Development

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Development is a leading research journal in the field of developmental biology, covering stem cells, regeneration, evo-devo, epigenetics, morphogenesis and more. @biologists.bsky.social

A two-step model reproduces SOX2 and TBXT profiles in varying boundary geometries. (D,E) SOX2 and TBXT patterning at 24 h (D) and 48 h (E) post induction on sharp and curved domains with both convex and concave boundaries. Greyscale images show experimental data, with heatmaps underneath showing model predictions. Magenta and cyan arrowheads indicate convex and concave corners, respectively. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Promotional banner for the ‘Human Development: Stem Cells, Models, Embryos’ meeting, taking place 7–9 September 2026 at the University of Warwick, UK. The left side features white text on a black background with a blue box stating ‘Register now. Final deadline: 24 July 2026.’ Logos for Development and the Human Developmental Biology Initiative appear below. On the right is a colourful, spherical, microscopy-style image of a cellular structure. The hashtag #HumanDev26 appears at the bottom right.

Cover: Confocal image of the Odz3-tTa;TetO-GCamP6 mouse at P5. NeuN staining (turquoise) labels neuronal somata, while GFP (orange) labels the entorhinal cortex reelin-positive layer 2 cells, highlighting their axonal trajectories and ingrowth of major input fibers into the hippocampal formation. See Research Article by Krause et al. (dev205342)

First author Zhainib Amir-Ugokwe (left) with corresponding author Kristy Red-Horse (right). Photo by Jeffrey Naftaly.

Establishing an in vitro model of the human v2a EC transition using pluripotent stem cell differentiation. (A) Schematic of the differentiation protocol adapted from Ang et al. (2022), showing generation of vECs from hPSCs. A question mark denotes the experimental extension introduced in this study to model v2a conversion in vitro.

Screenshot of a journal article webpage from Development. The page displays the editorial titled “The elephant in the room: impact factor”, published on 18 June 2026, authored by Alex Eve and James Briscoe. Below the title are article details, including the citation Development (2026) 153 (12): dev205838 and a DOI link. A toolbar contains options such as Split-screen, Views, PDF, Versions, Share, and Tools. The visible opening paragraphs discuss the journal’s response to community feedback about the impact factor (IF), describing it as a flawed and limited metric, referencing DORA (the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment), and arguing that research quality should be judged on its own merit rather than journal impact factor.

Point mutation of the KAT domain of Kat6a and Kat6b does not lead to homeotic transformation of the axial skeleton. (A) Representative images of skeletal preparations of E18.5 WT (n=3), Kat6aE/E (n=5), Kat6bE/E (n=5) and Kat6aE/E;Kat6bE/E (n=3) fetuses. (B) Line tracing of the C1 vertebra (atlas). Note that the Kat6aE/E;Kat6bE/E atlas appears to be thinner.

A screenshot of Development's 'Highlights from our Techniques and Resources section' subject collection.

Schematic of the mouse embryonic node at the late bud stage, showing ventral and sagittal views. The diagram labels the pit, crown, motile cilia, nascent notochord, and surrounding progenitor cell populations, with arrows indicating cilia rotation and cell movement. Different tissues and cell types are color-coded and identified in a key.

James Glover

Gail R. Martin, PhD (1944–2026), a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Foreign Member of the Royal Society, was a recipient of the E. G. Conklin Medal (2002) and the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize (2007). She served as Professor for nearly 50 years at the University of California, San Francisco and subsequently as Professor Emerita. Photo by N. Martin (published with permission).

Veronica Biga (left) and Cerys Manning (right). Image courtesy of Kunal Chopra.

Kim Tremblay (left) and Taylor Guertin (right)

A streamlined placental analysis pipeline. (B) Cross sections display the major layers of the E9.5 placenta: AM, allantoic mesenchyme; Dec, maternal decidua; JZ, junctional zone; LZ, labyrinth zone. The allantoic attachment point indicates the placental middle. Yolk sac (YS) remnants are attached to the edge of the chorionic plate. (C) Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E)-stained sections highlight general morphology, allantoic invasion into the LZ, parietal trophoblast giant cells (P-TGC, arrowhead), maternal blood spaces containing smaller enucleated red blood cells (RBCs) and fetal blood spaces containing larger nucleated RBCs.

Promotional banner for the event ‘Human Development: Stem Cells, Models, Embryos,’ taking place 7–9 September 2026 at the University of Warwick, UK. A blue box highlights ‘Register now. Abstract deadline: 12 June 2026.’ Logos for Development and the Human Developmental Biology Initiative appear below. On the right is a colourful spherical microscopy-style image resembling a dense network of cells. The hashtag #HumanDev26 appears at the bottom right.

Shinsei Yambe (left), Chisa Shukunami (centre) and Kenta Sumiyama (right)

Schematic panels illustrating temporal regulation by the Scx enhancer and the pectoral fin-to-forelimb transition. (A) Temporal specificity of the CSE within the dSE in DT formation and tendon maturation. The left panel illustrates X-gal+ domains of dSE Tg embryos at E14.5. In the genome maps, the dSE is indicated in red in both panels, whereas the CSE is shown in blue only in the right panel. A series of vertebrate species is illustrated along an ascending line from zebrafish to human. A light blue segment from coelacanth through tetrapods to humans denotes the presence of the CSE. The segment corresponding to zebrafish, which lack the CSE, is shown in black. Below, schematic illustrations depict upper limb development at E12.5, E13.5, E14.5 and P0, with peak CSE activity indicated by the darkest shade within the light-blue shading. The DT primordium first appears at ∼E13.5 and develops as the limb grows. A narrow developmental window from E12.5 to E13.5 for DT formation regulated by

Simultaneous deletion of and1 and and2 leads to absence of actinotrichia and fin-fold defects. C) Maximum intensity projection confocal images of ET37 wild-type (n=5 larvae) and double mutant (n=4 larvae) pff and mff at 5 dpf. Area outlined is shown at higher magnification on the right. Orange dashed arrows indicate the orientation of actinotrichia in the wild-type siblings. Scale bars: 200 µm; 50 µm in magnified image.

The Slit2ΔTLS allele retains dorsal midline repulsion of DRGs axons. (A,F) Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) axons enter the spinal cord at the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) and bifurcate to project anterior and posterior in the dorsolateral funiculus (DLF), avoiding the SLIT2-expressing roof plate (RP). A, anterior; D, dorsal; P, posterior; V, ventral. (B-E) βIII-tubulin labeled transverse sections of E10.5 spinal cords. Dorsal midline projection errors were seen in Slit2−/− (arrowhead), but not in Slit2ΔTLS/− or Tll1−/− embryos (empty arrowheads). Dorsal is up in all images. (B′-E′) Magnifications of the DREZ region (arrowhead). Brackets indicate DRG axons in the spinal cord. (G-J) DiI tracer label was placed in DRGs (asterisk) of whole E11.5 embryos. (G) Wild-type embryos had no axons projecting towards the roof plate (n=4 embryos). (H) Slit2−/− embryos had overshooting DRG axons that invaded the ventricular zone toward the midline (arrowhead; n=2 embryos). (I) Slit2ΔTLS/− embryos lack overshooting DRG axons (n=5 embryos). (J) Tll1−/− embryos also lack overshooting axons (n=3 embryos). Scale bars: 100 µm.

Degisew Yinur Mengistu (left) and Laura Ciapponi (right)

Cytoskeleton defects in asp and Sas4 mutant brain cells.( B) Neuroblasts of wild type and Sas4 or asp mutants immunostained with anti-LaminDm0 antibody (green) and DAPI (blue, DNA). Dashed squares outline the regions shown on the right (three times higher magnification), with the corresponding illustrative rendering of the LaminDm0 signal.

mRNA localization impacts embryonic patterning and fate specification. mRNA localization dictates embryonic patterning, cell polarity and fate specification across diverse species, with examples shown. (A) In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ash1 mRNA is preferentially inherited by the daughter cell, which suppresses mating-type switching via HO endonuclease, influencing cell fate. (B) In Caenorhabditis elegans AB cells, mRNAs are translationally repressed and sequestered in P-granules into the P1 cell for specification of somatic and germline cells. (C) Xenopus laevis oocytes sequester mRNAs (e.g. nanos1, dazl and gdf1) to promote specification of the vegetal pole. (D) Drosophila melanogaster oocytes require localization of grk, bcd, osk and nos mRNAs for patterning of the anterior-posterior (A-P) and dorsal-ventral (D-V) axes. (E) The intestinal epithelium of mouse requires localization of rRNAs and mRNAs for increased translation efficiency and nutrient absorption upon feeding.

Cover: Montage of a flat-mounted retina showing the spatial gradient of blue and red/green cone photoreceptors. This pattern reflects the coordinated tissue-level organization that underlies retinal function and visual specialization. The image symbolically highlights the essential spatial cues that shape optic cup patterning. See Research Article by Kruger et al. (dev205143).

https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.205143

Fei Zhang

Tomohiko Akiyama

s. (D) Schematic representation of the teratoma formation assay to assess pluripotency in vivo.

From left to right: Girish Kale, Joaquina Delas, Clotilde Cadart and Ingrid Tsang standing in front of the beach at Roscoff.

Michael J. Soares (left) and Ayelen Moreno-Irusta (right)

Loss of PLAC1 results in disruptions in the integrity of placental compartments. (B) Pcdh12 and Psg29 transcript localization within wild-type (Plac1Xm+) and Plac1 mutant (Plac1Xm−) placentation sites at gd 18.5. Green arrows indicate the location of Pcdh12-positive and Psg29-positive cell clusters within the labyrinth zone.

Mito Kanatsu-Shinohara (left) and Takashi Shinohara (right)