Ancestral mesodermal reorganization and evolution of the vertebrate head.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The vertebrate head is characterized by unsegmented head mesoderm the evolutionary origin of which remains enigmatic. The head mesoderm is derived from the rostral part of the dorsal mesoderm, which is regionalized anteroposteriorly during gastrulation. The basal chordate amphioxus resembles vertebrates due to the presence of somites, but it lacks unsegmented head mesoderm. Gastrulation in amphioxus occurs by simple invagination with little mesodermal involution, whereas in vertebrates gastrulation is organized by massive cell movements, such as involution, convergence and extension, and cell migration.

Results

To identify key developmental events in the evolution of the vertebrate head mesoderm, we compared anterior/posterior (A/P) patterning mechanisms of the

SUBMITTER: Onai T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4657371 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature