📄 Category

developmental biology

188 papers

Developmental biology explores the incredible journey of how a single cell transforms into a complex, living organism. This field investigates the molecular switches and cellular conversations that guide growth, tissue formation, and the emergence of unique body structures, helping us understand both the origins of life and the roots of developmental disorders.

At Gist.Science, we ensure you never miss a breakthrough by processing every new preprint in this category from bioRxiv. Our team provides both plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries for each paper, making cutting-edge research accessible to everyone regardless of their scientific background.

Below are the latest studies in developmental biology, offering fresh insights into how life takes shape.

📄 developmental biology

Comprehensive Lineage Tracing Maps the Landscape of Cell Fate Decisions in Mouse Embryogenesis

By integrating the PEtracer lineage tracing method with deep transcriptional profiling across over 1.5 million cells from 16 mouse embryos, this study constructs a comprehensive, quantitative cell fate map that reveals reproducible lineage architectures and elucidates how lineage, spatial position, and signaling jointly govern cell fate decisions during early mammalian development.

Colgan, W. N., Koblan, L. W., Villagrana, J., Hou, T.-C. J., Wang, M., Gowri, G., Chandler, W., Sepulveda, L. A., Ciftci (…)2026-05-09
📄 developmental biology

Self-organized hemanoids derived from human iPSCs create a niche that produces definitive extraembryonic hematopoiesis.

This study demonstrates that self-organized hemanoids derived from human iPSCs create a supportive niche that mimics extraembryonic hematopoiesis to efficiently generate red blood cells, offering a valuable platform for both clinical translation and understanding early human blood development.

Avdili, A., Auer, M., Brislinger, D., Kolb, D., Moser, G., Reinisch, A., Hoefler, G., Bernecker, C., Fuchs, J., Feichtin (…)2026-05-08
📄 developmental biology

Macrophage metabolism directs regenerative versus fibrotic healing through BMP signaling in the mouse digit tip

This study reveals that a regeneration-specific macrophage population, driven by a metabolic switch toward fatty acid oxidation and localized to the bone front in mouse digit tips, promotes regenerative healing via BMP signaling, whereas its absence in scar-forming injuries leads to fibrosis.

Sammarco, M. C., Liu, S., Su, N., Ramesh, M., Raymond, C., Carleton, J., Le, A., Trostle, A. J., Tower, R., Simkin, J.2026-05-07
📄 developmental biology

Diet-derived Microbial Metabolites Modulate Stress-Responsive Gene Expression in Germ-free Zebrafish

Using a robogut bioreactor system, this study demonstrates that while diverse diets and fiber supplements yield distinct short-chain fatty acid profiles with minimal impact on microbial composition, the resulting diet-derived metabolites specifically mitigate stress-induced *bdnf* expression in germ-free zebrafish, highlighting the critical role of donor-specific microbial metabolite output in modulating host neurodevelopmental and immune responses.

Capistrano, J. D. R., Ketheeswaranathan, B., Horn, M. S., Tran, P. N. G., Ball, T., Chirmade, S., Vancuren, S. J., Ma, D (…)2026-05-07
📄 developmental biology

A JNK-interacting protein 1 acts across the midline to mediate synaptic localization of the SARM1 calcium-signaling scaffold protein for asymmetric neuronal fate choice

This study reveals that the conserved JNK-interacting protein JIP-1 acts non-cell autonomously in the AWCON neuron to mediate the synaptic localization of the TIR-1/SARM1 calcium-signaling scaffold, thereby driving the asymmetric fate specification of the AWC olfactory neuron pair in *C. elegans*.

Hsieh, Y.-W., Yuan, S., Yang, J., Siete, C., Chuang, C.-F.2026-05-05
📄 developmental biology

Wunen(s) help navigate Primordial Germ Cells by attenuating Hedgehog signaling

This study demonstrates that Wunen and Wunen2 guide Drosophila primordial germ cell migration by attenuating Hedgehog signaling through both non-autonomous and autonomous mechanisms, specifically by inhibiting Smoothened membrane localization and preventing the precocious clumping of germ cells.

Roy, A. E., Roy, A. E., Ibragimov, A., DaSilva, J., Kumar, K., Schedl, P., Kamat, S. S., Ratnaparkhi, G. S., Deshpande (…)2026-05-05
📄 developmental biology

Plac1 Ablation Disrupts Signaling Pathways Essential for Prenatal Development and Induces a Preeclampsia-Associated Transcriptomic Signature

This study demonstrates that ablation of the X-linked gene Plac1 disrupts essential signaling pathways governing placental development and induces a preeclampsia-associated transcriptomic signature, leading to fetal growth restriction and increased embryopathy risk consistent with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework.

Jackman, S., Kong, X., Piao, Y., Sharov, A., Lehrmann, E., Varshine, A., Nagaraja, R., Schlessinger, D., Fant, M. E.2026-05-04
📄 developmental biology

H2A.Z levels control the timing of major events at the maternal-zygotic transition

This study demonstrates that the dosage of the histone variant H2Av/H2A.Z acts as a conserved timer controlling the timing of key maternal-zygotic transition events, such as cell cycle progression and transcript turnover, while also revealing that its nuclear abundance specifically regulates cell cycle timing but not the full scope of transcriptome remodeling.

Phromsiri, P., Wei, X., Makowski, C. E., Reger, N., Nguyen, D. K., Alam, H. M., Shindo, Y., Amodeo, A., Murphy, P. J., M (…)2026-04-29
📄 developmental biology

Concomitant DNA hydroxymethylation and histone H2B O-GlcNAcylation are prerequisites for zygotic genome activation in mice

This study reveals that successful zygotic genome activation in mice requires the coordinated action of Tet3-mediated DNA hydroxymethylation and OGT-mediated histone H2B O-GlcNAcylation on the paternal chromatin, where Stella selectively restricts OGT to the paternal genome to establish a dual epigenetic signature essential for transcriptional reprogramming.

Nakamura, T., Furuta, A., Nakatani, T., Nakano, T.2026-04-27