About the cover
January 2008 Volume 4 No 1
A connection between bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling and iron balance is revealed by a
small molecule. Yu et al. (p 33) found a compound called dorsomorphin that can dorsalize zebrafish embryos by virtue of being an antagonist of BMP signaling, which has a role in various developmental processes.
Dorsomorphin also blocks the expression of the peptide hormone hepcidin, linking this critical iron
balance regulator with BMP signaling (see also News and Views by Anderson, p 15). Shown are several images of zebrafish embryos stained in situ to reveal changes in expression of dorsal and ventral markers before and after dorsomorphin treatment. Cover art by Erin Boyle based on images provided by Chetana Sachidanandan and Randall T. Peterson.