This is part of the 'Lab meeting' series featuring developmental and stem cell biology labs around the world. Where is the lab? Jennifer: You can

A gene that turns on very early in embryonic development could be key to the formation of the placenta, which provides the developing fetus with all of the nutrients it needs to thrive during…

Emerging findings suggest that viral DNA may play an important part in how embryos form, right after fertilization.

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Evolution might allow for multiple optimal solutions, depending on the constraints and conditions under which an organism evolves.

A groundbreaking study reveals that crocodile scale formation is driven by tissue mechanics rather than genetics.

Cryo-EM shows SSNA-1 forms anti-parallel coiled-coils with a triple-helical junction for microtubule binding. Disrupting self-assembly or deleting SSNA-1 reduces C. elegans embryonic viability and…

An international research team has identified a likely physical mechanism that causes snake embryos to form distinctive right-handed spirals early in development. The study, published in Current Biology, suggests that the unusual shape results from a mismatch between the rapid growth of the snake's body and the slower growth of its gut. Researchers examined photographs and records of more than 900 embryos representing 39 species of snakes and other limbless squamates. They found a consistent pattern during the early stages of development: embryos initially coiled to the right when viewed from head to tail. Because embryos at these stages do not yet have mature muscles capable of controlling their position, the researchers looked for a mechanical explanation. CT scans provided an important clue. Imaging revealed a gut structure extending through the developing spiral and surrounded by blood vessels associated with the yolk. According to the researchers, the gut effectively acts as a tether while the snake's body continues to lengthen rapidly. This constraint causes the growing body to buckle and twist into a coil. The position of the yolk, which is consistently on the embryo's left side, helps determine the initial right-handed direction of the spiral. The coiling pattern can change later in development. As the yolk decreases in size and the embryo gains more room to move, developing muscles allow it to reposition itself. Near hatching, researchers observed both right- and left-handed coils. The findings offer a relatively simple mechanical explanation for an unusual feature of snake development and may provide a useful model for understanding how spiral structures arise elsewhere in biology. The project began during the COVID-19 lockdown as an observational research question about whether snake embryos consistently showed a particular form of 'handedness.'

A team of scientists from Technische Universität Dresden has uncovered a surprising new mechanism for how large embryonic cells divide. This discovery challenges the long-held belief that a fully closed contractile ring is essential for cell division. The researchers, studying zebrafish embryos, found that instead of a complete actin ring, these cells use a 'mechanical ratchet' system to divide. This system relies on microtubules and the physical properties of the cytoplasm, which change in stiffness throughout the cell cycle. The researchers observed that the actin band remains stable as it contracts due to the stabilizing role of microtubules. When the cell enters interphase, the cytoplasm becomes stiffer, helping stabilize the actin band, allowing it to contract step by step. This process repeats across several cell cycles, gradually dividing the cell. This new mechanism may explain how large yolk-rich cells in animals like zebrafish and other species divide rapidly, providing a solution for those that cannot rely on traditional methods of cell division.

We study the embryonic origins of blood stem cells with the aim to inform the generation of these cells in culture, and ultimate produce clinically relevant blood stem cells for therapeutic purposes.

New research suggests that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods is linked not only to reduced fertility in men but also to slower growth in early embryos and smaller yolk sacs, which are essential for early embryonic development. ...

Key Takeaways Mice can regenerate skin without scarring before birth but lose this ability shortly after, due to new fibroblast populations and nerve