Review – Understanding axon guidance: are we nearly there yet?

Esther T. Stoeckli discusses how crosstalk between different families of axon guidance receptors and cues functions during axonal navigation, highlighting recent studies that question the textbook model of axon guidance.

The Node – The people behind the papers

In the developing plant root, the receptors and co-receptors for CLEs have remained largely unclear, as have the relationships between different CLEs and different (co-)receptors. A recent Research Article addresses this problem by reporting a new receptor kinase involved in CLE signaling. The Node caught up with lead author Pauline Anne and her PI Christian Hardtke to find out more.

Travelling Fellowships – Science is universal

“…initiatives like the ones supported by The Company of Biologists are of great value: science still is universal, and we have a lot to give and to learn with each other.”

André Dias, a PhD student in Moisés Mallo's lab in Portugal, met with Filip Wymeersch from Prof. Valerie Wilson’s lab during the 2017 ISDB congress in Singapore, and the two put plans in place for a collaboration into embryonic axial elongation research. Thanks to a Travelling Fellowship from Development, André was able to spend three weeks in the Wilson lab, putting those plans into practice and taking his PhD project to new heights. André tells his inspiring story on the Node.

Workshop – Evo-chromo: towards an integrative approach of chromatin dynamics across eukaryotes

Organised by Frederic Berger and Ines Anna Drinnenberg, this Workshop aims to comprehend the global picture of chromatin dynamics across evolution though the initiation of a new field of biology – associating molecular phylogeny, genomics, genetics and structural biology. 

Did you know that we offer around 10 funded places for early-career researchers to attend our Workshops? Come join us at the beautiful Wiston House, UK, from 4-7 November 2018. The deadline date for applications is 20 July 2018. Find out more here.

Come work with us!

We are currently seeking applications for the role of Reviews Editor. Joining an experienced and successful team, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant contribution to one of the major journals in the field of developmental biology. Find out more here and get your application to us by 24 June 2018.

preLights – Spider Sox spins a tale

Erik Clark highlights an an evo-devo preprint from Alistair P. McGregor’s lab that reveals a conserved role for SoxB1 in segmentation and posterior development. Erik explores the evolutionary significance of this discovery, and the author team share how the work came about.

Articles of interest in our sister journals

Multiple roles of epithelial heparan sulfate in stomach morphogenesis
Meina Huang, Hua He, Tatyana Belenkaya, Xinhua Lin. J Cell Sci 2018 131: jcs210781.

Tbx6 controls left-right asymmetry through regulation of Gdf1
Daniel Concepcion, Hiroshi Hamada, Virginia E. Papaioannou. Biology Open 2018 7: bio032565.