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Figure 14 | EvoDevo

Figure 14

From: Par system components are asymmetrically localized in ectodermal epithelia, but not during early development in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

Figure 14

Par system co-opted into early embryonic stages at the base of the Bilateria. The Par system described for bilaterian animals is deployed during early stages to establish cell polarity, maintained during development, and later used to polarize the cells of epithelial tissues. A different scenario was observed for the embryonic and tissue cell polarity in Cnidaria: Par system proteins are not asymmetrically distributed during early development of N. vectensis, but they later become polarized in the cells of the epithelia. This suggests that the Par system, a critical regulator of tissue cell polarity, was co-opted into establishing early embryonic polarity at the base of the Bilateria (yellow star).

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