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Published May 2003 | public
Journal Article

Differential mesodermal expression of two amphioxus MyoD family members (AmphiMRF1 and AmphiMRF2)

Abstract

To explore the evolution of myogenic regulatory factors in chordates, we isolated two MyoD family genes (AmphiMRF1 and AmphiMRF2) from amphioxus. AmphiMRF1 is first expressed at the late gastrula in the paraxial mesoderm. As the first somites form, expression is restricted to their myotomal region. In the early larva, expression is strongest in the most anterior and most posterior somites. AmphiMRF2 transcription begins at mid/late gastrula in the paraxial mesoderm, but never spreads into its most anterior region. Through much of the neurula stage, AmphiMRF2 expression is strong in the myotomal region of all somites except the most anterior pair; by late neurula expression is downregulated except in the most posterior somites forming just rostral to the tail bud. These two MRF genes of amphioxus have partly overlapping patterns of mesodermal expression and evidently duplicated independent of the diversification of the vertebrate MRF family.

Additional Information

© 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. Received 9 October 2002; received in revised form 11 December 2002; accepted 13 December 2002. The authors are indebted to John M. Lawrence at the University of South Florida for laboratory facilities, to Jim A. Langeland for the amphioxus cDNA library and to Marc Robinson-Rechavi for invaluable statistical advice. In addition, the manuscript was improved by the constructive criticisms of Vincent Laudet, Hector Escriva Garcia, Beátrice Horard, and Pierre-Luc Bardet. This work was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to M.S., by NSF grant IBN0078599 to N.D.H. and L.Z.H., and by NASA grant 98-HEDS-02 to M.B.F. and NAG2-1376 to L.Z.H.

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 17, 2023