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Sea cucumbers: an emerging system in evo-devo EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-17 Margherita Perillo, Rosa Maria Sepe, Periklis Paganos, Alfonso Toscano, Rossella Annunziata
A challenge for evolutionary developmental (evo-devo) biology is to expand the breadth of research organisms used to investigate how animal diversity has evolved through changes in embryonic development. New experimental systems should couple a relevant phylogenetic position with available molecular tools and genomic resources. As a phylum of the sister group to chordates, echinoderms extensively contributed
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Development of the hyolaryngeal architecture in horseshoe bats: insights into the evolution of the pulse generation for laryngeal echolocation EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-07 Taro Nojiri, Masaki Takechi, Toshiko Furutera, Nicolas L. M. Brualla, Sachiko Iseki, Dai Fukui, Vuong Tan Tu, Fumiya Meguro, Daisuke Koyabu
The hyolaryngeal apparatus generates biosonar pulses in the laryngeally echolocating bats. The cartilage and muscles comprising the hyolarynx of laryngeally echolocating bats are morphologically modified compared to those of non-bat mammals, as represented by the hypertrophied intrinsic laryngeal muscle. Despite its crucial contribution to laryngeal echolocation, how the development of the hyolarynx
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The Cambrian fossil Pikaia, and the origin of chordate somites EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Thurston Lacalli
The Middle Cambrian fossil Pikaia has a regular series of vertical bands that, assuming chordate affinities, can be interpreted as septa positioned between serial myotomes. Whether Pikaia has a notochord and nerve cord is less certain, as the dorsal organ, which has no obvious counterpart in living chordates, is the only clearly defined axial structure extending the length of the body. Without a notochord
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Genome-wide identification and spatiotemporal expression analysis of cadherin superfamily members in echinoderms EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Macie M. Chess, William Douglas, Josiah Saunders, Charles A. Ettensohn
Cadherins are calcium-dependent transmembrane cell–cell adhesion proteins that are essential for metazoan development. They consist of three subfamilies: classical cadherins, which bind catenin, protocadherins, which contain 6–7 calcium-binding repeat domains, and atypical cadherins. Their functions include forming adherens junctions, establishing planar cell polarity (PCP), and regulating cell shape
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Nematostella vectensis exemplifies the exceptional expansion and diversity of opsins in the eyeless Hexacorallia EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-09-21 Kyle J. McCulloch, Leslie S. Babonis, Alicia Liu, Christina M. Daly, Mark Q. Martindale, Kristen M. Koenig
Opsins are the primary proteins responsible for light detection in animals. Cnidarians (jellyfish, sea anemones, corals) have diverse visual systems that have evolved in parallel with bilaterians (squid, flies, fish) for hundreds of millions of years. Medusozoans (e.g., jellyfish, hydroids) have evolved eyes multiple times, each time independently incorporating distinct opsin orthologs. Anthozoans
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Cnidofest 2022: hot topics in cnidarian research EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 James M. Gahan, Paulyn Cartwright, Matthew L. Nicotra, Christine E. Schnitzler, Patrick R. H. Steinmetz, Celina E. Juliano
The second annual Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting, aka “Cnidofest”, took place in Davis, California from 7 to 10th of September, 2022. The meeting brought together scientists using cnidarians to study molecular and cellular biology, development and regeneration, evo-devo, neurobiology, symbiosis, physiology, and comparative genomics. The diversity of topics and species represented in presentations
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Upregulation of Hox genes leading to caste-specific morphogenesis in a termite EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-27 Kohei Oguchi, Toru Miura
In social insects, interactions among colony members trigger caste differentiation with morphological modifications. In termite caste differentiation, caste-specific morphologies (such as mandibles in soldiers, genital organs in reproductives or wings in alates) are well developed during post-embryonic development under endocrine controls (e.g., juvenile hormone and ecdysone). Since body part-specific
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Expression and possible functions of a horizontally transferred glycosyl hydrolase gene, GH6-1, in Ciona embryogenesis EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-07-11 Kun-Lung Li, Keisuke Nakashima, Kanako Hisata, Noriyuki Satoh
The Tunicata or Urochordata is the only animal group with the ability to synthesize cellulose directly and cellulose is a component of the tunic that covers the entire tunicate body. The genome of Ciona intestinalis type A contains a cellulose synthase gene, CesA, that it acquired via an ancient, horizontal gene transfer. CesA is expressed in embryonic epidermal cells and functions in cellulose production
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Feedback circuits are numerous in embryonic gene regulatory networks and offer a stabilizing influence on evolution of those networks EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-06-16 Abdull Jesus Massri, Brennan McDonald, Gregory A. Wray, David R. McClay
The developmental gene regulatory networks (dGRNs) of two sea urchin species, Lytechinus variegatus (Lv) and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Sp), have remained remarkably similar despite about 50 million years since a common ancestor. Hundreds of parallel experimental perturbations of transcription factors with similar outcomes support this conclusion. A recent scRNA-seq analysis suggested that the
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Transcriptomic analysis of cave, surface, and hybrid samples of the isopod Asellus aquaticus and identification of chromosomal location of candidate genes for cave phenotype evolution EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-06 Haeli J. Lomheim, Lizet Reyes Rodas, Lubna Mulla, Layla Freeborn, Dennis A. Sun, Sheri A. Sanders, Meredith E. Protas
Transcriptomic methods can be used to elucidate genes and pathways responsible for phenotypic differences between populations. Asellus aquaticus is a freshwater isopod crustacean with surface- and cave-dwelling ecomorphs that differ greatly in multiple phenotypes including pigmentation and eye size. Multiple genetic resources have been generated for this species, but the genes and pathways responsible
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Cartilage diversification and modularity drove the evolution of the ancestral vertebrate head skeleton EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-05-05 Zachary D. Root, David Jandzik, Claire Gould, Cara Allen, Margaux Brewer, Daniel M. Medeiros
The vertebrate head skeleton has evolved a myriad of forms since their divergence from invertebrate chordates. The connection between novel gene expression and cell types is therefore of importance in this process. The transformation of the jawed vertebrate (gnathostome) head skeleton from oral cirri to jointed jaw elements required a diversity of cartilages as well as changes in the patterning of
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Early expression onset of tissue-specific effector genes during the specification process in sea urchin embryos EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-04-26 Shumpei Yamakawa, Atsuko Yamazaki, Yoshiaki Morino, Hiroshi Wada
In the course of animal developmental processes, various tissues are differentiated through complex interactions within the gene regulatory network. As a general concept, differentiation has been considered to be the endpoint of specification processes. Previous works followed this view and provided a genetic control scheme of differentiation in sea urchin embryos: early specification genes generate
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The embryology, metamorphosis, and muscle development of Schizocardium karankawa sp. nov. (Enteropneusta) from the Gulf of Mexico EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-04-19 Noura Jabr, Paul Gonzalez, Kevin M. Kocot, Christopher B. Cameron
Schizocardium karankawa sp. nov. has been collected from subtidal muds of the Laguna Madre, Texas, and the Mississippi coast, Gulf of Mexico. The Texas population is reproductive from early February to mid-April. Gametes are liberated by a small incision in a gonad. Oocyte germinal vesicle breakdown is increased in the presence of sperm, and the highest fertilization success was in the artificial seawater
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Shell field morphogenesis in the polyplacophoran mollusk Acanthochitona rubrolineata EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-04-06 Yuxiu Xia, Pin Huan, Baozhong Liu
The polyplacophoran mollusks (chitons) possess serially arranged shell plates. This feature is unique among mollusks and believed to be essential to explore the evolution of mollusks as well as their shells. Previous studies revealed several cell populations in the dorsal epithelium (shell field) of polyplacophoran larvae and their roles in the formation of shell plates. Nevertheless, they provide
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Stability in gene expression and body-plan development leads to evolutionary conservation EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-03-14 Yui Uchida, Hiroyuki Takeda, Chikara Furusawa, Naoki Irie
Phenotypic evolution is mainly explained by selection for phenotypic variation arising from factors including mutation and environmental noise. Recent theoretical and experimental studies have suggested that phenotypes with greater developmental stability tend to have a constant phenotype and gene expression level within a particular genetic and environmental condition, and this positively correlates
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The role of non-additive gene action on gene expression variation in plant domestication EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-02-10 Erik Díaz-Valenzuela, Daniel Hernández-Ríos, Angélica Cibrián-Jaramillo
Plant domestication is a remarkable example of rapid phenotypic transformation of polygenic traits, such as organ size. Evidence from a handful of study cases suggests this transformation is due to gene regulatory changes that result in non-additive phenotypes. Employing data from published genetic crosses, we estimated the role of non-additive gene action in the modulation of transcriptional landscapes
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Germline-related molecular phenotype in Metazoa: conservation and innovation highlighted by comparative transcriptomics EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-01-30 Giovanni Piccinini, Liliana Milani
In Metazoa, the germline represents the cell lineage devoted to the transmission of genetic heredity across generations. Its functions intuitively evoke the crucial roles that it plays in organism development and species evolution, and its establishment is tightly tied to animal multicellularity itself. The molecular toolkit expressed in germ cells has a high degree of conservation between species
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East African cichlid fishes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2023-01-05 Santos, M. Emília, Lopes, João F., Kratochwil, Claudius F.
Cichlid fishes are a very diverse and species-rich family of teleost fishes that inhabit lakes and rivers of India, Africa, and South and Central America. Research has largely focused on East African cichlids of the Rift Lakes Tanganyika, Malawi, and Victoria that constitute the biodiversity hotspots of cichlid fishes. Here, we give an overview of the study system, research questions, and methodologies
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Flower-like meristem conditions and spatial constraints shape architecture of floral pseudanthia in Apioideae EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-12-19 Baczyński, Jakub, Celep, Ferhat, Spalik, Krzysztof, Claßen-Bockhoff, Regine
Pseudanthia are multiflowered units that resemble single flowers, frequently by association with pseudocorollas formed by enlarged peripheral florets (ray flowers). Such resemblance is not only superficial, because numerous pseudanthia originate from peculiar reproductive meristems with flower-like characteristics, i.e. floral unit meristems (FUMs). Complex FUM-derived pseudanthia with ray flowers
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Adenylate cyclase A amplification and functional diversification during Polyspondylium pallidum development EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-10-19 Kawabe, Yoshinori, Schaap, Pauline
In Dictyostelium discoideum (Ddis), adenylate cyclase A (ACA) critically generates the cAMP oscillations that coordinate aggregation and morphogenesis. Unlike group 4 species like Ddis, other groups do not use extracellular cAMP to aggregate. However, deletion of cAMP receptors (cARs) or extracellular phosphodiesterase (PdsA) in Polyspondylium pallidum (Ppal, group 2) blocks fruiting body formation
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Brachiopod and mollusc biomineralisation is a conserved process that was lost in the phoronid–bryozoan stem lineage EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-09-19 Wernström, Joel Vikberg, Gąsiorowski, Ludwik, Hejnol, Andreas
Brachiopods and molluscs are lophotrochozoans with hard external shells which are often believed to have evolved convergently. While palaeontological data indicate that both groups are descended from biomineralising Cambrian ancestors, the closest relatives of brachiopods, phoronids and bryozoans, are mineralised to a much lower extent and are comparatively poorly represented in the Palaeozoic fossil
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Daphnia as a versatile model system in ecology and evolution EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-08-08 Ebert, Dieter
Water fleas of the genus Daphnia have been a model system for hundreds of years and is among the best studied ecological model organisms to date. Daphnia are planktonic crustaceans with a cyclic parthenogenetic life-cycle. They have a nearly worldwide distribution, inhabiting standing fresh- and brackish water bodies, from small temporary pools to large lakes. Their predominantly asexual reproduction
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Characterizing Hox genes in mayflies (Ephemeroptera), with Hexagenia limbata as a new mayfly model EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-07-27 Gonzalez, Christopher J., Hildebrandt, Tobias R., O’Donnell, Brigid
Hox genes are key regulators of appendage development in the insect body plan. The body plan of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) nymphs differs due to the presence of abdominal appendages called gills. Despite mayflies’ phylogenetic position in Paleoptera and novel morphology amongst insects, little is known of their developmental genetics, such as the appendage-regulating Hox genes. To address this issue we
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The red flour beetle T. castaneum: elaborate genetic toolkit and unbiased large scale RNAi screening to study insect biology and evolution EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-07-19 Klingler, Martin, Bucher, Gregor
The red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum has emerged as an important insect model system for a variety of topics. With respect to studying gene function, it is second only to the vinegar fly D. melanogaster. The RNAi response in T. castaneum is exceptionally strong and systemic, and it appears to target all cell types and processes. Uniquely for emerging model organisms, T. castaneum offers the opportunity
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Comparisons of cell proliferation and cell death from tornaria larva to juvenile worm in the hemichordate Schizocardium californicum EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-06-06 Bump, Paul, Khariton, Margarita, Stubbert, Clover, Moyen, Nicole E., Yan, Jia, Wang, Bo, Lowe, Christopher J.
There are a wide range of developmental strategies in animal phyla, but most insights into adult body plan formation come from direct-developing species. For indirect-developing species, there are distinct larval and adult body plans that are linked together by metamorphosis. Some outstanding questions in the development of indirect-developing organisms include the extent to which larval tissue undergoes
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Distal-less and spalt are distal organisers of pierid wing patterns EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-06-03 Wee, Jocelyn Liang Qi, Das Banerjee, Tirtha, Prakash, Anupama, Seah, Kwi Shan, Monteiro, Antonia
Two genes, Distal-less (Dll) and spalt (sal), are known to be involved in establishing nymphalid butterfly wing patterns. They function in several ways: in the differentiation of the eyespot’s central signalling cells, or foci; in the differentiation of the surrounding black disc; in overall scale melanisation (Dll); and in elaborating marginal patterns, such as parafocal elements. However, little
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Phloem wedges in Malpighiaceae: origin, structure, diversification, and systematic relevance EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-28 Quintanar-Castillo, Angélica, Pace, Marcelo R.
Phloem wedges furrowing the wood are one of the most notorious, widespread types of cambial variants in Angiosperms. Many lianas in Malpighiaceae show these variations in the arrangement of the secondary tissues. Here we explore their ontogeny, structure, and evolution in Malpighiaceae, where phloem wedges appeared multiple times, showing how they have contributed to the anatomical diversification
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Fleshy or dry: transcriptome analyses reveal the genetic mechanisms underlying bract development in Ephedra EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-27 Zumajo-Cardona, Cecilia, Ambrose, Barbara A.
Gnetales have a key phylogenetic position in the evolution of seed plants. Among the Gnetales, there is an extraordinary morphological diversity of seeds, the genus Ephedra, in particular, exhibits fleshy, coriaceous or winged (dry) seeds. Despite this striking diversity, its underlying genetic mechanisms remain poorly understood due to the limited studies in gymnosperms. Expanding the genomic and
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The diversity and evolution of electric organs in Neotropical knifefishes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-04-01 Bray, Isabelle E., Alshami, Ilham J. J., Kudoh, Tetsuhiro
The Gymnotiformes, also known as the South American or Neotropical knifefishes, include the strongly electric Electrophorus electricus and many other weakly electric species. These fish possess specialised electric organs that are able to release electric discharges into the water, for electrolocation and communication, and sometimes for predation and defence. All Gymnotiform species possess a myogenic
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Fossils and plant evolution: structural fingerprints and modularity in the evo-devo paradigm EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-03-02 Tomescu, Alexandru M. F., Rothwell, Gar W.
Fossils constitute the principal repository of data that allow for independent tests of hypotheses of biological evolution derived from observations of the extant biota. Traditionally, transformational series of structure, consisting of sequences of fossils of the same lineage through time, have been employed to reconstruct and interpret morphological evolution. More recently, a move toward an updated
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Heterochrony and repurposing in the evolution of gymnosperm seed dispersal units EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-02-16 San Martin, Juca A. B., Pozner, Raúl E., Di Stilio, Verónica S.
