Turtle skull development unveils a molecular basis for amniote cranial diversity.

ABSTRACT: Amniote skulls display diverse architectural patterns including remarkable variations in the number of temporal arches surrounding the upper and lower temporal fenestrae. However, the cellular and molecular basis underlying this diversification remains elusive. Turtles are a useful model to understand skull diversity due to the presence of secondarily closed temporal fenestrae and different extents of temporal emarginations (marginal reduction of dermal bones). Here, we analyzed embryos of three turtle species with varying degrees of temporal emargination and identified shared widespread coexpression of upstream osteogenic genes Msx2 and Runx2 and species-specific expression of more downstream osteogenic genes Sp7 and Sparc in the head. Further analysis of repre

SUBMITTER: Sato H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10651123 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature