The bilaterian head patterning gene six3/6 controls aboral domain development in a cnidarian.

ABSTRACT: The origin of the bilaterian head is a fundamental question for the evolution of animal body plans. The head of bilaterians develops at the anterior end of their primary body axis and is the site where the brain is located. Cnidarians, the sister group to bilaterians, lack brain-like structures and it is not clear whether the oral, the aboral, or none of the ends of the cnidarian primary body axis corresponds to the anterior domain of bilaterians. In order to understand the evolutionary origin of head development, we analysed the function of conserved genetic regulators of bilaterian anterior development in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. We show that orthologs of the bilaterian anterior developmental genes six3/6, foxQ2, and irx have dynamic expression patterns in the aboral regio

SUBMITTER: Sinigaglia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3586664 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature