Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.006
Hanwen Yu, Yan Liu
How do ci-regulatory differences, across mouse subspecies and over evolutionary timescales, shape cell-type specification and maturation during corticogenesis? In this issue of Developmental Cell, Medina-Cano et al. establish a scalable mouse organoid platform that recapitulates developmental dynamics and enables mapping of allele-specific expression, linking cis-regulatory variation with neurodevelopmental mechanisms and disease-associated genetics.
{"title":"Generating 3D mouse organoids for cortex development and evo-devo.","authors":"Hanwen Yu, Yan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How do ci-regulatory differences, across mouse subspecies and over evolutionary timescales, shape cell-type specification and maturation during corticogenesis? In this issue of Developmental Cell, Medina-Cano et al. establish a scalable mouse organoid platform that recapitulates developmental dynamics and enables mapping of allele-specific expression, linking cis-regulatory variation with neurodevelopmental mechanisms and disease-associated genetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"60 24","pages":"3361-3363"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.09.005
Uwe Töpfer, Anne Holz
The mechanisms by which basement membranes (BMs) adjust their mechanical properties to meet the biophysical needs of organs remain unclear. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Soh et al. establish the Caenorhabditis spermatheca as a model for repeated stretching and relaxation of the BM during the continuous ovulation process and demonstrate high, fibulin-dependent elasticity.
{"title":"Rapid adaptation of the basement membrane composition to mechanical needs.","authors":"Uwe Töpfer, Anne Holz","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.09.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The mechanisms by which basement membranes (BMs) adjust their mechanical properties to meet the biophysical needs of organs remain unclear. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Soh et al. establish the Caenorhabditis spermatheca as a model for repeated stretching and relaxation of the BM during the continuous ovulation process and demonstrate high, fibulin-dependent elasticity.</p>","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"60 24","pages":"3357-3358"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767424","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-15DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.005
Carmine Settembre
KRAS mutations drive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this issue of Developmental Cell, Salomó Coll et al.1 reveal that KRAS suppresses endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-phagy in pancreatic acinar cells by inhibiting CCPG1 transcription. Impaired ER-phagy triggers protein aggregation, inflammation, and acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, promoting tumorigenesis. These findings highlight selective autophagy's role in cancer, with possible therapeutic implications.
{"title":"A matter of selectivity: ER-phagy suppression at the onset of pancreatic cancer.","authors":"Carmine Settembre","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>KRAS mutations drive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this issue of Developmental Cell, Salomó Coll et al.<sup>1</sup> reveal that KRAS suppresses endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-phagy in pancreatic acinar cells by inhibiting CCPG1 transcription. Impaired ER-phagy triggers protein aggregation, inflammation, and acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, promoting tumorigenesis. These findings highlight selective autophagy's role in cancer, with possible therapeutic implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"60 24","pages":"3359-3360"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145767337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-04DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.002
Oskar Kaaber Thomsen, Jindřiška Leischner Fialová, Canan Doganli, Cristian Herrera-Cid, Kjeld Møllgård, Alexandre Benmerah, Lars Allan Larsen, Søren Tvorup Christensen
The etiology of primary hereditary microcephaly (MCPH), a condition closely linked to neocortex development, remains poorly understood. Initially, MCPH genes were thought to regulate a limited set of cellular processes, but recent studies reveal that many encode multifunctional proteins, often converging on primary cilia, organelles that orchestrate the development of most vertebrate tissues and organs. In this perspective article, we examine the role of primary cilia in brain development and explore how disruptions in MCPH and microcephaly-associated proteins compromise ciliary dynamics and function. We highlight additional cilia-related proteins with potential influence on neurodevelopment. By elucidating the connections between primary cilia and neural development, we aim to provide insights into mechanisms of neuroregeneration. Ultimately, advancing our understanding of primary cilia may help develop therapeutic strategies to restore neuronal function and improve outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.
{"title":"Primary cilia as architects of the neocortex: Roles in brain development, function, and microcephaly","authors":"Oskar Kaaber Thomsen, Jindřiška Leischner Fialová, Canan Doganli, Cristian Herrera-Cid, Kjeld Møllgård, Alexandre Benmerah, Lars Allan Larsen, Søren Tvorup Christensen","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.002","url":null,"abstract":"The etiology of primary hereditary microcephaly (MCPH), a condition closely linked to neocortex development, remains poorly understood. Initially, MCPH genes were thought to regulate a limited set of cellular processes, but recent studies reveal that many encode multifunctional proteins, often converging on primary cilia, organelles that orchestrate the development of most vertebrate tissues and organs. In this perspective article, we examine the role of primary cilia in brain development and explore how disruptions in MCPH and microcephaly-associated proteins compromise ciliary dynamics and function. We highlight additional cilia-related proteins with potential influence on neurodevelopment. By elucidating the connections between primary cilia and neural development, we aim to provide insights into mechanisms of neuroregeneration. Ultimately, advancing our understanding of primary cilia may help develop therapeutic strategies to restore neuronal function and improve outcomes for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"203 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145673652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.003
Deepthi Chandramohan, Rongge Yan, Kai Kruse, Heike Brinkmann, Hyun-Woo Jeong, Yanlin Hou, Kenjiro Adachi, Hans R. Schöler, Ivan Bedzhov
The fundamental processes of cell fate specification, differentiation, and morphogenesis must be finely synchronized to enable proper developmental progression, yet the molecular factors coordinating these processes are not well understood. A key driver of embryonic morphogenesis is the establishment of epithelial polarity, which organizes and structures the early cell layers. Here, we investigated factors controlling the epithelialization in epiblast cells and implemented sequential loss-of-function approaches in mouse embryos to define the timing of developmental significance. We found that the expression wave of the core pluripotency factors Oct4 and Sox2 following the 8-cell stage plays a critical role in this process. In this context, one of the key shared functions of these factors is to prevent premature activation of the epithelial program until the completion of the second lineage segregation. Thus, Oct4 and Sox2 simultaneously govern developmental capacity and regulate the developmental timing of tissue morphogenesis of the embryonic lineage.
{"title":"Dual role of Oct4 and Sox2 in controlling the developmental capacity and timing of tissue morphogenesis in the embryonic lineage","authors":"Deepthi Chandramohan, Rongge Yan, Kai Kruse, Heike Brinkmann, Hyun-Woo Jeong, Yanlin Hou, Kenjiro Adachi, Hans R. Schöler, Ivan Bedzhov","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"The fundamental processes of cell fate specification, differentiation, and morphogenesis must be finely synchronized to enable proper developmental progression, yet the molecular factors coordinating these processes are not well understood. A key driver of embryonic morphogenesis is the establishment of epithelial polarity, which organizes and structures the early cell layers. Here, we investigated factors controlling the epithelialization in epiblast cells and implemented sequential loss-of-function approaches in mouse embryos to define the timing of developmental significance. We found that the expression wave of the core pluripotency factors Oct4 and Sox2 following the 8-cell stage plays a critical role in this process. In this context, one of the key shared functions of these factors is to prevent premature activation of the epithelial program until the completion of the second lineage segregation. Thus, Oct4 and Sox2 simultaneously govern developmental capacity and regulate the developmental timing of tissue morphogenesis of the embryonic lineage.","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"115 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145657123","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.016
Tuyen T. Dang, Srinivas Malladi
In this issue of Developmental Cell, Zhang et al. report the identification of two transcriptionally distinct renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombus subtypes. The aggressive TT1 subtype is characterized by LOX-expressing cancer cells within an immunosuppressive microenvironment dominated by THBS2+ fibroblasts and GPNMB+ macrophages that exclude CD8+ T cells.
