Facial bone fragmentation in blind cavefish arises through two unusual ossification processes.

ABSTRACT: The precise mechanisms underlying cranial bone development, evolution and patterning remain incompletely characterised. This poses a challenge to understanding the etiologies of craniofacial malformations evolving in nature. Capitalising on natural variation, "evolutionary model systems" provide unique opportunities to identify underlying causes of aberrant phenotypes as a complement to studies in traditional systems. Mexican blind cavefish are a prime evolutionary model for cranial disorders since they frequently exhibit extreme alterations to the skull and lateral asymmetries. These aberrations occur in stark contrast to the normal cranial architectures of closely related surface-dwelling fish, providing a powerful comparative paradigm for understanding cranial bone formation. Using a lo

SUBMITTER: Powers AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5934472 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature