Tessera

International Society of Developmental Biology @isdb.bsky.social · 14h ago

An amazing series of workshops and conferences for 2027.

Get your calendars, because the new 2027 EMBL Annual Poster has arrived: s.embl.org/2027-poster Whether you'd like to enhance your skills in a practical course or engage with the latest research at one of our conferences, we've got you covered. See you at EMBL in 2027! 🙌 #LifeSciences #EMBL

The image depicts the 2027 EMBL Annual Poster featuring the new events programme for 2027. On the left side is a colorful banner, on the right is the list of events sorted by month

International Society of Developmental Biology @isdb.bsky.social · 3d ago

An important study!

Cells & Development@cellsdev.bsky.social · 3d ago

Maternal protein restriction happens when pregnant mothers don't consume enough necessary dietary proteins required for fetal development. Pieter Vancamp et al found that this affects the global landscape of chromatin accessibility in the developing hypothalamus. Check it out doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...

Fig. 1. ATAC-seq analysis on fetal hypothalamic neural progenitors reveals ATAC-seq peaks enriched for TF binding sites. A: Schematic of the experimental design: Pregnant dams received a control (20% protein) or protein-restricted (PR: 8% protein) diet from gestational day (G) 0 to 17. Hypothalami were collected from four fetuses of each sex for each litter and pooled separately by sex. Following mechanical dissociation, cells were allowed to proliferate for 2 days to form neurospheres (NS), resulting in eight pools. A subset of each pool was used for RNA extraction serving RNA-seq and qPCR experiments (*one pool of NS from the PR group was unusable due to low RNA quality). Cells from fetuses of the same, from the two litters within each experimental group, were pooled. This resulted in four pools, which were used to generate independent libraries via ATAC-seq. B: Proportions of the differential ATAC-seq peak regions over the various genome annotations. C: Network visualization of genes associated with smaller ATAC-seq peaks in the PR group. Node color represents log₂ fold change (log₂FC); node size reflects centrality within the network, and edge thickness denotes interaction strength. Functionally related gene sets are grouped by shared GO terms, indicated by colored circles. D: Transcription factor binding motifs enriched in differential ATAC-seq peaks between Control (C) and PR groups. E: ATAC-seq peaks (BigWig and Bed files view in Integrative Genome Viewer or IGV) over the chromosome 20p12 genomic region encompassing the RT1-N1, RT1-S2, RTA-O1 and RT1-N3 genes.

Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 3d ago

Maternal protein restriction happens when pregnant mothers don't consume enough necessary dietary proteins required for fetal development. Pieter Vancamp et al found that this affects the global landscape of chromatin accessibility in the developing hypothalamus. Check it out doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...

Fig. 2. Correspondence between ATAC-seq peaks and gene expression. A: Position of differential ATAC-seq peaks relative to the Slc39a12, Fam111a and Nell2 genes (BigWig and Bed files view in IGV), and relative expression assessed by qRT-PCR in the neurosphere pools. B: Immunohistochemical staining for NELL2 on coronal sections of the G17 fetal rat brain, showing expression in both the hypothalamus (HT, white arrows) and cerebral cortex (CTX). Mapping of Nell2 on a feature plot of previously generated single-cell RNA-seq data of the G17 hypothalamus showed highest expression in neuroblasts. C: Position of differential ATAC-seq peaks relative to the Gabrb1 and Reln genes and feature plots from single-cell RNA-seq data highlighting the expression of the same genes in neuroblast and neuronal populations in the control condition (Vancamp et al., 2025).

Fig. 3. Identification of candidate RNA-seq genes reveals limited overlap with ATAC-seq peaks. A: Heatmap showing the 91 genes with different expression levels (nominal p value <0.05) between the neurosphere pools of the control (4 left columns) and PR groups (3 right columns). Black and red arrows indicate the genes that are further analyzed in the figure (D-E and F, respectively). B: Bar graph showing the significantly enriched GO terms associated with lower-expressed genes of the RNA-seq dataset. C: The Venn diagram shows the overlap between the 91 candidate genes identified by RNA-seq and genes associated with differential ATAC-seq peaks. D: Genome browser view of the RT1-A2 ATAC-seq peak. E: Genome browser view of the Zfp36 and Gsta4 gene ATAC-seq peaks overlapping the promoter region of the genes. Gene expression of the same genes assessed by RT-qPCR on the neurosphere pools. F: Mapping of selected genes on feature plots from single-cell RNA-seq data highlighting the expression of the Ccn1, Anxa2 and Gbp5 genes in the control condition in the G17 hypothalamus. Expression patterns reveal localization to specific cell types or restricted populations (highlighted by black arrows), pointing to potential functional relevance (Vancamp et al., 2025).

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 3d ago

I don't get to see a dividing immune cell often so being able to capture this is so cool to me. Apparently, mitosis can be light sensitive, so that might explain why every time I tried to image them with a confocal, they either didn't divide or just stopped and reversed back. #FluorescenceFriday

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 6d ago

Seeing my chapter sitting in the beautiful hard-copy Cell Migration book by @cshlnews.bsky.social is a dream come true ❤️. Always wanted one since my PhD. Thank you @mayorlab.bsky.social for giving me the chance to write it! So much cool science. If you love cell migration, you'll love this book.

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · last wk.

Hot take but any reporter that makes the actin network visible will make any cell look awesome under the microscope! These Xenopus 🐸 ectoderm cells are expressing an actin tension sensor, and you can see the retrograde flow very nicely. Actin is better than microtubules 😁 #FluorescenceFriday

Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · last wk.

The testis is a fast evolving organ, and so is spermatogenesis. Did you know that bonobos have larger testicles than gorillas? In fact, they have the largest 🍒 in all of apes. Why? Well, @kaessmannlab.bsky.social et al discuss the molecular evolution of spermatogenesis here: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...

Fig. 1. Major cell types in spermatogenesis. A segment of the cross section of a seminiferous tubule in the testes. In their development from spermatogonial stem cells to testicular spermatozoa, the cells move from the basal lamina of the seminiferous tubule towards the lumen, surrounded and nourished by Sertoli cells. The diploid spermatogonia differentiate into primary spermatocytes that undergo the first meiotic division, then called secondary spermatocytes, followed by the second meiotic division to form spermatids. These haploid cells differentiate from round spermatids to elongated spermatids and finally into immature spermatocytes, which detach from the Sertoli cells and travel to the epididymis, where they fully mature.

Fig. 2. Testicular chromatin remodeling. Throughout spermatogenesis (black arrow) histones are exchanged by testis specific histone variants. In the postmeiotic spermatids histones are exchanged by transition proteins (TNPs), the TNPs in turn are exchanged by protamines. The protamines facilitate the dense packaging of chromatin in the sperm head. During meiosis the unsynapsed sex chromosomes become sequestered in the sex body and transcriptionally silenced. One hallmark feature of the sex chromosomes in the sex body is the presence of phosphorylated H2AX along the entire chromosome length. Data from Kimmins and Sassone-Corsi (2005), and Turner (2015).

Fig. 3. Evolution of gene expression. Phylogenetic analyses of the translatome (thin and dark) and transcriptome (thick and light) for testis, liver, and brain (from top to bottom) reveal the rapid evolution of the testis. The branch lengths indicate evolutionary changes in expression levels. Data from Wang et al. (2020).

Fig. 4. Different rates of evolution in testicular cell types. Pairwise Spearman's rank correlation coefficient between human and other species for testicular cell types. The haploid cell types diverge faster than the diploid cell types. Adapted from Murat et al., Nature 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05547-7 | CC BY 4.0.

Yanlan Mao @yanlanmao.bsky.social · 3w ago

This epic paper, which has been a heroic 10 year journey for the lead author, Ricardo Barrientos, is finally out in Cell today! Many thanks to all co-authors, especially Billie Meadowcroft and Andela Saric for their beautiful MD simulations www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Basement membrane turnover controls cell shape

Basement membranes are scaffolds of proteins, like collagen, that give organs shape. During development, basement membranes must adapt to the growing organ. We infer how fast the basement membrane ada...

cell.com

Melanie D. White @melaniedwhite.bsky.social · 3w ago

Happy #FluorescenceFriday 🔥 The title may be new, but the spectacular microscopy isn't! Congratulations to the newly minted DR @vanderspuy.bsky.social on a well-earned PhD! 🔬

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 2w ago

Happy #FluorescenceFriday. Embryonic myeloid cells are curious. They emerge early during development and disperse throughout an embryo. During this journey, they interact with different cell populations. This myeloid cell 🔴 is seemingly probing ectoderm cells 🔵 to the point of warping their nuclei.

Wehner lab | Neuroregeneration @wehnerlab.bsky.social · 10mo ago

New paper from the lab is out in Cell Reports: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Biphasic inflammation control by fibroblasts enables spinal cord regeneration in zebrafish

Fibrosis and persistent inflammation are interconnected processes that inhibit axon regeneration in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Here, …

sciencedirect.com

Filipa Simões @simoesfilipa.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Excited to share our #preprint showing that #macrophages in the regenerating #zebrafish #heart are shaped by local cardiac-immune microniches, with a fibroblast-to-macrophage signal promoting regeneration over fibrotic repair www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @idrm.ox.ac.uk @oxforddpag.bsky.social

biorxiv.org

Eric Hall @erichall.bsky.social · 2w ago

For #FluorescenceFriday we have, "TNTs, cytonemes, and migrasomes, oh my!"

Matyas Bubna-Litic @matyasbl.bsky.social · 2w ago

Another fishy #FluorescenceFriday. Even a simple DAPI (blue-yellow) and actin (red) staining can decorate the zebrafish one-day-old embryo spectacularly! 🐟

Colours: phalloidin (TKZ_Scarlet LUT) and DAPI (KTZ_NavyGold LUT)

Cell Reports @cp-cellreports.bsky.social · 2w ago

RelB drives integrin-mediated stress tolerance and relapse in high-grade serous ovarian cancer

Lujano-Olazaba et al. show that ovarian cancer cells expressing integrin αVβ3 have enhanced tumorigenic capacity and are enriched at relapse, suggesting that αVβ3 specifies stress tolerance. Using in vivo models, they demonstrate that genetic knockdown of NF-κB, a stress response pathway, in combination with αVβ3 inhibition reduced relapse and improved survival.

dlvr.it

Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 2w ago

It is often said that cancer is like development gone wrong. One of the most important signalling pathways of development, the Wnt pathway, is frequently altered in colon cancer. Nydia Tejeda-Muñoz et al discussed the complex biology of Wnt signalling network. Check it out: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...

Fig. 1. Central role of the Wnt pathway in tumor initiation and progression, and its crosstalk with major oncogenic pathways. Aberrant activation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling drives tumorigenesis by sustaining proliferative signaling, enforcing stem-cell–like programs, and promoting survival under oncogenic and therapeutic stress. The Wnt pathway output is further amplified through extensive crosstalk with key oncogenic modules, including PI3K/AKT/mTOR, RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK), and TGF-β/Sma and Mad Related Proteins (SMAD), which integrate upstream mitogenic cues, metabolic states, and microenvironmental signals. These interconnected networks generate feedforward and compensatory feedback loops that enhance cellular plasticity, support epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and drive therapy resistance, intratumoral heterogeneity, and metastatic competence.

Fig. 2. RAS–RAF–MAPK and its interaction with β-catenin and PI3K–AKT–mTOR in colon cancer. Aberrant RAS–RAF–MEK–ERK activity modulates the canonical Wnt signaling through multiple mechanisms, including phosphorylation-dependent regulation of β-catenin stability, transcriptional enhancement of Wnt target genes, and MAPK-driven remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. Conversely, hyperactivation of Wnt/β-catenin can potentialize MAPK signaling by upregulating growth factor receptors, stabilizing RAS, and reinforcing downstream proliferative circuits. This reciprocal reinforcement establishes feedforward loops that promote tumor cell proliferation, stemness maintenance, EMT, and metastatic dissemination. In addition, MAPK inhibition frequently triggers compensatory reactivation of the Wnt signaling, underscoring their functional interdependence and highlighting the therapeutic relevance of dual-pathway targeting in RAS- or BRAF-mutated malignancies. Direct regulation is indicated in solid lines, indirect effects are indicated in dashed lines.

