Search Results (55)

As close relatives of the vertebrates, cephalochordates have been the focus of significant evo–devo and genomic research; however, their biodiversity and systematics remain poorly known. In particular, few species have been documented in the eastern Pacific and there are few published observations for this region. Using sequences from COI and 16S DNA barcode markers and morphological observations from 16 animals collected incidentally during other studies, we document the presence of three species of amphioxus on the Pacific coast and one from the Caribbean coast of Panama. The high genetic diversity recovered from so few samples suggests that the application of molecular taxonomy to neotropical amphioxus would likely uncover additional species and could help to more easily delineate morphological differences among taxa. Full article

Eco-evo-devo is an interdisciplinary field integrating ecology, evolutionary biology, and developmental biology. Niche construction refers to the phenomenon where organisms alter selection pressures through ecological activities, and ecological inheritance is the consequence of niche construction, passed down through generations. Development encompasses the process by which an organism grows and changes its form and behavior throughout its lifetime. Despite emerging research on eco-evo-devo, the evolution of organisms involving complex physical structures remains underexplored. We aim to explore interactions between these components in the evolution of the adaptive morphology and behavior of artificial creatures. We constructed an evolutionary model where a population of rigid-bodied creatures must cross two valleys to reach a goal, using morphological development and object construction in a 3D physical environment. We found that the evolution of both lifetime development (LD) and niche construction (NC) showed complementary roles, with LD contributing to crossing one valley and NC the other. Regarding ecological inheritance (EI), we observed how NC adapts to the presence of inherited objects by placing fewer objects to construct structures. On the other hand, a large percentage of EI can cause obstacles to form, which hinders the population from moving towards the target and facilitates non-adaptive morphology, making the evolution unsuccessful. Full article

Marine nematodes possess all the prerequisites to serve as “simpler models” for investigating biological phenomena and are gaining attention as emerging model organisms. This review evaluates their potential to address diverse biological questions regarding ecosystem functioning, climate change adaptation, host–microbe interactions, ecotoxicology, and biotechnological applications. Among the reviewed taxa, Litoditis marina and select Monhysteridae species, such as Diplolaimella dievengatensis, Halomonhystera disjuncta, and Diplolaimelloides spp., emerge as leading candidates due to their manageable life cycles, adaptability to laboratory conditions, and available genomic resources. These tiny organisms provide valuable insights into phenomena such as developmental plasticity, epigenetic regulation, and adaptive responses to environmental stress. Symbiotic relationships in Stilbonematinae and Astomonematinae, alongside the antimicrobial properties of the Oncholaimidae species, offer unique opportunities to explore mutualistic evolution and resilience in extreme environments. Despite challenges in culturing these species, recent advances in culturing other meiofaunal organisms with chemosynthetic symbionts have opened up promising opportunities. The roles of marine nematodes as ethical and versatile models position them to address pressing challenges in biological and biomedical research, highlighting their significant potential for future studies. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examined the differences in participant force production and pain between a squat maximal voluntary isometric contraction (IMVIC) performed with either a waist belt (WB) or full-body harness (FBH) on the Desmotec D.EVO isoinertial device (D.EVO). Agreement between FBH IMVIC and a traditional force plate squat MVIC (TMVIC) was also assessed. Methods: Twenty adults completed FBH, WB, and TMVIC assessments on two separate occasions. Two-way treatment x time ANOVAs were conducted to compare force outputs and pain between treatments (FBH vs. WB) across time. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. Associations between outcomes were determined using Pearson’s r. Standard error of estimate, constant error, total error, and Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between IMVIC and TMVIC. Results: FBH and WB IMVIC exhibited good to excellent reliability (ICC_2,1 = 0.889–0.994) and strong associations (r = 0.813 and 0.821, respectively) when compared to TMVIC. However, agreement between FBH and TMVIC was poor. No significant interaction or main effects were observed for pain. FBH maximum isometric force (MIF) was significantly higher than WB MIF. WB IMVIC was the only significant predictor of TMVIC (R² = 0.674). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the D.EVO should not be utilized as a replacement for a traditional MVIC setup. Full article

