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Published July 15, 2005 | public
Journal Article

Central role of gene cooption in neural crest evolution

Abstract

A bona fide neural crest is a defining feature of vertebrate embryos. Protochordate gene expression patterns indicate that neural crest evolution coincided with the cooption of several transcriptional regulators to the neural plate border of the vertebrate ancestor. Recent cell labeling experiments in ascidians suggest that cells in this domain may have been migratory and thus displayed some neural crest cell-like behavior. Taken together, these data suggest that the recruitment of new genetic pathways conferred novel developmental potentials upon the migratory neural tube cells of the prevertebrate chordate.

Additional Information

© 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Issue published online: 19 Jul 2005; article first published online: 3 May 2005; manuscript accepted: 17 Feb 2005; manuscript received: 15 Dec 2004. Grant sponsors: This work was supported by USPHS grant DE13223 and NASA NAG 2-1585 to M.B.-F. The authors thank Bill Jeffery, for helpful correspondence, and the anonymous reviewers whose comments improved the quality of this work.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023