Characterization of taxonomically restricted genes in a phylum-restricted cell type.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite decades of research, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the evolution of morphological diversity remain poorly understood. While current models assume that species-specific morphologies are governed by differential use of conserved genetic regulatory circuits, it is debated whether non-conserved taxonomically restricted genes are also involved in making taxonomically relevant structures. The genomic resources available in Hydra, a member of the early branching animal phylum Cnidaria, provide a unique opportunity to study the molecular evolution of morphological novelties such as the nematocyte, a cell type characteristic of, and unique to, Cnidaria.

Results

We have identified nematocyte-specific genes by suppression subtractive hybridization and find

SUBMITTER: Milde S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2687796 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature