Wnt signaling in Pristionchus pacificus gonadal arm extension and the evolution of organ shape.

ABSTRACT: Changes in organ morphology have been essential to the evolution of novel body forms and in permitting organisms to invade new ecological niches. Changes in the arrangement of cells and tissues and in the regulation of morphological movements are fundamental to evolutionary transitions of organ shape and function. However, little is known about the genetic and developmental control of these changes. We use interspecific differences in the migration and extension of the nematode hermaphrodite gonadal arms to study the generation of morphological novelty. We show that the extending Pristionchus pacificus gonadal arms display a ventral migration that is unique to the Diplogastridae in comparison to the Rhabditidae, including Caenorhabditis elegans, and other nematodes. This results in the dis

SUBMITTER: Rudel D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2504788 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature