The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family of growth factors control the development
and homeostasis of most tissues in metazoan organisms. Work over the past few years has …

BACKGROUND Classic embryological studies showed that diffusible factors (morphogens)
influence cell fate during dorsal-ventral (DV) axis patterning. Subsequently, mathematical …

In Darwin's and Mendel's times, researchers investigated a wealth of organisms, chosen to
solve particular problems for which they seemed especially well suited. Later, a focus on a …

The world's most revered and eloquent interpreter of evolutionary ideas offers here a work of
explanatory force unprecedented in our time—a landmark publication, both for its historical …

A recurrent theme in embryonic development and tissue regeneration is that cells
communicate with each other using just a handful of conserved families of signaling …

Signals released by the Spemann organizer of the amphibian gastrula can directly induce
neural tissue from ectoderm and can dorsalize ventral mesoderm to form muscle. The …

The success of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism is largely due to the power of
forward genetic screens to identify the genes that are involved in a biological process …

Although evolutionary developmental biology is a new field, its origins lie in the last century;
the search for connections between embryonic development (ontogeny) and evolutionary …

Chordin (Chd) is an abundant protein secreted by Spemann organizer tissue during
gastrulation. Chd antagonizes signaling by mature bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) by …

The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) constitute a large family of cytokines related to
members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily. Recent evidence, in particular from …