Plant dispersal units, or diaspores, allow the colonization of new environments expanding geographic range and promoting gene flow. Two broad categories of diaspores found in seed plants are dry and fleshy, associated with abiotic and biotic dispersal agents, respectively. Anatomy and developmental genetics of fleshy angiosperm fruits is advanced in contrast to the knowledge gap for analogous fleshy
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Correction to: Delayed differentiation of epidermal cells walls can underlie pedomorphosis in plants: the case of pedomorphic petals in the hummingbird-pollinated Caiophora hibiscifolia (Loasaceae, subfam. Loasoideae) species EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-02-15 Strelin, Marina M., Zattara, Eduardo E., Ullrich, Kristian K., Schallenberg‑Rüdinger, Mareike, Rensing, Stefan A.
In this article [1], the mid initials of two of the co-authors were missing. It has been added in this correction. Stefan (A.) Rensing and Kristian (K.) Ullrich are the full names of the co-authors. Strelin MM, Zattara EE, Ullrich KK, Schallenberg-Rüdinger M, Rensing SA. Delayed differentiation of epidermal cells walls can underlie pedomorphosis in plants: the case of pedomorphic petals in the hummingbird-pollinated
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Duplication and expression patterns of CYCLOIDEA-like genes in Campanulaceae EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-02-06 Tong, Jingjing, Knox, Eric B., Morden, Clifford W., Cellinese, Nico, Mossolem, Fatima, Zubair, Aarij S., Howarth, Dianella G.
CYCLOIDEA (CYC)-like transcription factors pattern floral symmetry in most angiosperms. In core eudicots, two duplications led to three clades of CYC-like genes: CYC1, CYC2, and CYC3, with orthologs of the CYC2 clade restricting expression dorsally in bilaterally symmetrical flowers. Limited data from CYC3 suggest that they also play a role in flower symmetry in some asterids. We examine the evolution
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Linking the evolution of development of stem vascular system in Nyctaginaceae and its correlation to habit and species diversification EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-29 Cunha Neto, Israel L., Pace, Marcelo R., Hernández-Gutiérrez, Rebeca, Angyalossy, Veronica
Alternative patterns of secondary growth in stems of Nyctaginaceae is present in all growth habits of the family and have been known for a long time. However, the interpretation of types of cambial variants have been controversial, given that different authors have given them different developmental interpretations. The different growth habits coupled with an enormous stem anatomical diversity offers
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A CYC–RAD–DIV–DRIF interaction likely pre-dates the origin of floral monosymmetry in Lamiales EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-29 Sengupta, Aniket, Hileman, Lena C.
An outstanding question in evolutionary biology is how genetic interactions defining novel traits evolve. They may evolve either by de novo assembly of previously non-interacting genes or by en bloc co-option of interactions from other functions. We tested these hypotheses in the context of a novel phenotype—Lamiales flower monosymmetry—defined by a developmental program that relies on regulatory interaction
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Evolution and expression of LEAFY genes in ferns and lycophytes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-08 Rodríguez-Pelayo, Carolina, Ambrose, Barbara A., Vasco, Alejandra, Alzate, Juan F., Pabón-Mora, Natalia
The LEAFY (LFY) transcription factors are present in algae and across land plants. The available expression and functional data of these genes in embryophytes suggest that LFY genes control a plethora of processes including the first zygotic cell division in bryophytes, shoot cell divisions of the gametophyte and sporophyte in ferns, cone differentiation in gymnosperms and floral meristem identity
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Delayed differentiation of epidermal cells walls can underlie pedomorphosis in plants: the case of pedomorphic petals in the hummingbird-pollinated Caiophora hibiscifolia (Loasaceae, subfam. Loasoideae) species EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2022-01-03 Strelin, Marina M., Zattara, Eduardo E., Ullrich, Kristian, Schallenberg-Rüdinger, Mareike, Rensing, Stefan
Understanding the relationship between macroevolutionary diversity and variation in organism development is an important goal of evolutionary biology. Variation in the morphology of several plant and animal lineages is attributed to pedomorphosis, a case of heterochrony, where an ancestral juvenile shape is retained in an adult descendant. Pedomorphosis facilitated morphological adaptation in different
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Whole body regeneration and developmental competition in two botryllid ascidians EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-12-15 Nourizadeh, Shane, Kassmer, Susannah, Rodriguez, Delany, Hiebert, Laurel S., De Tomaso, Anthony W.
Botryllid ascidians are a group of marine invertebrate chordates that are colonial and grow by repeated rounds of asexual reproduction to form a colony of individual bodies, called zooids, linked by a common vascular network. Two distinct processes are responsible for zooid regeneration. In the first, called blastogenesis, new zooids arise from a region of multipotent epithelium from a pre-existing
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Case not closed: the mystery of the origin of the carpel EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-12-15 Gonçalves, Beatriz
The carpel is a fascinating structure that plays a critical role in flowering plant reproduction and contributed greatly to the evolutionary success and diversification of flowering plants. The remarkable feature of the carpel is that it is a closed structure that envelopes the ovules and after fertilization develops into the fruit which protects, helps disperse, and supports seed development into
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Correction to: Breaking evolutionary and pleiotropic constraints in mammals: on sloths, manatees and homeotic mutations EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-11-22 Varela-Lasheras, Irma, Bakker, Alexander J., van der Mije, Steven D., Metz, Johan A. J., van Alphen, Joris, Galis, Frietson
In Table 1 of this article [1], the name of the three-toed sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, should be 5 rows higher in Table 1 and start with collection nr. RMNH.MAM.21576. The corrected Table 1 is given in this erratum. Table 1 Vertebral information and congenital abnormalities in investigated mammalian specimens: Folivora (sloths)Full size table 1. Varela-Lasheras I, Bakker AJ, van der Mije SD, Metz
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A chelicerate Wnt gene expression atlas: novel insights into the complexity of arthropod Wnt-patterning EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-11-09 Janssen, Ralf, Pechmann, Matthias, Turetzek, Natascha
The Wnt genes represent a large family of secreted glycoprotein ligands that date back to early animal evolution. Multiple duplication events generated a set of 13 Wnt families of which 12 are preserved in protostomes. Embryonic Wnt expression patterns (Wnt-patterning) are complex, representing the plentitude of functions these genes play during development. Here, we comprehensively investigated the
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Duplication of spiralian-specific TALE genes and evolution of the blastomere specification mechanism in the bivalve lineage EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-10-18 Phuangphong, Supanat, Tsunoda, Jumpei, Wada, Hiroshi, Morino, Yoshiaki
Despite the conserved pattern of the cell-fate map among spiralians, bivalves display several modified characteristics during their early development, including early specification of the D blastomere by the cytoplasmic content, as well as the distinctive fate of the 2d blastomere. However, it is unclear what changes in gene regulatory mechanisms led to such changes in cell specification patterns.
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The Nereid on the rise: Platynereis as a model system EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-09-27 Özpolat, B. Duygu, Randel, Nadine, Williams, Elizabeth A., Bezares-Calderón, Luis Alberto, Andreatta, Gabriele, Balavoine, Guillaume, Bertucci, Paola Y., Ferrier, David E. K., Gambi, Maria Cristina, Gazave, Eve, Handberg-Thorsager, Mette, Hardege, Jörg, Hird, Cameron, Hsieh, Yu-Wen, Hui, Jerome, Mutemi, Kevin Nzumbi, Schneider, Stephan Q., Simakov, Oleg, Vergara, Hernando M., Vervoort, Michel, Jékely
The Nereid Platynereis dumerilii (Audouin and Milne Edwards (Annales des Sciences Naturelles 1:195–269, 1833) is a marine annelid that belongs to the Nereididae, a family of errant polychaete worms. The Nereid shows a pelago-benthic life cycle: as a general characteristic for the superphylum of Lophotrochozoa/Spiralia, it has spirally cleaving embryos developing into swimming trochophore larvae. The
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Cell-specific expression and individual function of prohormone convertase PC1/3 in Tribolium larval growth highlights major evolutionary changes between beetle and fly neuroendocrine systems EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-06-29 Sonja Fritzsche, Vera S. Hunnekuhl
The insect neuroendocrine system acts in the regulation of physiology, development and growth. Molecular evolution of this system hence has the potential to allow for major biological differences between insect groups. Two prohormone convertases, PC1/3 and PC2, are found in animals and both function in the processing of neuropeptide precursors in the vertebrate neurosecretory pathway. Whereas PC2-function
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Variation on a theme: pigmentation variants and mutants of anemonefish EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-06-19 Marleen Klann, Manon Mercader, Lilian Carlu, Kina Hayashi, James Davis Reimer, Vincent Laudet
Pigmentation patterning systems are of great interest to understand how changes in developmental mechanisms can lead to a wide variety of patterns. These patterns are often conspicuous, but their origins remain elusive for many marine fish species. Dismantling a biological system allows a better understanding of the required components and the deciphering of how such complex systems are established
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Panarthropod tiptop/teashirt and spalt orthologs and their potential role as “trunk”-selector genes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-06-02 Brenda I. Medina-Jiménez, Graham E. Budd, Ralf Janssen
In the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, the homeodomain containing transcription factor Teashirt (Tsh) appears to specify trunk identity in concert with the function of the Hox genes. While in Drosophila there is a second gene closely related to tsh, called tiptop (tio), in other arthropods species only one copy exists (called tio/tsh). The expression of tsh and tio/tsh, respectively, is surprisingly
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Sex-specific plasticity and the nutritional geometry of insulin-signaling gene expression in Drosophila melanogaster EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-05-14 Jeanne M. C. McDonald, Pegah Nabili, Lily Thorsen, Sohee Jeon, Alexander W. Shingleton
Sexual-size dimorphism (SSD) is replete among animals, but while the selective pressures that drive the evolution of SSD have been well studied, the developmental mechanisms upon which these pressures act are poorly understood. Ours and others’ research has shown that SSD in D. melanogaster reflects elevated levels of nutritional plasticity in females versus males, such that SSD increases with dietary
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Early embryogenesis and organogenesis in the annelid Owenia fusiformis EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-05-10 Allan Martín Carrillo-Baltodano, Océane Seudre, Kero Guynes, José María Martín-Durán
Annelids are a diverse group of segmented worms within Spiralia, whose embryos exhibit spiral cleavage and a variety of larval forms. While most modern embryological studies focus on species with unequal spiral cleavage nested in Pleistoannelida (Sedentaria + Errantia), a few recent studies looked into Owenia fusiformis, a member of the sister group to all remaining annelids and thus a key lineage
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Distinct tooth regeneration systems deploy a conserved battery of genes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-03-25 Tyler A. Square, Shivani Sundaram, Emma J. Mackey, Craig T. Miller
Vertebrate teeth exhibit a wide range of regenerative systems. Many species, including most mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, form replacement teeth at a histologically distinct location called the successional dental lamina, while other species do not employ such a system. Notably, a ‘lamina-less’ tooth replacement condition is found in a paraphyletic array of ray-finned fishes, such as stickleback
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Post-metamorphic skeletal growth in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and implications for body plan evolution EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-03-16 Jeffrey R. Thompson, Periklis Paganos, Giovanna Benvenuto, Maria Ina Arnone, Paola Oliveri
Understanding the molecular and cellular processes that underpin animal development are crucial for understanding the diversity of body plans found on the planet today. Because of their abundance in the fossil record, and tractability as a model system in the lab, skeletons provide an ideal experimental model to understand the origins of animal diversity. We herein use molecular and cellular markers
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Among the shapeshifters: parasite-induced morphologies in ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and their relevance within the EcoEvoDevo framework EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-03-02 Alice Laciny
As social insects, ants represent extremely interaction-rich biological systems shaped by tightly integrated social structures and constant mutual exchange with a multitude of internal and external environmental factors. Due to this high level of ecological interconnection, ant colonies can harbour a diverse array of parasites and pathogens, many of which are known to interfere with the delicate processes
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Insights into how development and life-history dynamics shape the evolution of venom EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2021-01-07 Joachim M. Surm, Yehu Moran
Venomous animals are a striking example of the convergent evolution of a complex trait. These animals have independently evolved an apparatus that synthesizes, stores, and secretes a mixture of toxic compounds to the target animal through the infliction of a wound. Among these distantly related animals, some can modulate and compartmentalize functionally distinct venoms related to predation and defense
