Transition to annual life history coincides with reduction in cell cycle speed during early cleavage in three independent clades of annual killifish.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Annual killifishes inhabit temporary ponds and their embryos survive the dry season encased in the mud by entering diapause, a process that arrests embryonic development during hostile conditions. Annual killifishes are present within three clades distributed in Africa (one East and one West of the Dahomey gap) and South America. Within each of these phylogenetic clades, a non-annual clade is sister taxon to a annual clade and therefore represent an example of convergent evolution. Early cleavage of teleost embryos is characterized by a very fast cell cycle (15-30 minutes) and lack of G1 and G2 phases. Here, we decided to investigate rates of early cleavage in annual killifishes. In addition, we specifically tested whether also annual killifish embryos lack G1 and G2 pha

SUBMITTER: Dolfi L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4177712 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature