Let's get this hashtag started! The 2026 Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting is happen this August! We will share updates using #SCDB26.
Can't wait!
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
Registration is OPEN for the 2026 Santa Cruz Meeting on Developmental Biology!!! Please spread the word!
@mads100tist.bsky.social @socdevbio.bsky.social @bsdb.bsky.social @xenbase.bsky.social @isdb.bsky.social @devbiol.bsky.social @the-node.bsky.social
scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu
Switching fields or wanting to become an expert in #zebrafish research?
The @mblscience.bsky.social 2026 Zebrafish Development & Genetics course offers a fantastic opportunity to learn from leaders in the field!
Application deadline: March 2
Please spread the word!
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
Beautiful work, congrats!
SAVE THE DATE! Stoked to organize the 2026 Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting with @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, @lowelab.bsky.social, and Shelbi Russell. Come learn about Biomedicine, Biomechanics, and the Biosphere, August 24-28, 2026. Registration dates, etc., coming soon! Please RT
Couldn’t have done this without Emilio’s hard work 🎉 Huge thanks to our amazing co-authors, collaborators, and @CIHR for supporting this fundamental research! #Zebrafish #Fibroblast #CellMigration #Chemoattraction #DevBiol 8/8
Model
Together, Emilio’s work demonstrates that Pdgfab/Pdgfra signaling-mediated chemoattraction guides the migration of fibroblast precursors to specific locations, where they diversify into distinct fibroblast subtypes. 7/8
Mosaic rescue
Mosaic expression of Pdgfab is sufficient to restore fibroblast precursor migration locally, and can even redirect them to ectopic locations. These results suggest that Pdgfab functions as a chemoattractant. 6/8
pdgfab mutant
What is the ligand for Pdgfra? Interestingly, pdgfab is expressed in the medial somite, flanking the migratory path of fibroblast precursors. Loss of pdgfab specifically impairs medial migration of fibroblast precursors toward the notochord. 5/8
DN Pdgfra
Using a dominant-negative Pdgfra tool, we found that Pdgfra functions cell-autonomously to regulate fibroblast precursor migration. 4/8
pdgfra mutant
Platelet-derived growth factor receptor a (pdgfra) is specifically expressed in sclerotome progenitors. Loss of Pdgfra in a gene-trap mutant results in severe defects in the migration of sclerotome-derived fibroblast precursors in all directions. 3/8
Sclerotome-derived fibroblasts
Fibroblasts are found in nearly all vertebrate organs. But how are fibroblast precursors instructed to migrate and populate diverse tissues during embryonic development? We previously showed that the sclerotome of the somite is an embryonic source of diverse fibroblast subtypes in zebrafish. 2/8
Thrilled to share our latest work from my fantastic postdoc fellow Dr. Emilio Méndez-Olivos: Pdgfab/Pdgfra-mediated chemoattraction guides the migration of sclerotome-derived fibroblast precursors in zebrafish, now published in @plosbiology.org! 1/8
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
Thank you Kevin! You rock!
Thank you, Fred!
Thanks, Ruben!
Big thanks to all our co-authors for their contributions, and to #CIHR for supporting this fundamental research! #zebrafish #devbio 8/8
Together, our findings highlight that dynamic regulation of BMP signaling is crucial for sclerotome induction and the diversification of its derivatives during zebrafish development. 7/8
Functionally, sustained BMP signaling prevents the differentiation of tenocytes (tendon fibroblasts) in the trunk, while BMP inhibition disrupts fin mesenchymal cell morphogenesis. 6/8
Interestingly, BMP responsiveness differs among sclerotome-derived cell populations: notochord-associated cells in the medial trunk show no BMP response, whereas fin mesenchymal cells in the fin fold maintain high-level of BMP signaling. 5/8
Using mosaic expression of a dominant-negative BMP receptor, we demonstrated that BMP signaling induces sclerotome fate in a cell-autonomous manner. 4/8
Gain- and loss-of-function experiments show that BMP signaling is both necessary and sufficient for sclerotome induction. For example, activating BMP signaling induces sclerotome markers at the expense of dermomyotome markers. 3/8
The sclerotome is an embryonic source of the axial skeleton and many tissue-supporting cells like fibroblasts. We found that several BMP ligands, including bmp4, are expressed in sclerotome progenitors and in cells adjacent to sclerotome-derived lineages such as fin mesenchymal cells. 2/8
Excited to share our latest work led by my PhD student Linjun Xie on sclerotome development: Dynamic BMP signaling regulates sclerotome induction and lineage diversification in zebrafish, now published on @dev-journal.bsky.social! #zebrafish #devbio 1/8 doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Congrats! Well deserved!!
A meme-style comic panel with three parts. Left: A stylized enhancer with a mutation, surrounded by colored blocks representing functional motifs, a neural network diagram, chromatin accessibility signal traces, and a sequence motif. Two cartoon mouse embryos below show different LacZ reporter activity patterns. Top right: A hand hovers anxiously between two red buttons labeled “Experiments” and “AI,” with the caption “HOW DO ENHANCERS REALLY WORK?” Bottom right: A sweating superhero wipes his forehead, looking stressed about the difficult choice.
Textbooks: “Enhancers are just a bunch of TFBSs”
But how do they REALLY work?
New paper with many contributors here @berkeleylab.lbl.gov, @anshulkundaje.bsky.social, @anusri.bsky.social
A 🧵 (1/n)
Free access link: rdcu.be/erD22
Switching fields and/or wanting to become an expert in #zebrafish research?
The @mblscience.bsky.social 2025 Zebrafish Development & Genetics course offers a fantastic opportunity to learn from leaders in the field!
(New & final) Application deadline: March 28
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
The 12th Canadian Developmental Biology Conference will take place in the beautiful city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, in May 25-28, 2025. The registration is still open. event.fourwaves.com/12cdb/pages
Congratulations, well-deserved!!
Cool story. Congratulations, David!!
