Embryonic lethality is not sufficient to explain hourglass-like conservation of vertebrate embryos.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding the general trends in developmental changes during animal evolution, which are often associated with morphological diversification, has long been a central issue in evolutionary developmental biology. Recent comparative transcriptomic studies revealed that gene expression profiles of mid-embryonic period tend to be more evolutionarily conserved than those in earlier or later periods. While the hourglass-like divergence of developmental processes has been demonstrated in a variety of animal groups such as vertebrates, arthropods, and nematodes, the exact mechanism leading to this mid-embryonic conservation remains to be clarified. One possibility is that the mid-embryonic period (pharyngula period in vertebrates) is highly prone to embryonic lethality, and t

SUBMITTER: Uchida Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5855935 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature