Experimental Approach Reveals the Role of alx1 in the Evolution of the Echinoderm Larval Skeleton.

ABSTRACT: Over the course of evolution, the acquisition of novel structures has ultimately led to wide variation in morphology among extant multicellular organisms. Thus, the origins of genetic systems for new morphological structures are a subject of great interest in evolutionary biology. The larval skeleton is a novel structure acquired in some echinoderm lineages via the activation of the adult skeletogenic machinery. Previously, VEGF signaling was suggested to have played an important role in the acquisition of the larval skeleton. In the present study, we compared expression patterns of Alx genes among echinoderm classes to further explore the factors involved in the acquisition of a larval skeleton. We found that the alx1 gene, originally described as crucial for sea urchin skeletogenesis, ma

SUBMITTER: Koga H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4750990 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature