart tissue. However, if the animal cap dissociates into individual cells before activin treatment and then reaggregates, it forms a beating heart [arrow] with 100 % efficiency (A). This heart expresses differentiation marker genes, such as Nkx2.5, GATA-4, Tbx5, MHCα, TnIc (cardiac troponin I), and ANF, none of which are expressed in an animal cap treated with activin alone, without dissociation/reaggregation (B). Electron microscopy reveals the presence of intercalated discs [id] specific to the cardiac muscle, along with visible mitochondria [m] and Z-bands [z] (C). When the reaggregated heart tissue is orthotopically transplanted into the cardiac primordium of a neurula-stage embryo, it integrates without rejection and continues to beat (D), although it does not persist through host metamorphosis. In contrast, when the reaggregated tissue is ectopically transplanted into the ventral region of the neurula, it begins to beat synchronously with the host heart and gradually reddens as it initiates blood circulation (E).
January 31, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
A new paper published in @jcb.org by postdoc Jorge Diaz from the Mayor lab at UCL shows that during collective migration, epithelial-like clusters generate traction force mainly through cryptic protrusions at the centre, while mesenchymal clusters do so at their periphery:
doi.org/10.1083/jcb....
January 26, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
Did you know that melanocytes, chondrocytes, and even osteoblasts can be differentiated from Schwann Cell Precursors? These cells don't only give rise to Schwann cells as the name suggests but many other cell types. Check out this interesting review by Marianne Bronner et al: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Embryonic origins of Schwann cell precursors. Transverse cross-section through the neural tube showing three pathways giving rise to Schwann cell precursors (orange) that have been discussed in the literature: 1. Neural crest cells (blue) migrate from the dorsal neural tube and give rise to Schwann cell precursors along the dorsal root along which they migrate into the periphery. 2. Neural crest cells (blue) migrate to the site of the future dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) or future motor exit point (MEP) where they give rise to boundary cap cells (green). These boundary cap cells then give rise to Schwann cell precursors along the dorsal and ventral roots. 3. The neuroepithelium (purple) is a currently contested source of Schwann cell precursors along the ventral and possibly dorsal roots. Arrows show direction of migration. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) Fig. 2. Schwann cell precursor derivatives. Schwann cell precursors (orange) have been shown to give rise to a diverse range of cell types (blue). Grey circles represent axons, viewed in transverse cross-section. Arrows show direction of differentiation. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
January 23, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
Congratulations, @rashmi-priya.bsky.social. Rashmi's works focus on the mechanics of heart development using zebrafish as a model system. Fantastic achievement!
bscb-official.bsky.social British Society for Cell Biology @bscb-official.bsky.social · 13d
We are delighted to announce that @rashmi-priya.bsky.social from @crick.ac.uk has been awarded the 2026 Women in Cell Biology Early Career medal

You can read about Rashmi's prize-winning work on heart morphogenesis here:

bscb.org/wicb-early-c...
January 23, 2026 at 6:09 PM
cellsdev.bsky.social
Did you know that melanocytes, chondrocytes, and even osteoblasts can be differentiated from Schwann Cell Precursors? These cells don't only give rise to Schwann cells as the name suggests but many other cell types. Check out this interesting review by Marianne Bronner et al: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Embryonic origins of Schwann cell precursors. Transverse cross-section through the neural tube showing three pathways giving rise to Schwann cell precursors (orange) that have been discussed in the literature: 1. Neural crest cells (blue) migrate from the dorsal neural tube and give rise to Schwann cell precursors along the dorsal root along which they migrate into the periphery. 2. Neural crest cells (blue) migrate to the site of the future dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) or future motor exit point (MEP) where they give rise to boundary cap cells (green). These boundary cap cells then give rise to Schwann cell precursors along the dorsal and ventral roots. 3. The neuroepithelium (purple) is a currently contested source of Schwann cell precursors along the ventral and possibly dorsal roots. Arrows show direction of migration. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.) Fig. 2. Schwann cell precursor derivatives. Schwann cell precursors (orange) have been shown to give rise to a diverse range of cell types (blue). Grey circles represent axons, viewed in transverse cross-section. Arrows show direction of differentiation. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)
January 23, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
Happy #FluorescenceFriday. Here are some labelled myeloid cells from frog 🐸 embryos migrating inside tissue.
📹: @anhhle2702.bsky.social, postdoc fellow at @ucl-cdb.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
A very curious paper from the De Robertis lab shows how Cerberus - a growth factor that inhibits Wnt signalling, and IGF - a growth factor that activates MAPK signalling, can synergistically induce a new head (aka ectopic archencephalic differentiation) in Xenopus embryos.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs cooperate in ectopic head induction in Xenopus embryos. Embryos were microinjected into the ventral marginal zone of a single blastomere at the 4- to 8-cell stage. (A) Uninjected control sibling at early tailbud stage (n = 81). (B) A single ventral injection of IGF2 mRNA caused a small ectopic head protrusion with a pigmented cement gland on the belly (n = 86, 68 % with ectopic structures). (C) Cerberus mRNA induced a secondary head-like structure (n = 78, 94 % with ectopic heads). (D) Co-injection of IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs induced a large ectopic head with an expanded cement gland (n = 90, 98 % with ectopic heads). (E–H) Panoramic views of control and injected embryos. Injected mRNA doses per embryo were: Cerberus, 100 pg; IGF2, 2 ng. Results from two experiments. Scale bars are 500 μm (A-D) and 2 mm (E-H). Fig. 6. Dominant-negative IGF receptor 1 blocked ectopic head formation by Cerberus mRNA in single ventral injections. (A) Control embryo at stage 24 injected with LacZ (100 pg) mRNA but not stained for β-galactosidase (n = 50). (B) DN-IGFR (600 pg) and LacZ injected embryos (n = 20, all normal). (C) Cerberus (100 pg) injected embryos with ectopic heads (n = 56, 96 % ectopic heads). (D) DN-IGFR blocked Cerberus ectopic heads (n = 33, 88 % with no ectopic structures, 12 % with small cement glands). (E–F) LacZ staining for (A–D). Scale bar, 500 μm.
January 17, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
2-head frogs? 😲
cellsdev.bsky.social Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 18d
A very curious paper from the De Robertis lab shows how Cerberus - a growth factor that inhibits Wnt signalling, and IGF - a growth factor that activates MAPK signalling, can synergistically induce a new head (aka ectopic archencephalic differentiation) in Xenopus embryos.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs cooperate in ectopic head induction in Xenopus embryos. Embryos were microinjected into the ventral marginal zone of a single blastomere at the 4- to 8-cell stage. (A) Uninjected control sibling at early tailbud stage (n = 81). (B) A single ventral injection of IGF2 mRNA caused a small ectopic head protrusion with a pigmented cement gland on the belly (n = 86, 68 % with ectopic structures). (C) Cerberus mRNA induced a secondary head-like structure (n = 78, 94 % with ectopic heads). (D) Co-injection of IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs induced a large ectopic head with an expanded cement gland (n = 90, 98 % with ectopic heads). (E–H) Panoramic views of control and injected embryos. Injected mRNA doses per embryo were: Cerberus, 100 pg; IGF2, 2 ng. Results from two experiments. Scale bars are 500 μm (A-D) and 2 mm (E-H). Fig. 6. Dominant-negative IGF receptor 1 blocked ectopic head formation by Cerberus mRNA in single ventral injections. (A) Control embryo at stage 24 injected with LacZ (100 pg) mRNA but not stained for β-galactosidase (n = 50). (B) DN-IGFR (600 pg) and LacZ injected embryos (n = 20, all normal). (C) Cerberus (100 pg) injected embryos with ectopic heads (n = 56, 96 % ectopic heads). (D) DN-IGFR blocked Cerberus ectopic heads (n = 33, 88 % with no ectopic structures, 12 % with small cement glands). (E–F) LacZ staining for (A–D). Scale bar, 500 μm.
January 17, 2026 at 1:04 AM
cellsdev.bsky.social
A very curious paper from the De Robertis lab shows how Cerberus - a growth factor that inhibits Wnt signalling, and IGF - a growth factor that activates MAPK signalling, can synergistically induce a new head (aka ectopic archencephalic differentiation) in Xenopus embryos.
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs cooperate in ectopic head induction in Xenopus embryos. Embryos were microinjected into the ventral marginal zone of a single blastomere at the 4- to 8-cell stage. (A) Uninjected control sibling at early tailbud stage (n = 81). (B) A single ventral injection of IGF2 mRNA caused a small ectopic head protrusion with a pigmented cement gland on the belly (n = 86, 68 % with ectopic structures). (C) Cerberus mRNA induced a secondary head-like structure (n = 78, 94 % with ectopic heads). (D) Co-injection of IGF2 and Cerberus mRNAs induced a large ectopic head with an expanded cement gland (n = 90, 98 % with ectopic heads). (E–H) Panoramic views of control and injected embryos. Injected mRNA doses per embryo were: Cerberus, 100 pg; IGF2, 2 ng. Results from two experiments. Scale bars are 500 μm (A-D) and 2 mm (E-H). Fig. 6. Dominant-negative IGF receptor 1 blocked ectopic head formation by Cerberus mRNA in single ventral injections. (A) Control embryo at stage 24 injected with LacZ (100 pg) mRNA but not stained for β-galactosidase (n = 50). (B) DN-IGFR (600 pg) and LacZ injected embryos (n = 20, all normal). (C) Cerberus (100 pg) injected embryos with ectopic heads (n = 56, 96 % ectopic heads). (D) DN-IGFR blocked Cerberus ectopic heads (n = 33, 88 % with no ectopic structures, 12 % with small cement glands). (E–F) LacZ staining for (A–D). Scale bar, 500 μm.
January 17, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
Looks like a fantastic meeting. Register now.
bsdb.bsky.social British Society for Developmental Biology @bsdb.bsky.social · 26d
Don't forget to register for our upcoming Spring Meeting: 'Molecules to Morphogenesis'

