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Villamil CI, Middleton ER. Conserved patterns and locomotor-related evolutionary constraints in the hominoid vertebral column. J Hum Evol 2024; 190:103528. [PMID: 38579429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of the hominoid lineage is characterized by pervasive homoplasy, notably in regions such as the vertebral column, which plays a central role in body support and locomotion. Few isolated and fewer associated vertebrae are known for most fossil hominoid taxa, but identified specimens indicate potentially high levels of convergence in terms of both form and number. Homoplasy thus complicates attempts to identify the anatomy of the last common ancestor of hominins and other taxa and stymies reconstructions of evolutionary scenarios. One way to clarify the role of homoplasy is by investigating constraints via phenotypic integration, which assesses covariation among traits, shapes evolutionary pathways, and itself evolves in response to selection. We assessed phenotypic integration and evolvability across the subaxial (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral) vertebral column of macaques (n = 96), gibbons (n = 77), chimpanzees (n = 92), and modern humans (n = 151). We found a mid-cervical cluster that may have shifted cranially in hominoids, a persistent thoracic cluster that is most marked in chimpanzees, and an expanded lumbosacral cluster in hominoids that is most expanded in gibbons. Our results highlight the highly conserved nature of the vertebral column. Taxa appear to exploit existing patterns of integration and ontogenetic processes to shift, expand, or reduce cluster boundaries. Gibbons appear to be the most highly derived taxon in our sample, possibly in response to their highly specialized locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina I Villamil
- School of Chiropractic, Universidad Central del Caribe, Puerto Rico, PO Box 60327, Bayamón, USA.
| | - Emily R Middleton
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3413 N. Downer Ave., Sabin Hall 390, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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2
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Khan MZ, Chen W, Huang B, Liu X, Wang X, Liu Y, Chai W, Wang C. Advancements in Genetic Marker Exploration for Livestock Vertebral Traits with a Focus on China. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:594. [PMID: 38396562 PMCID: PMC10885964 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In livestock breeding, the number of vertebrae has gained significant attention due to its impact on carcass quality and quantity. Variations in vertebral traits have been observed across different animal species and breeds, with a strong correlation to growth and meat production. Furthermore, vertebral traits are classified as quantitative characteristics. Molecular marker techniques, such as marker-assisted selection (MAS), have emerged as efficient tools to identify genetic markers associated with vertebral traits. In the current review, we highlight some key potential genes and their polymorphisms that play pivotal roles in controlling vertebral traits (development, length, and number) in various livestock species, including pigs, donkeys, and sheep. Specific genetic variants within these genes have been linked to vertebral development, number, and length, offering valuable insights into the genetic mechanisms governing vertebral traits. This knowledge has significant implications for selective breeding strategies to enhance structural characteristics and meat quantity and quality in livestock, ultimately improving the efficiency and quality of the animal husbandry industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Zahoor Khan
- Liaocheng Research Institute of Donkey High-Efficiency Breeding and Ecological Feeding, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 522000, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Changfa Wang
- Liaocheng Research Institute of Donkey High-Efficiency Breeding and Ecological Feeding, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 522000, China
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Bardhan S, Bhargava N, Dighe S, Vats N, Naganathan SR. Emergence of a left-right symmetric body plan in vertebrate embryos. Curr Top Dev Biol 2024; 159:310-342. [PMID: 38729680 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2024.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
External bilateral symmetry is a prevalent feature in vertebrates, which emerges during early embryonic development. To begin with, vertebrate embryos are largely radially symmetric before transitioning to bilaterally symmetry, after which, morphogenesis of various bilateral tissues (e.g somites, otic vesicle, limb bud), and structures (e.g palate, jaw) ensue. While a significant amount of work has probed the mechanisms behind symmetry breaking in the left-right axis leading to asymmetric positioning of internal organs, little is known about how bilateral tissues emerge at the same time with the same shape and size and at the same position on the two sides of the embryo. By discussing emergence of symmetry in many bilateral tissues and structures across vertebrate model systems, we highlight that understanding symmetry establishment is largely an open field, which will provide deep insights into fundamental problems in developmental biology for decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Bardhan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
| | - Nandini Bhargava
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
| | - Swarali Dighe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
| | - Neha Vats
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India
| | - Sundar Ram Naganathan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India.
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Lozovska A, Korovesi AG, Duarte P, Casaca A, Assunção T, Mallo M. The control of transitions along the main body axis. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 159:272-308. [PMID: 38729678 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Although vertebrates display a large variety of forms and sizes, the mechanisms controlling the layout of the basic body plan are substantially conserved throughout the clade. Following gastrulation, head, trunk, and tail are sequentially generated through the continuous addition of tissue at the caudal embryonic end. Development of each of these major embryonic regions is regulated by a distinct genetic network. The transitions from head-to-trunk and from trunk-to-tail development thus involve major changes in regulatory mechanisms, requiring proper coordination to guarantee smooth progression of embryonic development. In this review, we will discuss the key cellular and embryological events associated with those transitions giving particular attention to their regulation, aiming to provide a cohesive outlook of this important component of vertebrate development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patricia Duarte
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana Casaca
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Tereza Assunção
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Moises Mallo
- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande, Oeiras, Portugal.
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5
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Chang YC, Manent J, Schroeder J, Wong SFL, Hauswirth GM, Shylo NA, Moore EL, Achilleos A, Garside V, Polo JM, Trainor P, McGlinn E. Nr6a1 controls Hox expression dynamics and is a master regulator of vertebrate trunk development. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7766. [PMID: 36522318 PMCID: PMC9755267 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35303-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate main-body axis is laid down during embryonic stages in an anterior-to-posterior (head-to-tail) direction, driven and supplied by posteriorly located progenitors. Whilst posterior expansion and segmentation appears broadly uniform along the axis, there is developmental and evolutionary support for at least two discrete modules controlling processes within different axial regions: a trunk and a tail module. Here, we identify Nuclear receptor subfamily 6 group A member 1 (Nr6a1) as a master regulator of trunk development in the mouse. Specifically, Nr6a1 was found to control vertebral number and segmentation of the trunk region, autonomously from other axial regions. Moreover, Nr6a1 was essential for the timely progression of Hox signatures, and neural versus mesodermal cell fate choice, within axial progenitors. Collectively, Nr6a1 has an axially-restricted role in all major cellular and tissue-level events required for vertebral column formation, supporting the view that changes in Nr6a1 levels may underlie evolutionary changes in axial formulae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Cheng Chang
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Jan Manent
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Jan Schroeder
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, VIC Australia
| | - Siew Fen Lisa Wong
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Gabriel M. Hauswirth
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Natalia A. Shylo
- grid.250820.d0000 0000 9420 1591Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri USA
| | - Emma L. Moore
- grid.250820.d0000 0000 9420 1591Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri USA
| | - Annita Achilleos
- grid.250820.d0000 0000 9420 1591Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri USA ,grid.413056.50000 0004 0383 4764University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Victoria Garside
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
| | - Jose M. Polo
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Development and Stem Cells Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, VIC Australia
| | - Paul Trainor
- grid.250820.d0000 0000 9420 1591Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri USA ,grid.412016.00000 0001 2177 6375Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas USA
| | - Edwina McGlinn
- grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857EMBL Australia, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800 Australia ,grid.1002.30000 0004 1936 7857Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800 Australia
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Shaping Hox gene activity to generate morphological diversity across vertebrate phylogeny. Essays Biochem 2022; 66:717-726. [PMID: 35924372 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The importance of Hox genes for the development and evolution of the vertebrate axial skeleton and paired appendages has been recognized for already several decades. The steady growth of genomic sequence data from an increasing number of vertebrate species, together with the improvement of methods to analyze genomic structure and interactions, as well as to control gene activity in various species has refined our understanding of Hox gene activity in development and evolution. Here, I will review recent data addressing the influence of Hox regulatory processes in the evolution of the fins and the emergence of the tetrapod limb. In addition, I will discuss the involvement of posterior Hox genes in the control of vertebrate axial extension, focusing on an apparently divergent activity that Hox13 paralog group genes have on the regulation of tail bud development in mouse and zebrafish embryos.
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Deng Z, Carpinelli MR, Butt T, Magor GW, Perkins AC, Jane SM. Inhibition of retinoic acid signaling impairs cranial and spinal neural tube closure in mice lacking the Grainyhead-like 3 transcription factor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 635:244-251. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.10.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Maternal SMCHD1 regulates Hox gene expression and patterning in the mouse embryo. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4295. [PMID: 35879318 PMCID: PMC9314430 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32057-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Parents transmit genetic and epigenetic information to their offspring. Maternal effect genes regulate the offspring epigenome to ensure normal development. Here we report that the epigenetic regulator SMCHD1 has a maternal effect on Hox gene expression and skeletal patterning. Maternal SMCHD1, present in the oocyte and preimplantation embryo, prevents precocious activation of Hox genes post-implantation. Without maternal SMCHD1, highly penetrant posterior homeotic transformations occur in the embryo. Hox genes are decorated with Polycomb marks H2AK119ub and H3K27me3 from the oocyte throughout early embryonic development; however, loss of maternal SMCHD1 does not deplete these marks. Therefore, we propose maternal SMCHD1 acts downstream of Polycomb marks to establish a chromatin state necessary for persistent epigenetic silencing and appropriate Hox gene expression later in the developing embryo. This is a striking role for maternal SMCHD1 in long-lived epigenetic effects impacting offspring phenotype. Parents transmit both genetic and epigenetic information to their offspring, with maternal effect genes being critical regulators of the offspring epigenome. Here they show that maternally deposited SMCHD1 has long-lasting effects on Hox gene expression and vertebral patterning during post-implantation development.
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