#devbio — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #devbio, aggregated by home.social.
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From Alex Eve (executive director of the society journal Development) and James Briscoe (editor-in-chief of Development):
"We contend that Development is a key example that demonstrates the lack of correlation between the impact factor metric, and the trust, reputation and scientific rigour of the articles we publish."
"The elephant in the room: impact factor"
Alex Eve and James Briscoe, 2026 editorial
https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/153/12/dev205838/371997/The-elephant-in-the-room-impact-factor -
From Alex Eve (executive director of the society journal Development) and James Briscoe (editor-in-chief of Development):
"We contend that Development is a key example that demonstrates the lack of correlation between the impact factor metric, and the trust, reputation and scientific rigour of the articles we publish."
"The elephant in the room: impact factor"
Alex Eve and James Briscoe, 2026 editorial
https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/153/12/dev205838/371997/The-elephant-in-the-room-impact-factor -
New preprint: "Stoichiometric transcription factor partnerships control GABAergic neuron fate allocation."
Cell identity in development is often described as a combinatorial transcription factor "code." We find it is also quantitative: not only which factors are present, but their relative abundance, can shape a cell's fate.
In the developing basal ganglia, a pool of undifferentiated progenitors gives rise to several GABAergic neuron types, including D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons. Using our in vivo clonal perturbation sequencing and clone2vec, we find that losing SP9 shifts the clonal fate bias of progenitors from D2 neurons toward other GABAergic fates.
The readout uses two modes of genome binding: at GC-rich promoters SP9 binds DNA directly and activates; at distal enhancers it binds indirectly, tethered by DLX, acting as a combinatorial repressor with the NuRD complex. When DLX is in excess it sequesters SP9 away from its activating targets, so a graded shift in the SP9:DLX ratio becomes a discrete fate choice. An SP9 variant linked to neurodevelopmental disorders impairs the activator mode.
With thanks to the team, collaborators, and to #SFARI, the #DFG and the #NLMFF.
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New preprint: "Stoichiometric transcription factor partnerships control GABAergic neuron fate allocation."
Cell identity in development is often described as a combinatorial transcription factor "code." We find it is also quantitative: not only which factors are present, but their relative abundance, can shape a cell's fate.
In the developing basal ganglia, a pool of undifferentiated progenitors gives rise to several GABAergic neuron types, including D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons. Using our in vivo clonal perturbation sequencing and clone2vec, we find that losing SP9 shifts the clonal fate bias of progenitors from D2 neurons toward other GABAergic fates.
The readout uses two modes of genome binding: at GC-rich promoters SP9 binds DNA directly and activates; at distal enhancers it binds indirectly, tethered by DLX, acting as a combinatorial repressor with the NuRD complex. When DLX is in excess it sequesters SP9 away from its activating targets, so a graded shift in the SP9:DLX ratio becomes a discrete fate choice. An SP9 variant linked to neurodevelopmental disorders impairs the activator mode.
With thanks to the team, collaborators, and to #SFARI, the #DFG and the #NLMFF.
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New preprint from the lab!
How do brain progenitors choose between D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons? We find the *relative levels* of SP9 and DLX TFs tip the balance: SP9 activates D2 genes at promoters, and represses D1 enhancers via DLX/NuRD.
Proud of the team — combining sparse in vivo CRISPR, lineage barcoding, scRNA-seq, ChIP-seq, CUT&RUN and proteomics for mechanistic depth in in vivo functional genomics.
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New preprint from the lab!
How do brain progenitors choose between D1 and D2 medium spiny neurons? We find the *relative levels* of SP9 and DLX TFs tip the balance: SP9 activates D2 genes at promoters, and represses D1 enhancers via DLX/NuRD.
Proud of the team — combining sparse in vivo CRISPR, lineage barcoding, scRNA-seq, ChIP-seq, CUT&RUN and proteomics for mechanistic depth in in vivo functional genomics.
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BMS Seminar:
Kristian Franze (PDN, Cambridge & MPZPM, Erlangen)
The chemo-mechanical regulation of brain development
TODAY! 1315 in MTC LT Gibbet Hill
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BMS Seminar:
Kristian Franze (PDN, Cambridge & MPZPM, Erlangen)
The chemo-mechanical regulation of brain development
TODAY! 1315 in MTC LT Gibbet Hill
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Pierced ears and ear rings: Epithelial fusion and fracture in the developing zebrafish inner ear
Professor Tanya Whitfield
School of Biosciences, University of SheffieldWednesday 22 April 2026
1.15pm-2.15pm
IBRB Lecture Theatre, Gibbet Hill Campus -
Pierced ears and ear rings: Epithelial fusion and fracture in the developing zebrafish inner ear
Professor Tanya Whitfield
School of Biosciences, University of SheffieldWednesday 22 April 2026
1.15pm-2.15pm
IBRB Lecture Theatre, Gibbet Hill Campus -
NEW Paper from the Saunders lab
Identification of optimal fluorophores for use in the Drosophila embryo
Chapa-y-Lazo et al.
https://www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10.1091/mbc.E25-12-0600
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NEW Paper from the Saunders lab
Identification of optimal fluorophores for use in the Drosophila embryo
Chapa-y-Lazo et al.
https://www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10.1091/mbc.E25-12-0600
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The ABC of my fave things in this paper:
* ABOLISHING both silencing AND leakiness of SynNotch (check out the DTA-based demo of this 😍) while preserving high efficiency, in pluripotent & differentiating cells
* BOOSTING signal during #PUFFFIN neighbour-labelling
* CITING Robbie Burns (1786) 🏴
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.22.713470v1
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The ABC of my fave things in this paper:
* ABOLISHING both silencing AND leakiness of SynNotch (check out the DTA-based demo of this 😍) while preserving high efficiency, in pluripotent & differentiating cells
* BOOSTING signal during #PUFFFIN neighbour-labelling
* CITING Robbie Burns (1786) 🏴
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.22.713470v1
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Favourite talk so far at BSDB2026 was from Cliff Tabin, entitled 'Quack science':
Proper hardcore dev-bio airway-patterning mechanisms... explaining distinct vocalisations in birds!
Estrogen modulates developmental signalling, explaining why male (but not female) ducks can whistle as well as quack.
Left-Right asymmetry during development of airways explains why some songbirds can harmonise with themselves.
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Favourite talk so far at BSDB2026 was from Cliff Tabin, entitled 'Quack science':
Proper hardcore dev-bio airway-patterning mechanisms... explaining distinct vocalisations in birds!
Estrogen modulates developmental signalling, explaining why male (but not female) ducks can whistle as well as quack.
Left-Right asymmetry during development of airways explains why some songbirds can harmonise with themselves.
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The Node welcomes Andrea Murillo as the new Community Manager. Here she introduces herself to our #DevBio and #StemCell communities. https://thenode.biologists.com/hi-from-the-new-community-manager/news/
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The Node welcomes Andrea Murillo as the new Community Manager. Here she introduces herself to our #DevBio and #StemCell communities. https://thenode.biologists.com/hi-from-the-new-community-manager/news/
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PASEDB community 🤩
We are excited to announce our first Research Webinar series called:
⭐️EvoDevo Mondays⭐️
Save the date - April 13
With our amazing speakers Luiza de Oliveira Saad and João Francisco Botelho
Session chair Professor Natalia Pabón-Mora
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Song et al. discover and characterize three co-opted/captured ERV envelope gene clades, revealing that each plays a distinct and critical role in neural regulation, reproductive maturation, and viviparity in vertebrates.
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Song et al. discover and characterize three co-opted/captured ERV envelope gene clades, revealing that each plays a distinct and critical role in neural regulation, reproductive maturation, and viviparity in vertebrates.
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I love the cover of the latest issue of Development @Co_Biologists
As Alex Eve posted over on Bluesky: "the latest cover helps to remind us that Development is not just a faceless brand of a journal eager to line shareholder pockets - it's a group of people who share a love for #devbio and, in my experience, really are trying to do their best for their community."
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I love the cover of the latest issue of Development @Co_Biologists
As Alex Eve posted over on Bluesky: "the latest cover helps to remind us that Development is not just a faceless brand of a journal eager to line shareholder pockets - it's a group of people who share a love for #devbio and, in my experience, really are trying to do their best for their community."
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Hello, here is a review I wrote about how cells sometimes try to synchronise with surrounding cells so that they can do a good job of building tissues during development. It is called "Keeping up with the neighbours"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44319-025-00662-8
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Hello, here is a review I wrote about how cells sometimes try to synchronise with surrounding cells so that they can do a good job of building tissues during development. It is called "Keeping up with the neighbours"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44319-025-00662-8
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Apply for Development's Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, supporting postdocs in #devbio and #stemcell research during the transition to their first group leader position: https://www.biologists.com/grants/development-pathway-independence
Application deadline: 2 February 2026.
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Apply for Development's Pathway to Independence (PI) programme, supporting postdocs in #devbio and #stemcell research during the transition to their first group leader position: https://www.biologists.com/grants/development-pathway-independence
Application deadline: 2 February 2026.
