Transcription factor osr2 is identified as a specific marker and regulator of mural lymphatic endothelial cell (muLEC) differentiation and maintenance, and muLECs and border-associated macrophages sha...

In development, cells navigate highly complex gene-regulatory landscapes to make fate choices. Steinschaden et al. synthesize concepts of multilineage priming, microheterogeneity, and collective multi...

Nature Reviews Cancer, Published online: 16 January 2026; doi:10.1038/s41568-025-00905-9Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is defined by a fibroinflammatory microenvironment, which influences both disease progression and therapy response. In this Review, Arnold et al. outline our current understanding of the complex interplay between the stromal elements of the tumour microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and present ways we might use this knowledge to develop better therapeutic strategies for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Using pancreatic organoids, Lee et al. show that the balance between epithelial tissue permeability-driven lumenal pressure and cell proliferation affects ductal morphogenesis.

Closely related subtypes of dopamine-releasing neurons may play entirely separate roles in processing sensory information, depending on their physical structure.

Makwana, Tilley et al. generate human stem cell-based trunk-like structures approximating Carnegie stage 13–14 of development. They use them to model and study the development of the thoracic and lumbar trunk.

Even before the advent of multicellular life, unicellular creatures would communicate with their neighbours to coordinate their behaviours. Multicellular organisms have the particular challenge of orc...

Mapping of the neutrophil compartment using single-cell transcriptional data from multiple physiological and patological states reveals its organizational architecture and how cell state dynamics and ...

Stem cell–derived mesodermal organoids reveal how signaling centers guide cell fate and tissue organization.

New research from King’s College London shows how different cell types develop, assemble and interact to build a functioning pancreas.

The formation of neural circuits depends on the precise spatial and temporal organisation of neuronal populations during development. In the vertebrate spinal cord, progenitors are patterned into mole...

This study establishes the pig as a complementary model for studying human pancreas development. It shows pigs mimic human developmental tempo, gene regulation, and endocrine cell emergence, offering ...

Here they perform a systematic dissection of OCT4 and reveal how intrinsically disordered regions can be used to serve specific functions during reprogramming and embryonic development. This can be exploited to engineer more efficient and specific reprogramming factors.

McCreery, Stubb et al. show that mechano-osmotic changes in the nucleus induce general transcriptional repression and prime chromatin for cell fate transitions by relieving repression of specific differentiation genes.