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Zhang S, Zhang X, Zhang C, Xu S, Wang D, Guo C. Developmental Genetic Basis of Hoxd9 Homeobox Domain Deletion in Pampus argenteus Pelvic Fin Deficiency. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11769. [PMID: 37511526 PMCID: PMC10380636 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Pampus argenteus is important for commercial fishery catch species and is an emerging target for aquaculture production. Notably, P. argenteus has a bizarre morphology and lacks pelvic fins. However, the reason for the lack of pelvic fins remains unclear, ultimately leading to frequent upside-down floating of P. argenteus during breeding and marked consumption of physical energy. Some lineages, including whales, fugu, snakes, and seahorse, independently lost the pelvic appendages over evolutionary time. Do different taxa employ the same molecular genetic pathways when they independently evolve similar developmental morphologies? Through analysis of the gene responsible for appendage localization, Hoxd9, it was discovered that the Hox domain was absent in the Hoxd9 gene of P. argenteus, and the Hoxd9b gene lacked the Hox9 activation region, a feature not observed in the Hoxd9 gene of other fish species. Interestingly, those distinctive characteristics are not observed in the Hoxd9 gene of other fish species. To determine the association between the Hoxd9 gene characteristics and the pelvic fin deletion in P. argenteus, the full-length cDNA of the Hoxd9a gene was cloned, and morphological observations of the species' juveniles were performed using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Thereafter, the tissue localization of Hoxd9a in the species was analyzed at the gene and protein levels. Based on the results, deletion of the Hoxd9a structural domain possibly leads to disruptions in the protein translation and the pelvic fin localization in P. argenteus during its early ontogenetic developmental stage, resulting in the absence of pelvic fins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- National Engineering Research Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Shanliang Xu
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biotechnology, Ningbo University, Chinese Ministry of Education, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Danli Wang
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Mariculture (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
| | - Chunyang Guo
- School of Marine Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Mariculture (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
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2
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Anthwal N, Urban DJ, Sadier A, Takenaka R, Spiro S, Simmons N, Behringer RR, Cretekos CJ, Rasweiler JJ, Sears KE. Insights into the formation and diversification of a novel chiropteran wing membrane from embryonic development. BMC Biol 2023; 21:101. [PMID: 37143038 PMCID: PMC10161559 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01598-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Through the evolution of novel wing structures, bats (Order Chiroptera) became the only mammalian group to achieve powered flight. This achievement preceded the massive adaptive radiation of bats into diverse ecological niches. We investigate some of the developmental processes that underlie the origin and subsequent diversification of one of the novel membranes of the bat wing: the plagiopatagium, which connects the fore- and hind limb in all bat species. RESULTS Our results suggest that the plagiopatagium initially arises through novel outgrowths from the body flank that subsequently merge with the limbs to generate the wing airfoil. Our findings further suggest that this merging process, which is highly conserved across bats, occurs through modulation of the programs controlling the development of the periderm of the epidermal epithelium. Finally, our results suggest that the shape of the plagiopatagium begins to diversify in bats only after this merging has occurred. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates how focusing on the evolution of cellular processes can inform an understanding of the developmental factors shaping the evolution of novel, highly adaptive structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neal Anthwal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel J Urban
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, USA
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Biology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
| | - Alexa Sadier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Risa Takenaka
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Nancy Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Biology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
| | - Richard R Behringer
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | | | - John J Rasweiler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA.
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3
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Swank S, Sanger TJ, Stuart YE. (Non)Parallel developmental mechanisms in vertebrate appendage reduction and loss. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15484-15497. [PMID: 34824770 PMCID: PMC8601893 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Appendages have been reduced or lost hundreds of times during vertebrate evolution. This phenotypic convergence may be underlain by shared or different molecular mechanisms in distantly related vertebrate clades. To investigate, we reviewed the developmental and evolutionary literature of appendage reduction and loss in more than a dozen vertebrate genera from fish to mammals. We found that appendage reduction and loss was nearly always driven by modified gene expression as opposed to changes in coding sequences. Moreover, expression of the same genes was repeatedly modified across vertebrate taxa. However, the specific mechanisms by which expression was modified were rarely shared. The multiple routes to appendage reduction and loss suggest that adaptive loss of function phenotypes might arise routinely through changes in expression of key developmental genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Swank
- Department of BiologyLoyola University ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Thomas J. Sanger
- Department of BiologyLoyola University ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Yoel E. Stuart
- Department of BiologyLoyola University ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
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4
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Sadier A, Urban DJ, Anthwal N, Howenstine AO, Sinha I, Sears KE. Making a bat: The developmental basis of bat evolution. Genet Mol Biol 2021; 43:e20190146. [PMID: 33576369 PMCID: PMC7879332 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2019-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats are incredibly diverse, both morphologically and taxonomically. Bats are the only mammalian group to have achieved powered flight, an adaptation that is hypothesized to have allowed them to colonize various and diverse ecological niches. However, the lack of fossils capturing the transition from terrestrial mammal to volant chiropteran has obscured much of our understanding of bat evolution. Over the last 20 years, the emergence of evo-devo in non-model species has started to fill this gap by uncovering some developmental mechanisms at the origin of bat diversification. In this review, we highlight key aspects of studies that have used bats as a model for morphological adaptations, diversification during adaptive radiations, and morphological novelty. To do so, we review current and ongoing studies on bat evolution. We first investigate morphological specialization by reviewing current knowledge about wing and face evolution. Then, we explore the mechanisms behind adaptive diversification in various ecological contexts using vision and dentition. Finally, we highlight the emerging work into morphological novelties using bat wing membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Sadier
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Daniel J Urban
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA.,American Museum of Natural History, Department of Mammalogy, New York, USA
| | - Neal Anthwal
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Aidan O Howenstine
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ishani Sinha
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Los Angeles, USA
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5
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Maier JA, Rivas-Astroza M, Deng J, Dowling A, Oboikovitz P, Cao X, Behringer RR, Cretekos CJ, Rasweiler JJ, Zhong S, Sears KE. Transcriptomic insights into the genetic basis of mammalian limb diversity. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:86. [PMID: 28335721 PMCID: PMC5364624 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-0902-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background From bat wings to whale flippers, limb diversification has been crucial to the evolutionary success of mammals. We performed the first transcriptome-wide study of limb development in multiple species to explore the hypothesis that mammalian limb diversification has proceeded through the differential expression of conserved shared genes, rather than by major changes to limb patterning. Specifically, we investigated the manner in which the expression of shared genes has evolved within and among mammalian species. Results We assembled and compared transcriptomes of bat, mouse, opossum, and pig fore- and hind limbs at the ridge, bud, and paddle stages of development. Results suggest that gene expression patterns exhibit larger variation among species during later than earlier stages of limb development, while within species results are more mixed. Consistent with the former, results also suggest that genes expressed at later developmental stages tend to have a younger evolutionary age than genes expressed at earlier stages. A suite of key limb-patterning genes was identified as being differentially expressed among the homologous limbs of all species. However, only a small subset of shared genes is differentially expressed in the fore- and hind limbs of all examined species. Similarly, a small subset of shared genes is differentially expressed within the fore- and hind limb of a single species and among the forelimbs of different species. Conclusions Taken together, results of this study do not support the existence of a phylotypic period of limb development ending at chondrogenesis, but do support the hypothesis that the hierarchical nature of development translates into increasing variation among species as development progresses. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0902-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Maier
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Marcelo Rivas-Astroza
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jenny Deng
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Anna Dowling
