Ahh, pollen is in the air. Must be that time of year again…..to submit your abstracts and register for the 2026 SESDB meeting!

This image is amazing:) Excited to read!

Society for Developmental Biology Ethel Browne Harvey Postdoctoral Seminar Series Friday, March 13, 2026, 3:00pm - 4:00 pm Eastern Time Martha Echevarría-Andino (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Hoxa11/Hoxd11 transcription factors regulate extracellular matrix genes during osteochondral differentiation M. Fernanda Palominos (University of California, Berkeley) Novel craniofacial genes linked to extreme jaw evolution in pupfishes revealed by tissue-specific transcriptomics and speciation genomics

The next the Ethel Browne Harvey Postdoc Seminar will be held Friday, February 13 at 3 pm Eastern Time with Martha Echevarría-Andino @uwmadison.bsky.social and M. Fernanda Palominos @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social. Register today and join us. bit.ly/47QVIEK #SDBPostdocSeminar

Congrats! Can’t wait to read!

Don’t forget to register for the C. elegans topic meeting June 10-14 in Madison, WI. Early bird registration deadline this Friday 2/27! uwmadison.eventsair.com/mapsdev26/

Thanks T, and back at you! Look at us, just a bunch of science NuRDs

This project represents the best of collaborative, curiosity-driven science—from undergraduates at a PUI taking their first steps at the bench to a full research teams from R2 and R01 Universities uncovering how epigenetic systems maintain developmental fidelity.

Our findings highlight how transcriptional repression, chromatin remodeling, and histone methylation reprogramming synergize to prevent somatic tissues from adopting germline-like transcriptional states.

Thats not all...🔹 Using genetic knockdowns and large genomic sequencing analyses, we show that these complexes physically associate at SPR 5/MET 2 targets—revealing a coordinated, multilayered gene regulatory mechanism that maintains the germline–soma distinction.

In this study....drum roll🥁! 🔹 We found that compromising either the DREAM transcriptional repressor complex or the MEC NuRD chromatin remodeling/HDAC complex exacerbates the developmental delay and ectopic germline gene expression observed in spr 5; met 2 mutants.

*Major Highlights From Our Paper*
Our previous work demonstrates that SPR-5 (an H3K4 demethylase) and MET-2 (an H3K9 methyltransferase) normally work together during fertilization to erase inherited epigenetic marks and prevent germline genes from staying active in somatic tissues.

What makes this publication especially meaningful is that it started with CURE students from Oglethorpe University. Their initial experiments laid the foundation for a question that grew into a multi-institutional project including Emory University and Kennesaw State University.

The Dream and MEC NuRD complexes reinforce SPR-5/MET-2 maternal reprogramming to maintain the germline-soma distinction Abstract. The proper coordination of transcription factors, ATP dependent chromatin remodelers and histone modifications is essential for tissue specific g

Excited to Share Our New Publication in #GENETICS!

academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...

Check out our new publication of our research exploring how the DREAM and MEC NuRD complexes reinforce SPR 5/MET 2 maternal reprogramming to safeguard proper developmental cell fates in C. elegans.