Larval body patterning and apical organs are conserved in animal evolution.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Planktonic ciliated larvae are characteristic for the life cycle of marine invertebrates. Their most prominent feature is the apical organ harboring sensory cells and neurons of largely undetermined function. An elucidation of the relationships between various forms of primary larvae and apical organs is key to understanding the evolution of animal life cycles. These relationships have remained enigmatic due to the scarcity of comparative molecular data.

Results

To compare apical organs and larval body patterning, we have studied regionalization of the episphere, the upper hemisphere of the trochophore larva of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. We examined the spatial distribution of transcription factors and of Wnt signaling components previously implicat

SUBMITTER: Marlow H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3939940 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature