Gastruloid patterning reflects division of labor among biased stem cell clones

This study demonstrates that rather than minimizing cellular heterogeneity, proper axial organization in gastruloids emerges from a division of labor among intrinsically biased stem cell clones, where the mixing of distinct anterior- and posterior-prone populations restores developmental precision that pure clones cannot achieve alone.

Ayyappan, V., Triandafillou, C., Sarma, K. + 1 more2026-04-15📄 developmental biology

Loss of MITF activity leads to emergent cell states from the melanocyte stem cell lineage

This study demonstrates that in zebrafish, the transcription factor MITF safeguards melanocyte stem cell fate during embryogenesis and is essential for adult regeneration, as its loss triggers premature progenitor expansion, the emergence of novel transcriptional states, and stage-specific defects in pigment cell lineages.

Brombin, A., MacMaster, S., Travnickova, J. + 8 more2026-04-12📄 developmental biology

Real-time, label-free assessment of cell fusion dynamics by high-content imaging

This paper presents a robust, label-free, high-content live-cell imaging pipeline that enables real-time, quantitative analysis of cell fusion dynamics by integrating automated image acquisition with texture-based segmentation and morphology metrics to distinguish true fusion events from clustering, thereby facilitating mechanistic studies and high-throughput screening of fusion modulators.

Shinde, S., Bhide, A., RASAL, P. + 1 more2026-04-10📄 developmental biology

Sex-specific multigenerational epigenetic responses to real-world chemical mixture exposure in an outbred sheep model

This study demonstrates that gestational exposure to low-level environmental chemical mixtures in an outbred sheep model induces widespread, sex-specific, and lineage-dependent epigenetic changes that persist intergenerationally but face challenges in distinguishing true transgenerational inheritance from genetically regulated methylation variation.

Hargreaves, O. G., Kwong, W. Y., Warry, A. + 6 more2026-04-10📄 developmental biology

Injury-induced Cxcl11 and neutrophil signaling drive zebrafish kidney regeneration by generating a nephrogenic niche of Fgf and Wnt expression

This study demonstrates that injury-induced Cxcl11 and neutrophil signaling drive zebrafish kidney regeneration by activating an innate immune response that establishes a nephrogenic niche characterized by coordinated Fgf and Wnt signaling, which is essential for activating stem cells and forming new functional nephrons.

Olajuyin, O., Schenk, H., Sampson, W. G. B. + 13 more2026-04-10📄 developmental biology

3D imaging of the pregnant uterus reveals an extensively invasive mouse placenta requiring CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling

By utilizing 3D imaging and genetic perturbations, this study reveals that the mouse placenta invades uterine spiral arteries more extensively than previously recognized and that disrupting early CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling leads to excessive trophoblast invasion mimicking human placenta accreta, thereby establishing the mouse as a superior model for studying balanced uteroplacental development.

Zwierzynski, J. B., Moufarrej, M. N., Red-Horse, K.2026-04-09📄 developmental biology

Efficient generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells by robotic automation

This study demonstrates that a flexible robotic platform integrated with machine learning can standardize and optimize the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into hematopoietic progenitor cells, significantly reducing experimental variability and uncovering superior culture conditions that are difficult to identify through conventional manual methods.

Adachi, K., Okazaki, N., Sugiyama, A. + 6 more2026-04-09📄 developmental biology

A Developmental Single-Cell Atlas of the Drosophila Visual System Glia Reveals Cell Type Diversification and Subcellular mRNA Compartmentalization

This study presents a comprehensive developmental single-cell atlas of Drosophila visual system glia, revealing how cell type diversity arises through distinct maturation trajectories and uncovering a novel mechanism of subcellular mRNA compartmentalization that distinguishes the transcriptomes of glial cell bodies from their processes.

A. G. Ferreira, A., Cordoba, S., Rajesh, R. + 2 more2026-04-08📄 developmental biology