Get your abstracts submitted by the 16th of January!

bsdb.org/meetings
January 12, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
jcb.org
Ist2 is a #phospholipid scramblase that links #lipid transport at the ER to organelle homeostasis, say Heitor Gobbi Sebinelli, Camille Syska, Hafez Razmazma, Luca Monticelli, Guillaume Lenoir, Alenka Čopič @umontpellier.bsky.social et al: rupress.org/jcb/article/...

#Biophysics #ER_literature
January 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
jrmarmor.bsky.social
We are looking for a Bioinformatician (both graduate and postdoctoral levels) to join our lab. Please help us spread the word about this opportunity!

Applicants should submit their motivation letter, full CV and academic record to Juan R. Martínez-Morales: [email protected]
January 12, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
Organoid technology is one of the most significant advancements deriving from developmental biology. Yet, many aspects of the biology of organoid itself remain elusive, one of which is the role of mesenchymal stem cells.
This review:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
by Wang et al discusses this in detail.
Fig. 1. Timeline of organoids development. The history of organoids was initiated by Ross Harrison's origin of nerve fiber experiments and continues to evolve to the present day. Fig. 2. Timeline of MSCs development. In 1970, Friedenstein first divided “fibroblast colonies” from guinea-pig bone marrow and spleen. In 1976, “clonogenic fibroblast precursor cells” were discovered in mouse bone marrow. In 1995, the first-in-human trial of MSCs was conducted. In 1999, it was first discovered that MSCs can differentiate in vitro into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. During the period from 2000 to 2010, key functions of MSCs, including homing and migration, were discovered. In 2018, MSCs entered clinical trials for heart failure and Crohn's disease. From 2021 to 2025, clinical trials for MSCs expanded to include cirrhosis, osteoarthritis, and diabetic foot. Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of MSC-mediated optimization of organoids: from challenges to future perspectives. Current organoid systems face limitations such as lack of vasculature, central necrosis, and absence of functional immune components. MSCs address these challenges through two main strategies: acting as structural components in co-culture systems (direct relations) and serving as microenvironmental regulators via paracrine signaling and EVs (indirect relations). The integration of MSCs leads to improved organoid outcomes, including promoted angiogenesis, enhanced maturation, and immunomodulation. Future directions involve combining MSC-organoid systems with 3D bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip technologies to facilitate disease modeling, drug screening, and clinical translation.
January 10, 2026 at 5:33 PM
cellsdev.bsky.social
Organoid technology is one of the most significant advancements deriving from developmental biology. Yet, many aspects of the biology of organoid itself remain elusive, one of which is the role of mesenchymal stem cells.
This review:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
by Wang et al discusses this in detail.
Fig. 1. Timeline of organoids development. The history of organoids was initiated by Ross Harrison's origin of nerve fiber experiments and continues to evolve to the present day. Fig. 2. Timeline of MSCs development. In 1970, Friedenstein first divided “fibroblast colonies” from guinea-pig bone marrow and spleen. In 1976, “clonogenic fibroblast precursor cells” were discovered in mouse bone marrow. In 1995, the first-in-human trial of MSCs was conducted. In 1999, it was first discovered that MSCs can differentiate in vitro into osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. During the period from 2000 to 2010, key functions of MSCs, including homing and migration, were discovered. In 2018, MSCs entered clinical trials for heart failure and Crohn's disease. From 2021 to 2025, clinical trials for MSCs expanded to include cirrhosis, osteoarthritis, and diabetic foot. Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of MSC-mediated optimization of organoids: from challenges to future perspectives. Current organoid systems face limitations such as lack of vasculature, central necrosis, and absence of functional immune components. MSCs address these challenges through two main strategies: acting as structural components in co-culture systems (direct relations) and serving as microenvironmental regulators via paracrine signaling and EVs (indirect relations). The integration of MSCs leads to improved organoid outcomes, including promoted angiogenesis, enhanced maturation, and immunomodulation. Future directions involve combining MSC-organoid systems with 3D bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip technologies to facilitate disease modeling, drug screening, and clinical translation.
January 10, 2026 at 5:33 PM
cellsdev.bsky.social
An amazing course!
You'll learn: genetic manipulation including CRISPR-Cas9, oragnoid generation, explant systems, biomechanics, high-resolution imaging and analysis, bioinformatics, and more!

