Resorption and remodelling of skeletal tissues is required for development and growth,
mechanical adaptation, repair, and mineral homeostasis of the vertebrate skeleton. Here we …

It is usually thought that the development of complex organisms is controlled by protein
regulatory factors and morphogenetic signals exchanged between cells and differentiating …

James A. Shapiro proposes an important new paradigm for understanding biological
evolution, the core organizing principle of biology. Shapiro introduces crucial new molecular …

A reduction in the number of digits has evolved many times in tetrapods, particularly in
cursorial mammals that travel over deserts and plains, yet the underlying developmental …

The majority of the skeletal elements, except the flat bones of the skull, are formed by
endochondral ossification, in which cartilage is replaced by bone. The formation of cartilage …

The elimination of unwanted cells by programmed cell death is a common feature of animal
development. Genetic studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly …

Biological tissues must generate forces to shape organs and achieve proper development.
Such forces often result from the contraction of an apical acto-myosin meshwork. Here we …

Mutations that disrupt function of the human inwardly rectifying potassium channel KIR2. 1
are associated with the craniofacial and digital defects of Andersen-Tawil Syndrome, but the …

The Apical Ectodermal Ridge (AER) is one of the main signaling centers during limb
development. It controls outgrowth and patterning in the proximo-distal axis. In the last few …

In vertebrate limbs that lack webbing, the embryonic interdigit region is removed by
programmed cell death (PCD). Established models suggest that bone morphogenetic …