{"title":"Un-LOX-ing tumor immune barriers","authors":"Tuyen T. Dang, Srinivas Malladi","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.016","url":null,"abstract":"In this issue of <em>Developmental Cell</em>, Zhang et al. report the identification of two transcriptionally distinct renal cell carcinoma tumor thrombus subtypes. The aggressive TT1 subtype is characterized by LOX-expressing cancer cells within an immunosuppressive microenvironment dominated by THBS2<sup>+</sup> fibroblasts and GPNMB<sup>+</sup> macrophages that exclude CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells.","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145651036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.003
Changchang Cao, Zheng Li, Li Wang
Organ structures formed during development dictate their physiological functions. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Andrews et al.1 demonstrate a cellular feedback loop linking trabeculation and compact layer stretching, which depends on actomyosin remodeling mediated by the Notch signaling pathway and orchestrates ventricular morphogenesis in zebrafish.
{"title":"The symphony of shape: A feedback loop conducting zebrafish heart formation","authors":"Changchang Cao, Zheng Li, Li Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2025.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"Organ structures formed during development dictate their physiological functions. In this issue of <em>Developmental Cell</em>, Andrews et al.<span><span><sup>1</sup></span></span> demonstrate a cellular feedback loop linking trabeculation and compact layer stretching, which depends on actomyosin remodeling mediated by the Notch signaling pathway and orchestrates ventricular morphogenesis in zebrafish.","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":"159 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145651035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2025.08.009
Oliver C K Inge, Elias Copin, Jake Cornwall-Scoones, Borzo Gharibi, Irene Rodriguez-Hernandez, Pablo Soro-Barrio, Molly Strom, Probir Chakravarty, James Briscoe, Silvia D M Santos
Lineage specification requires accurate interpretation of multiple signaling cues. However, how combinatorial signaling histories influence fate outcomes remains unclear. We combined single-cell transcriptomics, live-cell imaging, and mathematical modeling to explore how activin and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) guide fate specification during human gastrulation. We see that these signals interact both synergistically and antagonistically to drive fate decisions. We find that definitive endoderm arises from lineage convergence: a direct route from pluripotency and an indirect route via a mesoderm progenitor state. Cells pass through temporal windows of signaling competency, and the relative concentration of activin and BMP4 dictates the trajectory choice. The efficiency between routes is underpinned by a dual role of BMP4 in inducing mesoderm genes while promoting pluripotency exit. This work underscores that the combination of signals a cell is exposed to not only directs its final fate but also the developmental route taken, suggesting lineage convergence enhances robustness in fate specification.
{"title":"Combinatorial BMP4 and activin direct the choice between alternate routes to endoderm in a stem cell model of human gastrulation.","authors":"Oliver C K Inge, Elias Copin, Jake Cornwall-Scoones, Borzo Gharibi, Irene Rodriguez-Hernandez, Pablo Soro-Barrio, Molly Strom, Probir Chakravarty, James Briscoe, Silvia D M Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.08.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.devcel.2025.08.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lineage specification requires accurate interpretation of multiple signaling cues. However, how combinatorial signaling histories influence fate outcomes remains unclear. We combined single-cell transcriptomics, live-cell imaging, and mathematical modeling to explore how activin and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) guide fate specification during human gastrulation. We see that these signals interact both synergistically and antagonistically to drive fate decisions. We find that definitive endoderm arises from lineage convergence: a direct route from pluripotency and an indirect route via a mesoderm progenitor state. Cells pass through temporal windows of signaling competency, and the relative concentration of activin and BMP4 dictates the trajectory choice. The efficiency between routes is underpinned by a dual role of BMP4 in inducing mesoderm genes while promoting pluripotency exit. This work underscores that the combination of signals a cell is exposed to not only directs its final fate but also the developmental route taken, suggesting lineage convergence enhances robustness in fate specification.</p>","PeriodicalId":11157,"journal":{"name":"Developmental cell","volume":" ","pages":"3304-3320.e9"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145032966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}