The evolutionary modifications of a GoLoco motif in the AGS protein facilitate micromere formation in the sea urchin embryo.

ABSTRACT: The evolutionary introduction of asymmetric cell division (ACD) into the developmental program facilitates the formation of a new cell type, contributing to developmental diversity and, eventually, to species diversification. The micromere of the sea urchin embryo may serve as one of those examples: An ACD at the 16-cell stage forms micromeres unique to echinoids among echinoderms. We previously reported that a polarity factor, Activator of G-protein Signaling (AGS), plays a crucial role in micromere formation. However, AGS and its associated ACD factors are present in all echinoderms and across most metazoans. This raises the question of what evolutionary modifications of AGS protein or its surrounding molecular environment contributed to the evolutionary acquisition of micromeres only in

SUBMITTER: Emura N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11244941 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature