Genes are the control panel for an embryo morphing from a ball of cells into organs, muscles, and limbs, but there's more involved than just genetics. There's also physics—the shaping of tissues ...

Visualization of the Hox gene Scr transcription in a live embryo. Nuclei are shown in blue (tagged histone), and transcription foci appear in white. Transcription can be detected just prior to the ...

HOX epimutations driven by maternal SMCHD1/LRIF1 haploinsufficiency trigger homeotic transformations in genetically wildtype offspring. Nature Communications , 2022; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022 ...

HOX proteins act like the body's "zip code," specifying the position of limbs in the fetus by encoding instructions for transcription factors, which attach to DNA and influence the action of genes.

Ironically, Hox genes are responsible for the healthy growth of brain tissue but are ordinarily silenced at birth after vigorous activity in the growing embryo.

The internal clock regulating embryo development. ... Sequential and directional insulation by conserved CTCF sites underlies the Hox timer in stembryos, Nature Genetics (2023).

Image: Courtesy of William McGinnis LOTSALEGS: The six-limbed fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster As school children are commonly taught, adult insects have six legs. No more, no less. But there's more ...

The development of an embryo is a well-orchestrated string of processes, ensuring correct formation and positioning of vital organs of the growing organism. At the molecular level, these processes ...