Fig. 3. Mechanistic integration of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with the PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathway in cancer. The canonical Wnt activation modulates the PI3K–AKT–mTOR signaling through multiple nodes, including inhibition of GSK3β, stabilization of downstream effectors, and transcriptional induction of receptors and metabolic regulators that enhance PI3K pathway output. Reciprocally, PI3K–AKT signaling reinforces the Wnt/β-catenin activity by inhibiting GSK3β-mediated β-catenin degradation, promoting nuclear β-catenin accumulation, and facilitating the transcription of Wnt-dependent oncogenic programs. mTORC1 further integrates inputs from both pathways to regulate translational capacity, metabolic rewiring, and cancer stem cell maintenance. This bidirectional crosstalk creates feedforward loops that drive tumor growth, survival under stress, therapy resistance, and metabolic plasticity, underscoring the relevance of dual-pathway targeting in PI3K- and Wnt-driven malignancies. Direct regulation is indicated in solid lines, indirect effects are indicated in dashed lines.

Fig. 4. Role of the Wnt pathway in dorsal–ventral axis specification and maternal determinant relocation. The maternal Wnt/β-catenin signaling directs early dorsal–ventral axis formation in Xenopus early embryos. Cortical rotation after fertilization translocates maternal dorsal determinants, including Dishevelled (Dvl) and Wnt pathway activators, from the vegetal pole toward the future dorsal side (A). This asymmetric distribution inhibits GSK3β locally, stabilizes β-catenin, and activates dorsal-specific genes such as siamois and twin, establishing the dorsal organizer and early polarity (C). Without Wnt signaling, β-catenin is degraded, maintaining low cytoplasmic levels (B). Perturbations of this pathway produce distinct phenotypes: Wnt inhibition leads to ventralized embryos lacking dorsal structures, while Wnt hyperactivation causes dorsalization, expanded organizer activity, and axis duplication. Ectopic Wnt activation in ventral blastomeres can induce a secondary organizer, occasionally resulting in embryos with two heads.

Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 3w ago

If you're Chilean or work in Chile, or if your interest is w/ immunology and #devbio, submit to our special issues: 1. Chilean Developmental Biology: at Home and Around the World 2. Tissue Biology – at the interface between immunology and developmental biology www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cell...

Cells & Development | Article collections | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Read the latest chapters of Cells & Development at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature

sciencedirect.com

International Society of Developmental Biology @isdb.bsky.social · 3w ago

Consider submitting your articles to our special issues 🧡

Cells & Development@cellsdev.bsky.social · 3w ago

If you're Chilean or work in Chile, or if your interest is w/ immunology and #devbio, submit to our special issues: 1. Chilean Developmental Biology: at Home and Around the World 2. Tissue Biology – at the interface between immunology and developmental biology www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cell...

Triangle Cytoskeleton Meeting @tricytomeet.bsky.social · 3w ago

Have you ever wondered how cells protect their nuclei from damage while squeezing through tightly packed tissues? @septinlab.bsky.social at the University of Virginia have! Dr. Elias Spiliotis will share how septin filaments anchor and protect nuclei during migration at TCM 2026! (1/3)

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 3w ago

Yey, I figured out how to display 3D movie stacks in #ChimeraX, thanks to @dabiophysicist.bsky.social for the suggestion. My original tiff was not ome-tiff so you'll need to convert it first (do this with #Python), then adjust voxelsize in ChimeraX so the image isn't flat, record, and voila!

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 3w ago

One drawback tho and unless I'm not aware of an alternative, it seems if you want to display a time series stack, you have to save each time frame as a separate stack before loading them into #ChimeraX. If you don't, it will superimpose all timepoints into 1 single 3D stack. This, #napari is better!

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 3w ago

Happy #FluorescenceFriday. Its always exciting when i get to test out new constructs in my cells. It's not common that I get to see the ER network in an immune cell. This construct is not strictly ER but it's so overly expressed that it labels the ER in an embryonic macrophage in 🐸. How cool?

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 3w ago

One drawback tho and unless I'm not aware of an alternative, it seems if you want to display a time series stack, you have to save each time frame as a separate stack before loading them into #ChimeraX. If you don't, it will superimpose all timepoints into 1 single 3D stack. This, #napari is better!

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 4w ago

So it turns out that you can visualise 3D cells really well #chimeraX, better than #napari dare I say. Very intuitive. You can adjust different representations, surface, volume, etc, and to make a movie. I'm blown away because I learned ChimeraX for protein structure visualisation, not cells! 🤯

Cells & Development @cellsdev.bsky.social · 4w ago

Myelination of axons by Schwann cells (SCs) is a rather peculiar process. Degerny and Tawk et al show that there is a limited time window where SCs can myelinate, and this is linked to mitosis and Laminin expression. 🧠Check out the cool video and the publication here🧠: doi.org/10.1016/j.cd...

Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 4w ago

A couple paid more than $800,000 for a gene-editing therapy for their daughter. She died, and it wasn’t made public. An exclusive from us and @science.org.

Exclusive: Death of girl in Chinese gene-editing trial was never made public

Parents want accountability after study went disastrously wrong, Science and Retraction Watch investigation reveals

science.org

Anh Hoang Le, PhD 🏳️‍🌈@anhhle2702.bsky.social · 4w ago

So it turns out that you can visualise 3D cells really well #chimeraX, better than #napari dare I say. Very intuitive. You can adjust different representations, surface, volume, etc, and to make a movie. I'm blown away because I learned ChimeraX for protein structure visualisation, not cells! 🤯

Kate Cavanaugh @katecavanaugh.bsky.social · 11mo ago

See this? This = implanting mouse embryo. Usually this happens inside its mother and is invisible to us, but we can actually watch implantation ex vivo with the hope of understanding why implantation goes awry in embryos of older women. A 🧵...

Journal of Cell Biology @jcb.org · 4w ago

Michaud, @andrewgoryachev.bsky.social, von Dassow, @xenresearchcenter.bsky.social et al. identify a versatile cortical pattern-forming circuit based on #Rho, F-#actin, Ect2, & RGA-3/4 rupress.org/jcb/article/... 📕 In "Collective Behaviors and Self-Organization in Cells" rupress.org/jcb/collecti...

Young Embryologist Network @yen-network.bsky.social · last mo.

Check out the winning images here: thenode.biologists.com/results-of-t...

Results of the YEN 2026 Image Competition - the Node

We are delighted to announce the winners of the Young Embryologist Network Image Competition held as part of the YEN 2026 Conference.

thenode.biologists.com

Society for Developmental Biology@socdevbio.bsky.social · last mo.

✨For this #FluorescenceFriday we are highlighting 10 amazing images of development from the Young Embryologist Network 2026 Image Competition! Follow the hashtag #yenimagecompetition for full details. 📷🔬

Cell Reports @cp-cellreports.bsky.social · last mo.

Stiffness-induced impairment of GLUT4 trafficking in adult cardiomyocytes

Pathological stiffness disrupts glucose uptake in cardiomyocytes by altering microtubule-dependent GLUT4 trafficking. This study links mechanical stress to metabolic dysfunction and contractile impairment, identifying cytoskeletal remodeling and AMPK signaling as potential therapeutic targets in heart failure.

dlvr.it

Society for Developmental Biology @socdevbio.bsky.social · last mo.

✨For this #FluorescenceFriday we are highlighting 10 amazing images of development from the Young Embryologist Network 2026 Image Competition! Follow the hashtag #yenimagecompetition for full details. 📷🔬