Register now!
Deadline: January 16, 2026
January 4, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
Modern Xenopus research uses this system to study #devbio, genetic diseases, biomechanics, and cell biology. If you want hands-on experience, register now to the CSHL Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus:
Gene Discovery & Disease
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
Deadline: January 16, 2026
Cell & Developmental Biology of Xenopus: Gene Discovery & Disease
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
January 4, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
Thank you for all the engagements. Have a wonderful holiday. We will see you again next year 👋
isdb.bsky.social International Society of Developmental Biology @isdb.bsky.social · Dec 22
This is our last post of the year. Hope you have a wonderful holidays. Remember, good science only comes from a well-rested mind. We will see you again next year! #MicroscopyMonday #Christmas
Image: 3D Christmas spheroids
Staining: Phalloidin
Photo credit: Postdoc Hoang Anh Le, @ucl-cdb.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
cellsdev.bsky.social
Thank you for all the engagements. Have a wonderful holiday. We will see you again next year 👋
isdb.bsky.social International Society of Developmental Biology @isdb.bsky.social · Dec 22
This is our last post of the year. Hope you have a wonderful holidays. Remember, good science only comes from a well-rested mind. We will see you again next year! #MicroscopyMonday #Christmas
Image: 3D Christmas spheroids
Staining: Phalloidin
Photo credit: Postdoc Hoang Anh Le, @ucl-cdb.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
isdb.bsky.social
This is our last post of the year. Hope you have a wonderful holidays. Remember, good science only comes from a well-rested mind. We will see you again next year! #MicroscopyMonday #Christmas
Image: 3D Christmas spheroids
Staining: Phalloidin
Photo credit: Postdoc Hoang Anh Le, @ucl-cdb.bsky.social
December 22, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
opazo.bsky.social
✨ Blinking #nanobodies that work for single-molecule localization 🔬
Our new preprint shows that the self-blinking dye JF635b restores robust, buffer-free blinking in #nanobodies, enabling reliable #dSTORM, #MINFLUX, and more, without chemical-switching buffers. Opening new possibilities for #ExM!
December 22, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
Tissue-resident macrophages are doing more than just protecting from infection. In this interesting paper, René Fernando Abarca-Buis et al shows that they can promote reepithelialization and blastema formation and regulate the maturation of chondrocytes. Check it out here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...
Fig. 1. Doble immunodetection of CD68 and F4/80 during ear hole regeneration in early postnatal mice. Fig. 6. Clodronate liposomes treated ears in re-differentiation show acceleration of cartilage maturation. Fig. 4. Modifications in the regenerative response by the treatment with clodronate liposomes during wound healing phase of early postnatal mice ear hole regeneration.
November 28, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Cells & Development
cellsdev.bsky.social
Check out the summary written by our Editor in Chief, Professor Roberto Mayor:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

And if you missed it, here is the link to Part I of the collection:
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
December 17, 2025 at 3:45 PM