Abstract
The phylogenetic classification of genes that are ontologically associated with neural crest development reveals that neural crest evolution is associated with the emergence of new signalling peptides.
Highlights
Development of the vertebrate head depends on the multipotency and migratory behavior of neural crest derivatives
In this work we explore the phylogeny of the genes that are involved in neural crest development to gain insight into the evolution of neural crest properties
We aimed to determine which components of the vertebrate neural crest gene program are ancient, and have been recruited to perform a function in this tissue, and which components evolved only recently
Summary
Development of the vertebrate head depends on the multipotency and migratory behavior of neural crest derivatives. The three existing groups of the phylum Chordata, namely urochordates (ascidians), cephalochordates (amphioxus), and craniates (including vertebrates and agnates), share many characteristics These include a Genome Biology 2007, 8:R36. Molecular data have further confirmed these anatomic descriptions, revealing a conserved patterning mechanism along the anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral axes of the neural tube [3] Resting on this archetypal chordate body plan, unique populations of cells, the neural crest and the ectodermal placodes, evolved in craniates (referred to here as 'vertebrates' for simplicity). The emergence of these pluripotent cells is linked to the evolution of more sophisticated sensory and predatory organs (for instance, jaws). These new organs, in conjunction with an increasingly complex brain, allowed the shift from a filter-feeding style of life toward active predatory strategies [2,4]
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