T cell development relies on a supportive epithelial microenvironment. Embryonic and postnatal epithelial progenitors have been identified in mice, but not humans. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Raggazzini et al. use scRNAseq, spatial sequencing, and clonogenic assays to identify a putative bipotent TEPC in pediatric human thymic tissue.

Abstract not available

During meiosis, the chromatin and transcriptome undergo prominent switches. Although recent studies have explored the genome reorganization during spermatogenesis, the chromatin remodeling in oogenesis and characteristics of homologous pairing remain largely elusive. We comprehensively compared chromatin structures and transcriptomes at successive substages of meiotic prophase in both female and male

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Koutsioumpa et al. (2023) investigate the maturation of low-threshold mechanoreceptor nerve endings in both hairy and glabrous skin types and discover a critical role for target-derived BMP in the development of Meissner corpuscles in glabrous (i.e., hairless) skin.

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Pokrajac et al. report that Wnt signaling in endothelial cells maintain CXCL4 expression in meningeal macrophages, which suppresses induction of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma by antagonizing the pro-tumor effects of CXCL12. This work highlights how homeostatic tissue macrophages can regulate early stages of tumor induction.

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Schülle et al. address the mechanism that lays down the mammalian body plan and show that the first step in this process is associated with the activity of two T-box transcription factors whose interactions outline territories that will be further elaborated during gastrulation.

In an article in this issue of Developmental Cell and in a second paper in Cancer Cell, Mahadevan et al. demonstrate that KrasG12D suppression remodels the immunosuppressive microenvironment of KrasG12D pancreatic cancers, recruits activated CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and epigenetically upregulates Fas expression in cancer cells, leading to tumor clearance via Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis.

RNA granule components occupy distinct positions within granules. However, the significance behind this organization is unclear. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Westerich et al. show that the periphery of the zebrafish germ granules promotes mRNA translation while its interior represses it, which is critical for germ cell establishment.