Articles

Expression of smooth muscle-like effectors and core cardiomyocyte regulators in the contractile papillae of Ciona

The evolution of vertebrate smooth muscles is obscured by lack of identifiable smooth muscle-like cells in tunicates, the invertebrates most closely related to vertebrates. A recent evolutionary model was prop...

Authors: Christopher J. Johnson, Florian Razy-Krajka and Alberto Stolfi

Astyanax surface and cave fish morphs

The small teleost fish Astyanax mexicanus has emerged as an outstanding model for studying many biological topics in the context of evolution. A major attribute is conspecific surface dwelling (surface fish) and ...

Authors: William R. Jeffery

Volvox and volvocine green algae

The transition of life from single cells to more complex multicellular forms has occurred at least two dozen times among eukaryotes and is one of the major evolutionary transitions, but the early steps that en...

Authors: James G. Umen

Can the anatomy of abnormal flowers elucidate relationships of the androecial members in the ginger (Zingiberaceae)?

Interpretation of the floral structure of Zingiberaceae has long concentrated on the relationships of the androecial members. It suggested that labellum is composed of two structures rather than three or five,...

Authors: Xiumei Li, Tian Fan, Pu Zou, Wenhu Zhang, Xiuju Wu, Yixin Zhang and Jingping Liao

Differential cellular proliferation underlies heterochronic generation of cranial diversity in phyllostomid bats

Skull diversity in the neotropical leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) evolved through a heterochronic process called peramorphosis, with underlying causes varying by subfamily. The nectar-eating (subfamily Gloss...

Authors: Jasmin Camacho, Rachel Moon, Samantha K. Smith, Jacky D. Lin, Charles Randolph, John J. Rasweiler IV, Richard R. Behringer and Arhat Abzhanov

Transcription factors underlying wing margin color patterns and pupal cuticle markings in butterflies

The diversity of butterfly color patterns can be attributed to a relatively small number of pattern elements that are homologous across Lepidoptera. Although genes involved in patterning some of these elements...

Authors: Robert D. Reed, Jayne E. Selegue, Linlin Zhang and Craig R. Brunetti

Oncopeltus-like gene expression patterns in Murgantia histrionica, a new hemipteran model system, suggest ancient regulatory network divergence

Much has been learned about basic biology from studies of insect model systems. The pre-eminent insect model system, Drosophila melanogaster, is a holometabolous insect with a derived mode of segment formation. W...

Authors: Jessica Hernandez, Leslie Pick and Katie Reding

Introduction to emerging systems

Authors: Michalis Averof and Chiara Sinigaglia

The colonial cnidarian Hydractinia

Hydractinia, a genus of colonial marine cnidarians, has been used as a model organism for developmental biology and comparative immunology for over a century. It was this animal where stem cells and germ cells we...

Authors: Uri Frank, Matthew L. Nicotra and Christine E. Schnitzler

The common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, belonging to the Chelicerata in the phylum Arthropoda, has emerged as an experimental system for studying mechanisms of development from an evolutionary standpoi...

Authors: Hiroki Oda and Yasuko Akiyama-Oda

The free-living flatworm Macrostomum lignano

Macrostomum lignano is a free-living flatworm that is emerging as an attractive experimental animal for research on a broad range of biological questions. One feature setting it apart from other flatworms is the ...

Authors: Jakub Wudarski, Bernhard Egger, Steven A. Ramm, Lukas Schärer, Peter Ladurner, Kira S. Zadesenets, Nikolay B. Rubtsov, Stijn Mouton and Eugene Berezikov

Expression of gynoecium patterning transcription factors in Aristolochia fimbriata (Aristolochiaceae) and their contribution to gynostemium development

In Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae) flowers, the congenital fusion of the anthers and the commissural, stigmatic lobes forms a gynostemium. Although the molecular bases associated to the apical–basal gynoecium pat...

Authors: Pablo Peréz-Mesa, Clara Inés Ortíz-Ramírez, Favio González, Cristina Ferrándiz and Natalia Pabón-Mora

Hox gene expression during development of the phoronid Phoronopsis harmeri

Phoronida is a small group of marine worm-like suspension feeders, which together with brachiopods and bryozoans form the clade Lophophorata. Although their development is well studied on the morphological lev...

Authors: Ludwik Gąsiorowski and Andreas Hejnol

Elongation during segmentation shows axial variability, low mitotic rates, and synchronized cell cycle domains in the crustacean, Thamnocephalus platyurus

Segmentation in arthropods typically occurs by sequential addition of segments from a posterior growth zone. However, the amount of tissue required for growth and the cell behaviors producing posterior elongat...

Authors: Savvas J. Constantinou, Nicole Duan, Lisa M. Nagy, Ariel D. Chipman and Terri A. Williams

Molecular patterning during the development of Phoronopsis harmeri reveals similarities to rhynchonelliform brachiopods

Phoronids, rhynchonelliform and linguliform brachiopods show striking similarities in their embryonic fate maps, in particular in their axis specification and regionalization. However, although brachiopod deve...

Authors: Carmen Andrikou, Yale J. Passamaneck, Chris J. Lowe, Mark Q. Martindale and Andreas Hejnol

Identifying the homology of the short human pisiform and its lost ossification center

The pisiform and calcaneus are paralogous bones of the wrist and ankle and are the only carpal and tarsal, respectively, to develop from two ossification centers with an associated growth plate in mammals. Hum...

Authors: Kelsey M. Kjosness and Philip L. Reno

Putative stem cells in the hemolymph and in the intestinal submucosa of the solitary ascidian Styela plicata

In various ascidian species, circulating stem cells have been documented to be involved in asexual reproduction and whole-body regeneration. Studies of these cell population(s) are mainly restricted to colonia...

Authors: Juan Jiménez-Merino, Isadora Santos de Abreu, Laurel S. Hiebert, Silvana Allodi, Stefano Tiozzo, Cintia M. De Barros and Federico D. Brown

Mechanisms and evolution of resistance to environmental extremes in animals

When animals are exposed to an extreme environmental stress, one of three possible outcomes takes place: the animal dies, the animal avoids the environmental stress and survives, or the animal tolerates the en...

Authors: Thomas C. Boothby

Cell cycle dynamics during diapause entry and exit in an annual killifish revealed by FUCCI technology

Annual killifishes are adapted to surviving and reproducing over alternating dry and wet seasons. During the dry season, all adults die and desiccation-resistant embryos remain encased in dry mud for months or...

Authors: Luca Dolfi, Roberto Ripa, Adam Antebi, Dario Riccardo Valenzano and Alessandro Cellerino

FoxB, a new and highly conserved key factor in arthropod dorsal–ventral (DV) limb patterning

Forkhead box (Fox) transcription factors evolved early in animal evolution and represent important components of conserved gene regulatory networks (GRNs) during animal development. Most of the researches conc...

Authors: Miriam Heingård, Natascha Turetzek, Nikola-Michael Prpic and Ralf Janssen

Characterization of nAChRs in Nematostella vectensis supports neuronal and non-neuronal roles in the cnidarian–bilaterian common ancestor

Nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors likely evolved in the cnidarian–bilaterian common ancestor. Both receptor families are best known for their role at chemical synapses in bilaterian animals, but...

Authors: Dylan Z. Faltine-Gonzalez and Michael J. Layden

Diverse cell junctions with unique molecular composition in tissues of a sponge (Porifera)

The integrity and organization of animal tissues depend upon specialized protein complexes that mediate adhesion between cells with each other (cadherin-based adherens junctions), and with the extracellular ma...

Authors: Jennyfer M. Mitchell and Scott A. Nichols

Remnants of ancestral larval eyes in an eyeless mollusk? Molecular characterization of photoreceptors in the scaphopod Antalis entalis

Eyes have evolved and been lost multiple times during animal evolution, however, the process of eye loss has only been reconstructed in a few cases. Mollusks exhibit eyes as varied as the octopod camera eye or...

Authors: Tim Wollesen, Carmel McDougall and Detlev Arendt

Variable levels of drift in tunicate cardiopharyngeal gene regulatory elements

Mutations in gene regulatory networks often lead to genetic divergence without impacting gene expression or developmental patterning. The rules governing this process of developmental systems drift, including ...

Authors: William Colgan, Alexis Leanza, Ariel Hwang, Melissa B. DeBiasse, Isabel Llosa, Daniel Rodrigues, Hriju Adhikari, Guillermo Barreto Corona, Saskia Bock, Amanda Carillo-Perez, Meagan Currie, Simone Darkoa-Larbi, Daniel Dellal, Hanna Gutow, Pascha Hokama, Emily Kibby…

Genomic analysis of the tryptome reveals molecular mechanisms of gland cell evolution

Understanding the drivers of morphological diversity is a persistent challenge in evolutionary biology. Here, we investigate functional diversification of secretory cells in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

Authors: Leslie S. Babonis, Joseph F. Ryan, Camille Enjolras and Mark Q. Martindale

Peripheral sensory neurons govern development of the nervous system in bivalve larvae

Recent findings regarding early lophotrochozoan development have altered the conventional model of neurogenesis and revealed that peripheral sensory elements play a key role in the initial organization of the ...

Authors: Olga V. Yurchenko, Anna V. Savelieva, Natalia K. Kolotuchina, Elena E. Voronezhskaya and Vyacheslav A. Dyachuk

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of a wing-dimorphic stonefly reveals candidate wing loss genes

The genetic basis of wing development has been well characterised for model insect species, but remains poorly understood in phylogenetically divergent, non-model taxa. Wing-polymorphic insect species potentia...

Authors: Graham A. McCulloch, Andrew Oliphant, Peter K. Dearden, Andrew J. Veale, Charles W. Ellen and Jonathan M. Waters

Cnidofest 2018: the future is bright for cnidarian research

The 2018 Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting (Cnidofest) was held September 6–9th at the University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine, FL. Cnidofest 2018, which built upon the mo...

Authors: Shuonan He, Juris A. Grasis, Matthew L. Nicotra, Celina E. Juliano and Christine E. Schnitzler

Conserved gene signalling and a derived patterning mechanism underlie the development of avian footpad scales

Vertebrates possess a diverse range of integumentary epithelial appendages, including scales, feathers and hair. These structures share extensive early developmental homology, as they mostly originate from a c...

Authors: Rory L. Cooper, Victoria J. Lloyd, Nicolas Di-Poï, Alexander G. Fletcher, Paul M. Barrett and Gareth J. Fraser

Bar, stripe and spot development in sand-dwelling cichlids from Lake Malawi

Melanic patterns such as horizontal stripes, vertical bars and spots are common among teleost fishes and often serve roles in camouflage or mimicry. Extensive research in the zebrafish model has shown that the...

Authors: Laura A. Hendrick, Grace A. Carter, Erin H. Hilbrands, Brian P. Heubel, Thomas F. Schilling and Pierre Le Pabic

Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw

The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signal...

Authors: Katherine C. Woronowicz and Richard A. Schneider

Unravelling the genes forming the wing pattern supergene in the polymorphic butterfly Heliconius numata

Unravelling the genetic basis of polymorphic characters is central to our understanding of the origins and diversification of living organisms. Recently, supergenes have been implicated in a wide range of comp...

Authors: Suzanne V. Saenko, Mathieu Chouteau, Florence Piron-Prunier, Corinne Blugeon, Mathieu Joron and Violaine Llaurens

Conservation and flexibility in the gene regulatory landscape of heliconiine butterfly wings

Many traits evolve by cis-regulatory modification, by which changes to noncoding sequences affect the binding affinity for available transcription factors and thus modify the expression profile of genes. Multiple...

Authors: Joseph J. Hanly, Richard W. R. Wallbank, W. Owen McMillan and Chris D. Jiggins

Gene profiling of head mesoderm in early zebrafish development: insights into the evolution of cranial mesoderm

The evolution of the head was one of the key events that marked the transition from invertebrates to vertebrates. With the emergence of structures such as eyes and jaws, vertebrates evolved an active and preda...

Authors: Huijia Wang, Peter W. H. Holland and Tokiharu Takahashi

Regulation and evolution of muscle development in tunicates

For more than a century, studies on tunicate muscle formation have revealed many principles of cell fate specification, gene regulation, morphogenesis, and evolution. Here, we review the key studies that have ...

Authors: Florian Razy-Krajka and Alberto Stolfi

Reinvestigating the early embryogenesis in the flatworm Maritigrella crozieri highlights the unique spiral cleavage program found in polyclad flatworms

Spiral cleavage is a conserved, early developmental mode found in several phyla of Lophotrochozoans resulting in highly diverse adult body plans. While the cleavage pattern has clearly been broadly conserved, ...

Authors: Johannes Girstmair and Maximilian J. Telford

Common themes in tetrapod appendage regeneration: a cellular perspective

Complete and perfect regeneration of appendages is a process that has fascinated and perplexed biologists for centuries. Some tetrapods possess amazing regenerative abilities, but the regenerative abilities of...

Authors: Bess M. Miller, Kimberly Johnson and Jessica L. Whited

Reduction of a nymphal instar in a dampwood termite: heterochronic shift in the caste differentiation pathways

Generally in termites, alates differentiate through multiple nymphal instars which gradually develop wing buds. However, in a dampwood termite, Hodotermopsis sjostedti, alates molt directly from a single nymphal ...

Authors: Ryotaro Nii, Kohei Oguchi, Junpei Shinji, Shigeyuki Koshikawa and Toru Miura

Evidence of a largely staminal origin for the Jaltomata calliantha (Solanaceae) floral corona

Understanding the evolution of novel features requires homology assessments at different levels of biological organization. In flowering plants, floral coronas that play various roles in plant–pollinator inter...

Authors: Jamie L. Kostyun, Josephine E. Robertson and Jill C. Preston

The role of the hyaline spheres in sea cucumber metamorphosis: lipid storage via transport cells in the blastocoel

For echinoderms with feeding larvae, metamorphic and post-settlement success may be highly dependent on larval nutrition and the accumulation of energetic lipids from the diet. In contrast to the sea urchins, ...

Authors: Josefina Peters-Didier and Mary A. Sewell

Novel budding mode in Polyandrocarpa zorritensis: a model for comparative studies on asexual development and whole body regeneration

In tunicates, the capacity to build an adult body via non-embryonic development (NED), i.e., asexual budding and whole body regeneration, has been gained or lost several times across the whole subphylum. A rec...

Authors: Marta Scelzo, Alexandre Alié, Sophie Pagnotta, Camille Lejeune, Pauline Henry, Laurent Gilletta, Laurel S. Hiebert, Francesco Mastrototaro and Stefano Tiozzo

Establishment of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum as a new model system to investigate insect evolution

The great capability of insects to adapt to new environments promoted their extraordinary diversification, resulting in the group of Metazoa with the largest number of species distributed worldwide. To underst...

Authors: Isabel Almudi, Carlos A. Martín-Blanco, Isabel M. García-Fernandez, Adrián López-Catalina, Kristofer Davie, Stein Aerts and Fernando Casares

Convergent evolution of saccate body shapes in nematodes through distinct developmental mechanisms

The vast majority of nematode species have vermiform (worm-shaped) body plans throughout post-embryonic development. However, atypical body shapes have evolved multiple times. The plant-parasitic Tylenchomorph...

Authors: Sita Thapa, Michael K. Gates, Ursula Reuter-Carlson, Rebecca J. Androwski and Nathan E. Schroeder

Glass confers rhabdomeric photoreceptor identity in Drosophila, but not across all metazoans

Across metazoans, visual systems employ different types of photoreceptor neurons (PRs) to detect light. These include rhabdomeric PRs, which exist in distantly related phyla and possess an evolutionarily conse...

Authors: F. Javier Bernardo-Garcia, Maryam Syed, Gáspár Jékely and Simon G. Sprecher

Modular co-option of cardiopharyngeal genes during non-embryonic myogenesis

In chordates, cardiac and body muscles arise from different embryonic origins. In addition, myogenesis can be triggered in adult organisms, during asexual development or regeneration. In non-vertebrate chordat...

Authors: Maria Mandela Prünster, Lorenzo Ricci, Federico D. Brown and Stefano Tiozzo

Spatial and temporal patterns of gene expression during neurogenesis in the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus

The sea urchin is a basal deuterostome that is more closely related to vertebrates than many organisms traditionally used to study neurogenesis. This phylogenetic position means that the sea urchin can provide...

Authors: Leslie A. Slota, Esther M. Miranda and David R. McClay

Hox gene expression in postmetamorphic juveniles of the brachiopod Terebratalia transversa

Hox genes encode a family of homeodomain containing transcription factors that are clustered together on chromosomes of many Bilateria. Some bilaterian lineages express these genes during embryogenesis in spatial...

Authors: Ludwik Gąsiorowski and Andreas Hejnol

Around the clock: gradient shape and noise impact the evolution of oscillatory segmentation dynamics

Segmentation, the subdivision of the major body axis into repeated elements, is considered one of the major evolutionary innovations in bilaterian animals. In all three segmented animal clades, the predominant...

Authors: Renske M. A. Vroomans, Paulien Hogeweg and Kirsten H. W. J. ten Tusscher

Maternal mRNA input of growth and stress-response-related genes in cichlids in relation to egg size and trophic specialization

Egg size represents an important form of maternal effect determined by a complex interplay of long-term adaptation and short-term plasticity balancing egg size with brood size. Haplochromine cichlids are mater...

Authors: Ehsan Pashay Ahi, Pooja Singh, Laurène Alicia Lecaudey, Wolfgang Gessl and Christian Sturmbauer

A two-level model for the role of complex and young genes in the formation of organism complexity and new insights into the relationship between evolution and development

How genome complexity affects organismal phenotypic complexity is a fundamental question in evolutionary developmental biology. Previous studies proposed various contributing factors of genome complexity and t...

Authors: Dong Yang, Aishi Xu, Pan Shen, Chao Gao, Jiayin Zang, Chen Qiu, Hongsheng Ouyang, Ying Jiang and Fuchu He