Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology (CCRB)

The people behind the papers – Juan Fons and Abigail Tucker The outer ear, called the pinna, predominantly consists of muscle and cartilage, but the molecular mechanisms that shape the developing pinna remain poorly understood. In a new study, Juan Fons, Abiga...

The paper was highlighted in this issue of the journal and the authors were interviewed by the journal for a “The people behind the papers”.

Read here: journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

This work could provide framework for understanding the mechanisms underlying microtia, a birth defect affecting pinna morphology and often associated with hearing loss in individuals with congenital disorders.

Congratulations to all authors!

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This interaction is mediated through FGFs secreted by the muscle, which signal to the developing cartilage, where they upregulate BMP4 expression. BMP4, in turn, induces the expression of Sox9, a master transcription factor for cartilage differentiation.

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In this paper that the authors show the role of the auricular muscle in regulating pinna development. The muscle (mesoderm-derived) instructs differentiation of the cartilage (derived from neural crest).

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Immunofluorescence image of the forming mouse pinna at E14.5. 12-101 (muscle marker) is in red, Sox9 (cartilage and Schwann cell precursor marker) is in green and DAPI nuclear stain is in blue. Note the close proximity of the muscle and pinna cartilage cells.

New paper from the Tucker lab at @ccrb27.bsky.social published in @dev-journal.bsky.social !

Analysis of Eya1 and Tbx1 mutants highlights interactions between the muscle and developing cartilage during external ear formation.

Link: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

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Chick embryo injected unilaterally with a Foxk2 morpholino and stained for Six1

Using this approach, the authors predict and experimentally validate a novel driver of placode development, the transcription factor FOXK2.

Congratulations to all authors!

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Integrating this new data with previously published scRNA-seq from the lab, the paper explores dynamics of chromatin accessibility across emerging cell types and infers a gene regulatory network controlling the specification of cranial placodes.

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This work led by Eva Hamrud presents a single cell ATAC-seq atlas of the developing chick ectoderm across stages that coincides with the emergence of major cell lineages from the neural plate border.

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Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility during cell fate specification at the neural plate border During development, dynamic changes in gene expression and chromatin architecture drive the transition from progenitors to specialised cell types. Here we use single cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq) ...

New paper from the Streit lab at @ccrb27.bsky.social published in @dev-journal.bsky.social !

Dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility during cell fate specification at the neural plate border.

Link: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

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This paper, published at the Journal of Anatomy, is the third publication this year for PhD Student Ticha, which is a tremendous achievement!

@kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @kingsdentistry.bsky.social

#TMJ
#TemporomandibularJoint
#Fibrocartilage

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In the paper authors show that the fibrocartilage of the murine glenoid fossa and condyle of the TMJ are shown to form at distinct times with distinct molecular identities. Changes in the condyle during disease lead to remodelling of the fossa to maintain joint alignment.

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Graphical abstract summarising the key findings of the paper.

New paper from the Tucker lab at @ccrb27.bsky.social !

Authors Ticha Tuwatnawanit, @nanthwal.bsky.social and collagues analysed the formation and molecular identity of the glenoid fossa of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

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Muscle Regeneration Can Be Rescued in a Telomerase Deficient Zebrafish Model of Ageing by MMP Inhibition Inhibition of MMP9/13 restores both muSC behaviour and regeneration, while macrophage ablation enhances muSC recruitment to the injury, but fails to improve muscle repair in telomerase-deficient zebr...

Looking forward the group aims to test whether MMP9 inhibition can be used as a therapeutic for improving muscle function in ageing mammals.

Congratulations to all authors!

Read the paper here: doi.org/10.1111/acel...

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First author Dr. Julie Yue Yuan showed MMP9 inhibition acted on inflammatory cells to promote a more effective migratory response of muscle stem cells, resulting in improved muscle repair in telomerase mutants.

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New paper from @ccrb27.bsky.social out in Aging Cell!

Work from Robert Knight’s group showed an exciting effect for a metalloprotease inhibitor in enhancing muscle regeneration in a zebrafish model of accelerated ageing.

@kingsdentistry.bsky.social
#Regeneration
#Zebrafish
#MuscleRepair

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Photos of carved pumpkins with different designs

It's Halloween in CCRB! Today we held our traditional Pumpkin Carving Competition, and it was a very competitive one!
Congratulations to @karenjliu.bsky.social 's lab for the win!
Can you guess which was the winner?

This review highlights emerging research that has located progenitor cells in and around the superficial layers of the condyle of the TMJ that can contribute to growth and homeostasis, providing potential targets for regenerative therapies.

#TMJ
#RegenerativeMedicine
#JournalDentalResearch

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The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a crucial part of our daily lives, playing a role in mastication and communication. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are highly prevalent ( 34%-38% of world population), but therapies are challenging due to the limited self-repair capability of the TMJ.

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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New review from our centre published in the Journal of Dental Research!

Activating Endogenous Condylar Stem Cells to Enhance TMJ Repair

doi.org/10.1177/0022...

Congratulations Ticha Tuwatnawanit, @nanthwal.bsky.social and Abigail for this publication!
@kingsdentistry.bsky.social

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This study was led by Maricci Basa and recently published at @journalofanatomy.bsky.social
It is a collaboration between Abigail Tucker and @nanthwal.bsky.social at @ccrb27.bsky.social and @rnf.bsky.social at @ucl-c4ia.bsky.social
Congratulations to all authors!

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The wide gape of snakes: A comparison of the developing mandibular symphysis in sauropsids Our analysis explores the adaptations at the mandibular symphysis required to allow extreme lower jaw mobility in macrostomate snakes taking a comparative approach.

Follow the link below for myth-busting snake ‘chin’ descriptions that will leave your mouth agape 🐍😮

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

"The wide gape of snakes: A comparison of the developing mandibular symphysis in sauropsids"

#ComparativeAnatomy #Evolution #Snakes #Jaws

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CCRB paper alert!
Most snakes can open their mouths so wide they can consume food that is much larger than their own head. This is partly due to their ‘free’ mandibular symphysis, found to be both bone and cartilage-free. So, how ‘free’ is that symphyseal gap?

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A great way to end the week with some evo devo! A one day meeting hosted by @qmul.bsky.social #UKEvoDevo @biologists.bsky.social @chemamd.bsky.social

As the sun sets over beautiful bustling Liverpool we reflect back on the great week we've had at the #biologists100 and how we were in truly great company with @biologists.bsky.social #liverpool #scouse #development #experimentalbiology #cellbiology

Topping off a fantastic #biologists100 conference with a stimulating panel discussion @biologists.bsky.social

Last night's #biologists100 gala dinner was trés fancy! @biologists.bsky.social you clean up nicely 💅💃 #stgeorgeshall #liverpool #galadinner

Day 2 of #biologists100 starts with two fantastic climate change talks from Hans-Otto Portner and Jane Francis. Both with the message that we need to act now! @biologists.bsky.social @ipcc.bsky.social @bas.ac.uk

We're here in sunny seaside Liverpool for the @biologists.bsky.social 100 year anniversary meeting #100biologists

I'm running the 2025 London Marathon for the Bone Cancer Research Trust Help Michael Dack raise money to support Bone Cancer Research Trust

Support our PhD student Michael Dack and #TeamBones to raise money for Bone Cancer Research by running the 2025 #LondonMarathon

To celebrate International Women's Day we recorded a special podcast series, interviewing 6 different women with different roles in our department. Check it out on Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7GoTzSh...