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Nothobranchius annual killifishes EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-12-15 Eva Terzibasi Tozzini, Alessandro Cellerino
Annual fishes of the genus Nothobranchius inhabit ephemeral habitats in Eastern and Southeastern Africa. Their life cycle is characterized by very rapid maturation, a posthatch lifespan of a few weeks to months and embryonic diapause to survive the dry season. The species N. furzeri holds the record of the fastest-maturing vertebrate and of the vertebrate with the shortest captive lifespan and is emerging
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The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-12-04 Reiko Kuroda, Masanori Abe
The freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis has a long research history, but only relatively recently has it emerged as an attractive model organism to study molecular mechanisms in the areas of developmental biology and translational medicine such as learning/memory and neurodegenerative diseases. The species has the advantage of being a hermaphrodite and can both cross- and self-mate, which greatly facilitates
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Further evidence that mechanisms of host/symbiont integration are dissimilar in the maternal versus embryonic Acyrthosiphon pisum bacteriome EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-11-10 Celeste R. Banfill, Alex C. C. Wilson, Hsiao-ling Lu
Host/symbiont integration is a signature of evolutionarily ancient, obligate endosymbioses. However, little is known about the cellular and developmental mechanisms of host/symbiont integration at the molecular level. Many insects possess obligate bacterial endosymbionts that provide essential nutrients. To advance understanding of the developmental and metabolic integration of hosts and endosymbionts
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Serial blockface SEM suggests that stem cells may participate in adult notochord growth in an invertebrate chordate, the Bahamas lancelet EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-10-17 Nicholas D. Holland, Ildiko M. L. Somorjai
The cellular basis of adult growth in cephalochordates (lancelets or amphioxus) has received little attention. Lancelets and their constituent organs grow slowly but continuously during adult life. Here, we consider whether this slow organ growth involves tissue-specific stem cells. Specifically, we focus on the cell populations in the notochord of an adult lancelet and use serial blockface scanning
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Interplay of mesoscale physics and agent-like behaviors in the parallel evolution of aggregative multicellularity EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-10-12 Juan A. Arias Del Angel, Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Mariana Benítez, Stuart A. Newman
Myxobacteria and dictyostelids are prokaryotic and eukaryotic multicellular lineages, respectively, that after nutrient depletion aggregate and develop into structures called fruiting bodies. The developmental processes and resulting morphological outcomes resemble one another to a remarkable extent despite their independent origins, the evolutionary distance between them and the lack of traceable
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Anemonefish, a model for Eco-Evo-Devo EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-10-07 Natacha Roux, Pauline Salis, Shu-Hua Lee, Laurence Besseau, Vincent Laudet
Anemonefish, are a group of about 30 species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) that have long aroused the interest of coral reef fish ecologists. Combining a series of original biological traits and practical features in their breeding that are described in this paper, anemonefish are now emerging as an experimental system of interest for developmental biology, ecology and evolutionary sciences. They are
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Ectocarpus: an evo-devo model for the brown algae. EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-08-31 Susana M Coelho,Akira F Peters,Dieter Müller,J Mark Cock
Ectocarpus is a genus of filamentous, marine brown algae. Brown algae belong to the stramenopiles, a large supergroup of organisms that are only distantly related to animals, land plants and fungi. Brown algae are also one of only a small number of eukaryotic lineages that have evolved complex multicellularity. For many years, little information was available concerning the molecular mechanisms underlying
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Genomic resources and toolkits for developmental study of whip spiders (Amblypygi) provide insights into arachnid genome evolution and antenniform leg patterning. EvoDevo (IF 4.1) Pub Date : 2020-08-28 Guilherme Gainett,Prashant P Sharma
The resurgence of interest in the comparative developmental study of chelicerates has led to important insights, such as the discovery of a genome duplication shared by spiders and scorpions, inferred to have occurred in the most recent common ancestor of Arachnopulmonata (a clade comprising the five arachnid orders that bear book lungs). Nonetheless, several arachnid groups remain understudied in