mechanochemistryNEW 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
Sally LowellThe 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
KELPE: knock-in exchangeable dual landing pad embryonic stem cells enable efficient screening of synthetic gene circuits
The establishment of genetic circuits in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) allows to model and manipulate developmental events. However, prototyping complex circuitry remains challenging, due to limitations in screening circuit components and transgene silencing. Here, we introduce KELPE: PSCs with two silencing-resistant insulated genomic landing pads targeted to genomic safe harbour sites. KELPE cells enable the stable integration of multiple transgenes into the same genomic region, facilitating fair comparisons of genetic circuit components. We demonstrate this by fine-tuning "synthetic neighbour-labelling" technologies. We first generate optimised PUFFFIN PSCs, which report on cell-cell interactions by fluorescently labelling wild-type neighbours. We then generate new synNotch "receiver" PSCs, which can trigger expression of any transgene following interaction with a synthetic ligand presented by "sender" cells of interest. We describe an optimised circuit syntax that abolishes ligand-independent transgene induction in receiver PSCs, and showcase this by synthetically programming cell death in receiver cells engineered to express a toxin following interaction with sender cells. In summary, we describe a new cell line that facilitates silencing-resistant transgene expression and prototyping of synthetic biology tools in a developmentally-relevant model. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.
Daniel MacPhee 🔬🧬🧫🇨🇦“Non-coding RNAs turn out to regulate everything from embryonic development to immune responses to brain function. They help determine which genes get turned on and off, and when. They can promote cancer or suppress it.”
#Science #Scicomm #RNA #Medicine #DevBio
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2026/noncoding-rna-molecules-in-cells
#Science #Scicomm #RNA #Medicine #DevBio
https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/living-world/2026/noncoding-rna-molecules-in-cells
XenbaseSave the date! Xenopus Resources and Emerging Technologies (XRET) Meeting: October 2-5, 2026 at MBL, Woods Hole, MA https://www.xenbase.org/xenbase/doNewsRead.do?id=1048 #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs
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.
@Co_BiologistsThe 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/
Spatial Mapping of Kidney Development and Disease Mechanisms in Xenopus laevis: Wednesday, April 1st 2026 @ 11:00AM EDT. Hosted by Dr. Rachel Miller and Dr. Adrian Romero Mora. https://my.demio.com/ref/2ZwGxz9PLnnJ0BFR #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs
EvoDevo PanAmPASEDB 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
Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting: August 24-28. 2026 - University of California, Santa Cruz. Registration now open: https://scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu/ #science #devbio #xenopus #frogs