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Paige Oboikovitz
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Xiaoyi Cao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Richard R Behringer
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Chris J Cretekos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, 921 South 8th Avenue, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA
| | - John J Rasweiler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson, Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11203, USA
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Karen E Sears
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, 505 S Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA. .,Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, 1206 W Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
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6
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Booker BM, Friedrich T, Mason MK, VanderMeer JE, Zhao J, Eckalbar WL, Logan M, Illing N, Pollard KS, Ahituv N. Bat Accelerated Regions Identify a Bat Forelimb Specific Enhancer in the HoxD Locus. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005738. [PMID: 27019019 PMCID: PMC4809552 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular events leading to the development of the bat wing remain largely unknown, and are thought to be caused, in part, by changes in gene expression during limb development. These expression changes could be instigated by variations in gene regulatory enhancers. Here, we used a comparative genomics approach to identify regions that evolved rapidly in the bat ancestor, but are highly conserved in other vertebrates. We discovered 166 bat accelerated regions (BARs) that overlap H3K27ac and p300 ChIP-seq peaks in developing mouse limbs. Using a mouse enhancer assay, we show that five Myotis lucifugus BARs drive gene expression in the developing mouse limb, with the majority showing differential enhancer activity compared to the mouse orthologous BAR sequences. These include BAR116, which is located telomeric to the HoxD cluster and had robust forelimb expression for the M. lucifugus sequence and no activity for the mouse sequence at embryonic day 12.5. Developing limb expression analysis of Hoxd10-Hoxd13 in Miniopterus natalensis bats showed a high-forelimb weak-hindlimb expression for Hoxd10-Hoxd11, similar to the expression trend observed for M. lucifugus BAR116 in mice, suggesting that it could be involved in the regulation of the bat HoxD complex. Combined, our results highlight novel regulatory regions that could be instrumental for the morphological differences leading to the development of the bat wing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty M. Booker
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Tara Friedrich
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Mandy K. Mason
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Julia E. VanderMeer
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Control and Optimization for Chemical Processes of the Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Walter L. Eckalbar
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Malcolm Logan
- Division of Developmental Biology, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, United Kingdom
- Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, Guys Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Illing
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Katherine S. Pollard
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Division of Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KSP); (NA)
| | - Nadav Ahituv
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (KSP); (NA)
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7
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Sears KE, Maier JA, Rivas-Astroza M, Poe R, Zhong S, Kosog K, Marcot JD, Behringer RR, Cretekos CJ, Rasweiler JJ, Rapti Z. The Relationship between Gene Network Structure and Expression Variation among Individuals and Species. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005398. [PMID: 26317994 PMCID: PMC4552942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation among individuals is a prerequisite of evolution by natural selection. As such, identifying the origins of variation is a fundamental goal of biology. We investigated the link between gene interactions and variation in gene expression among individuals and species using the mammalian limb as a model system. We first built interaction networks for key genes regulating early (outgrowth; E9.5-11) and late (expansion and elongation; E11-13) limb development in mouse. This resulted in an Early (ESN) and Late (LSN) Stage Network. Computational perturbations of these networks suggest that the ESN is more robust. We then quantified levels of the same key genes among mouse individuals and found that they vary less at earlier limb stages and that variation in gene expression is heritable. Finally, we quantified variation in gene expression levels among four mammals with divergent limbs (bat, opossum, mouse and pig) and found that levels vary less among species at earlier limb stages. We also found that variation in gene expression levels among individuals and species are correlated for earlier and later limb development. In conclusion, results are consistent with the robustness of the ESN buffering among-individual variation in gene expression levels early in mammalian limb development, and constraining the evolution of early limb development among mammalian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E. Sears
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jennifer A. Maier
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Marcelo Rivas-Astroza
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Rachel Poe
- Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Sheng Zhong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Kari Kosog
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jonathan D. Marcot
- School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Richard R. Behringer
- Department of Genetics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Chris J. Cretekos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, United States of America
| | - John J. Rasweiler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Zoi Rapti
- Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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8
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Tokita M. How the pterosaur got its wings. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:1163-78. [PMID: 25361444 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Throughout the evolutionary history of life, only three vertebrate lineages took to the air by acquiring a body plan suitable for powered flight: birds, bats, and pterosaurs. Because pterosaurs were the earliest vertebrate lineage capable of powered flight and included the largest volant animal in the history of the earth, understanding how they evolved their flight apparatus, the wing, is an important issue in evolutionary biology. Herein, I speculate on the potential basis of pterosaur wing evolution using recent advances in the developmental biology of flying and non-flying vertebrates. The most significant morphological features of pterosaur wings are: (i) a disproportionately elongated fourth finger, and (ii) a wing membrane called the brachiopatagium, which stretches from the posterior surface of the arm and elongated fourth finger to the anterior surface of the leg. At limb-forming stages of pterosaur embryos, the zone of polarizing activity (ZPA) cells, from which the fourth finger eventually differentiates, could up-regulate, restrict, and prolong expression of 5'-located Homeobox D (Hoxd) genes (e.g. Hoxd11, Hoxd12, and Hoxd13) around the ZPA through pterosaur-specific exploitation of sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling. 5'Hoxd genes could then influence downstream bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling to facilitate chondrocyte proliferation in long bones. Potential expression of Fgf10 and Tbx3 in the primordium of the brachiopatagium formed posterior to the forelimb bud might also facilitate elongation of the phalanges of the fourth finger. To establish the flight-adapted musculoskeletal morphology shared by all volant vertebrates, pterosaurs probably underwent regulatory changes in the expression of genes controlling forelimb and pectoral girdle musculoskeletal development (e.g. Tbx5), as well as certain changes in the mode of cell-cell interactions between muscular and connective tissues in the early phase of their evolution. Developmental data now accumulating for extant vertebrate taxa could be helpful in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of body-plan evolution in extinct vertebrates as well as extant vertebrates with unique morphology whose embryonic materials are hard to obtain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayoshi Tokita
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A
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9
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Wang Z, Dai M, Wang Y, Cooper KL, Zhu T, Dong D, Zhang J, Zhang S. Unique expression patterns of multiple key genes associated with the evolution of mammalian flight. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133133. [PMID: 24695426 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Critical adaptations for flight include a pair of dramatically elongated hands with broad wing membranes. To study the molecular mechanisms of bat wing evolution, we perform genomewide mRNA sequencing and in situ hybridization for embryonic bat limbs. We identify seven key genes that display unique expression patterns in embryonic bat wings and feet, compared with mouse fore- and hindlimbs. The expression of all 5'HoxD genes (Hoxd9-13) and Tbx3, six known crucial transcription factors for limb and digit development, is extremely high and prolonged in the elongating wing area. The expression of Fam5c, a tumour suppressor, in bat limbs is bat-specific and significantly high in all short digit regions (the thumb and foot digits). These results suggest multiple genetic changes occurred independently during the evolution of bat wings to elongate the hand digits, promote membrane growth and keep other digits short. Our findings also indicate that the evolution of limb morphology depends on the complex integration of multiple gene regulatory networks and biological processes that control digit formation and identity, chondrogenesis, and interdigital regression or retention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution (iAIR), East China Normal University, , Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, , San Diego, CA 92093, USA, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, , Boston, MA 02115, USA
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10
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Young NM. Macroevolutionary diversity of amniote limb proportions predicted by developmental interactions. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2013; 320:420-7. [PMID: 23913472 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 05/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Mammals, birds, and reptiles exhibit a remarkable diversity of limb proportions. These evolved differences are thought to reflect selection for biomechanical, postural, and locomotor requirements primarily acting on independent variation in later fetal and postnatal segmental growth. However, earlier conserved developmental events also have the potential to impact the evolvability of limb proportions by limiting or biasing initial variation among segments. Notably, proximo-distal patterning of the amniote limb through activation-inhibition dynamics predicts that initial proportions of segments should exhibit both tradeoffs between stylopod and autopod and a diagnostic reduction in variance of the zeugopod. Here it is demonstrated that this developmental "design rule" predicts patterns of macroevolutionary diversity despite the effects of variation in segmental growth over ontogeny, lineage-specific differences in phylogenetic history, or functional adaptation. These results provide critical comparative evidence of a conserved Turing-like mechanism in proximo-distal limb segmentation, and suggest that development has played a previously unrecognized role in the evolvability of limb proportions in a wide range of amniote taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan M Young
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California
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11
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Cooper LN, Cretekos CJ, Sears KE. The evolution and development of mammalian flight. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY 2012; 1:773-9. [DOI: 10.1002/wdev.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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12
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Sears KE, Bormet AK, Rockwell A, Powers LE, Noelle Cooper L, Wheeler MB. Developmental basis of mammalian digit reduction: a case study in pigs. Evol Dev 2011; 13:533-41. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-142x.2011.00509.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Allison K. Bormet
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana; IL; 61801; USA
| | - Alexander Rockwell
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana; IL; 61801; USA
| | - Lisa E. Powers
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana; IL; 61801; USA
| | - Lisa Noelle Cooper
- Department of Animal Biology; University of Illinois; Urbana; IL; 61801; USA
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13
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Sanger TJ, Revell LJ, Gibson-Brown JJ, Losos JB. Repeated modification of early limb morphogenesis programmes underlies the convergence of relative limb length in Anolis lizards. Proc Biol Sci 2011; 279:739-48. [PMID: 21849319 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2011.0840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The independent evolution of similar morphologies has long been a subject of considerable interest to biologists. Does phenotypic convergence reflect the primacy of natural selection, or does development set the course of evolution by channelling variation in certain directions? Here, we examine the ontogenetic origins of relative limb length variation among Anolis lizard habitat specialists to address whether convergent phenotypes have arisen through convergent developmental trajectories. Despite the numerous developmental processes that could potentially contribute to variation in adult limb length, our analyses reveal that, in Anolis lizards, such variation is repeatedly the result of changes occurring very early in development, prior to formation of the cartilaginous long bone anlagen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Sanger
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Reshuffling genomic landscapes to study the regulatory evolution of Hox gene clusters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:10632-7. [PMID: 21670281 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102985108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Vertebrata was accompanied by two rounds of whole-genome duplications. This enabled paralogous genes to acquire novel functions with high evolutionary potential, a process suggested to occur mostly by changes in gene regulation, rather than in protein sequences. In the case of Hox gene clusters, such duplications favored the appearance of distinct global regulations. To assess the impact of such "regulatory evolution" upon neo-functionalization, we developed PANTHERE (PAN-genomic Translocation for Heterologous Enhancer RE-shuffling) to bring the entire megabase-scale HoxD regulatory landscape in front of the HoxC gene cluster via a targeted translocation in vivo. At this chimeric locus, Hoxc genes could both interpret this foreign regulation and functionally substitute for their Hoxd counterparts. Our results emphasize the importance of evolving regulatory modules rather than their target genes in the process of neo-functionalization and offer a genetic tool to study the complexity of the vertebrate regulatory genome.
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15
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Sanger TJ, Norgard EA, Pletscher LS, Bevilacqua M, Brooks VR, Sandell LJ, Cheverud JM. Developmental and genetic origins of murine long bone length variation. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2011; 316B:146-61. [PMID: 21328530 PMCID: PMC3160521 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.21388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Revised: 08/30/2010] [Accepted: 10/16/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
If we wish to understand whether development influences the rate or direction of morphological evolution, we must first understand the developmental bases of morphological variation within species. However, quantitative variation in adult morphology is the product of molecular and cellular processes unfolding from embryonic development through juvenile growth to maturity. The Atchley-Hall model provides a useful framework for dissecting complex morphologies into their component parts as a way of determining which developmental processes contribute to variation in adult form. We have examined differences in postnatal allometry and the patterns of genetic correlation between age-specific traits for ten recombinant inbred strains of mice generated from an intercross of LG/J and SM/J. Long bone length is closely tied to body size, but variation in adult morphology is more closely tied to differences in growth rate between 3 and 5 weeks of age. These analyses show that variation generated during early development is overridden by variation generated later in life. To more precisely determine the cellular processes generating this variation we then examined the cellular dynamics of long bone growth plates at the time of maximum elongation rate differences in the parent strains. Our analyses revealed that variation in long bone length is the result of faster elongation rates of the LG/J stain. The developmental bases for these differences in growth rate involve the rate of cell division and chondrocyte hypertrophy in the growth plate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Sanger
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
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16
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KELLY EM, SEARS KARENE. Reduced phenotypic covariation in marsupial limbs and the implications for mammalian evolution. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01561.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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17
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Wang Z, Dong D, Ru B, Young RL, Han N, Guo T, Zhang S. Digital gene expression tag profiling of bat digits provides robust candidates contributing to wing formation. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:619. [PMID: 21054883 PMCID: PMC3017863 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2010] [Accepted: 11/06/2010] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As the only truly flying mammals, bats use their unique wing - consisting of four elongated digits (digits II-V) connected by membranes - to power their flight. In addition to the elongated digits II-V, the forelimb contains one shorter digit (digit I) that is morphologically similar to the hindlimb digits. Here, we capitalized on the morphological variation among the bat forelimb digits to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying digit elongation and wing formation. Using next generation sequencing technology, we performed digital gene expression tag profiling (DGE-tag profiling) of developing digits in a pooled sample of two Myotis ricketti and validated our sequencing results using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of gene expression in the developing digits of two Hipposideros armiger. Results Among hundreds of genes exhibiting significant differences in expression between the short and long digits, we highlight 14 genes most related to digit elongation. These genes include two Tbx genes (Tbx3 and Tbx15), five BMP pathway genes (Bmp3, RGMB, Smad1, Smad4 and Nog), four Homeobox genes (Hoxd8, Hoxd9, Hoxa1 and Satb1), and three other genes (Twist1, Tmeff2 and Enpp2) related to digit malformations or cell proliferation. In addition, our results suggest that Tbx4 and Pitx2 contribute to the morphological similarity and five genes (Acta1, Tnnc2, Atp2a1, Hrc and Myoz1) contribute to the functional similarity between the thumb and hindlimb digits. Conclusions Results of this study not only implicate many developmental genes as robust candidates underlying digit elongation and wing formation in bats, but also provide a better understanding of the genes involved in autopodial development in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Wang
- Institute of Molecular Ecology and Evolution, iAIR, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, PR China
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18
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Elephant shark (Callorhinchus milii) provides insights into the evolution of Hox gene clusters in gnathostomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:16327-32. [PMID: 19805301 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907914106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We have sequenced and analyzed Hox gene clusters from elephant shark, a holocephalian cartilaginous fish. Elephant shark possesses 4 Hox clusters with 45 Hox genes that include orthologs for a higher number of ancient gnathostome Hox genes than the 4 clusters in tetrapods and the supernumerary clusters in teleost fishes. Phylogenetic analysis of elephant shark Hox genes from 7 paralogous groups that contain all of the 4 members indicated an ((AB)(CD)) topology for the order of Hox cluster duplication, providing support for the 2R hypothesis (i.e., 2 rounds of whole-genome duplication during the early evolution of vertebrates). Comparisons of noncoding sequences of the elephant shark and human Hox clusters have identified a large number of conserved noncoding elements (CNEs), which represent putative cis-regulatory elements that may be involved in the regulation of Hox genes. Interestingly, in fugu more than 50% of these ancient CNEs have diverged beyond recognition in the duplicated (HoxA, HoxB, and HoxD) as well as the singleton (HoxC) Hox clusters. Furthermore, the b-paralogs of the duplicated fugu Hox clusters are virtually devoid of unique ancient CNEs. In contrast to fugu Hox clusters, elephant shark and human Hox clusters have lost fewer ancient CNEs. If these ancient CNEs are indeed enhancers directing tissue-specific expression of Hox genes, divergence of their sequences in vertebrate lineages might have led to altered expression patterns and presumably the functions of their associated Hox genes.
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Hockman D, Mason MK, Jacobs DS, Illing N. The role of early development in mammalian limb diversification: a descriptive comparison of early limb development between the Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) and the mouse (Mus musculus). Dev Dyn 2009; 238:965-79. [PMID: 19253395 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.21896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative embryology expands our understanding of unique limb structures, such as that found in bats. Bat forelimb digits 2 to 5 are differentially elongated and joined by webbing, while the hindlimb digits are of similar length in many species. We compare limb development between the mouse and the Natal long-fingered bat, Miniopterus natalensis, to pinpoint the stage at which their limbs begin to differ. The bat forelimb differs from the mouse at Carollia stage (CS) 14 with the appearance of the wing membrane primordia. This difference is enhanced at CS 15 with the posterior expansion of the hand plate. The bat hindlimb begins to differ from the mouse between CS 15 and 16 when the foot plate undergoes a proximal expansion resulting in digit primordia of very similar length. Our findings support recent gene expression studies, which reveal a role for early patterning in the development of the bat limb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorit Hockman
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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