Throughout embryonic development, the shaping of the functional and morphological characteristics of embryos is orchestrated by an intricate interaction between transcription factors and cis-regulatory elements. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of deuterostome cis-regulatory landscapes during gastrulation, focusing on four paradigmatic species: the echinoderm Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, the cephalochordate Branchiostoma lanceolatum, the urochordate Ciona intestinalis, and the vertebrate Danio rerio. Our approach involved comparative computational analysis of ATAC-seq datasets to explore the genome-wide blueprint of conserved transcription factor binding motifs underlying gastrulation. We identified a core set of conserved DNA binding motifs associated with 62 known transcription factors, indicating the remarkable conservation of the gastrulation regulatory landscape across deuterostomes. Our findings offer valuable insights into the evolutionary molecular dynamics of embryonic development, shedding light on conserved regulatory subprograms and providing a comprehensive perspective on the conservation and divergence of gene regulation underlying the gastrulation process. Full article

Since the 19th century, we have had countless debates, sometimes acrimonious, about the nature of the gynoecium. A pivotal question has been whether all angiosperms possess carpels or if some or all angiosperms are acarpellate. We can resolve these debates if we do not define the carpel as a closed megasporophyll but simply as an appendage that encloses the placenta or a single ovule. This redefinition may, however, lead to confusion because often it may not be clear whether the traditional (classical) definition of the carpel or the redefinition is implied. Therefore, a topographic approach is proposed that is compatible with the redefinition. According to this approach, gynoecia comprise one or more gynoecial appendages and placentas or single ovules that may be formed in different positions. Heterotopy refers to these different positions. In the context of evo-devo, which explores evolutionary changes in development, morpho evo-devo delves into spatial shifts of the placentas and ovules leading to heterotopy. Furthermore, it considers shifts in timing (heterochrony) and other processes leading to heteromorphy. Recognizing spatial shifting of the placentas or a single ovule and other evolutionary processes opens up new vistas in the search for the ancestor(s) of angiosperms and their gynoecia. Full article

Known as a diverse collection of neoplastic diseases, breast cancer (BC) can be hyperbolically characterized as a dynamic pseudo-organ, a living organism able to build a complex, open, hierarchically organized, self-sustainable, and self-renewable tumor system, a population, a species, a local community, a biocenosis, or an evolving dynamical ecosystem (i.e., immune or metabolic ecosystem) that emphasizes both developmental continuity and spatio-temporal change. Moreover, a cancer cell community, also known as an oncobiota, has been described as non-sexually reproducing species, as well as a migratory or invasive species that expresses intelligent behavior, or an endangered or parasite species that fights to survive, to optimize its features inside the host’s ecosystem, or that is able to exploit or to disrupt its host circadian cycle for improving the own proliferation and spreading. BC tumorigenesis has also been compared with the early embryo and placenta development that may suggest new strategies for research and therapy. Furthermore, BC has also been characterized as an environmental disease or as an ecological disorder. Many mechanisms of cancer progression have been explained by principles of ecology, developmental biology, and evolutionary paradigms. Many authors have discussed ecological, developmental, and evolutionary strategies for more successful anti-cancer therapies, or for understanding the ecological, developmental, and evolutionary bases of BC exploitable vulnerabilities. Herein, we used the integrated framework of three well known ecological theories: the Bronfenbrenner’s theory of human development, the Vannote’s River Continuum Concept (RCC), and the Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Eco-Evo-Devo) theory, to explain and understand several eco-evo-devo-based principles that govern BC progression. Multi-omics fields, taken together as onco-breastomics, offer better opportunities to integrate, analyze, and interpret large amounts of complex heterogeneous data, such as various and big-omics data obtained by multiple investigative modalities, for understanding the eco-evo-devo-based principles that drive BC progression and treatment. These integrative eco-evo-devo theories can help clinicians better diagnose and treat BC, for example, by using non-invasive biomarkers in liquid-biopsies that have emerged from integrated omics-based data that accurately reflect the biomolecular landscape of the primary tumor in order to avoid mutilating preventive surgery, like bilateral mastectomy. From the perspective of preventive, personalized, and participatory medicine, these hypotheses may help patients to think about this disease as a process governed by natural rules, to understand the possible causes of the disease, and to gain control on their own health. Full article

Background: A feature of higher plants is the modular principle of body organisation. One of these conservative morphological modules that regulate plant growth, histogenesis and organogenesis is meristems—structures that contain pools of stem cells and are generally organised according to a common principle. Basic content: The development of meristems is under the regulation of molecular modules that contain conservative interacting components and modulate the expression of target genes depending on the developmental context. In this review, we focus on two molecular modules that act in different types of meristems. The WOX-CLAVATA module, which includes the peptide ligand, its receptor and the target transcription factor, is responsible for the formation and control of the activity of all meristem types studied, but it has its own peculiarities in different meristems. Another regulatory module is the so-called florigen-activated complex, which is responsible for the phase transition in the shoot vegetative meristem (e.g., from the vegetative shoot apical meristem to the inflorescence meristem). Conclusions: The review considers the composition and functions of these two functional modules in different developmental programmes, as well as their appearance, evolution and use in plant breeding. Full article

Among amniotic skin appendages, avian feathers and mammalian hairs protect their stem cells in specialized niches, located in the collar bulge and hair bulge, respectively. In chickens and alligators, label retaining cells (LRCs), which are putative stem cells, are distributed in the hinge regions of both avian scutate scales and reptilian overlapping scales. These LRCs take part in scale regeneration. However, it is unknown whether other types of scales, for example, symmetrically shaped reticulate scales, have a similar way of preserving their stem cells. In particular, the foot sole represents a special interface between animal feet and external environments, with heavy mechanical loading. This is different from scutate-scale-covered metatarsal feet that function as protection. Avian reticulate scales on foot soles display specialized characteristics in development. They do not have a placode stage and lack β-keratin expression. Here, we explore the molecular and cellular characteristics of avian reticulate scales. RNAscope analysis reveals different molecular profiles during surface and hinge determination compared with scutate scales. Furthermore, reticulate scales express Keratin 15 (K15) sporadically in both surface- and hinge-region basal layer cells, and LRCs are not localized. Upon wounding, the reticulate scale region undergoes repair but does not regenerate. Our results suggest that successful skin appendage regeneration requires localized stem cell niches to guide regeneration. Full article

All living jawed vertebrates possess teeth or did so ancestrally. Integumental surface also includes the cornea. Conversely, no other anatomical feature differentiates the clades so readily as skin appendages do, multicellular glands in amphibians, hair follicle/gland complexes in mammals, feathers in birds, and the different types of scales. Tooth-like scales are characteristic of chondrichthyans, while mineralized dermal scales are characteristic of bony fishes. Corneous epidermal scales might have appeared twice, in squamates, and on feet in avian lineages, but posteriorly to feathers. In contrast to the other skin appendages, the origin of multicellular glands of amphibians has never been addressed. In the seventies, pioneering dermal–epidermal recombination between chick, mouse and lizard embryos showed that: (1) the clade type of the appendage is determined by the epidermis; (2) their morphogenesis requires two groups of dermal messages, first for primordia formation, second for appendage final architecture; (3) the early messages were conserved during amniotes evolution. Molecular biology studies that have identified the involved pathways, extending those data to teeth and dermal scales, suggest that the different vertebrate skin appendages evolved in parallel from a shared placode/dermal cells unit, present in a common toothed ancestor, c.a. 420 mya. Full article

A theory of the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors, or the carcino-evo-devo theory, is being developed. The main hypothesis of the theory, the hypothesis of evolution by tumor neofunctionalization, posits that hereditary tumors provided additional cell masses during the evolution of multicellular organisms for the expression of evolutionarily novel genes. The carcino-evo-devo theory has formulated several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in the laboratory of the author. It also suggests several nontrivial explanations of biological phenomena previously unexplained by the existing theories or incompletely understood. By considering three major types of biological development—individual, evolutionary, and neoplastic development—within one theoretical framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory. Full article

Floral nectaries have evolved multiple times and rapidly diversified with the adaptive radiation of animal pollinators. As such, floral nectaries exhibit extraordinary variation in location, size, shape, and secretory mechanism. Despite the intricate ties to pollinator interactions, floral nectaries are often overlooked in morphological and developmental studies. As Cleomaceae exhibits substantial floral diversity, our objective was to describe and compare floral nectaries between and within genera. Floral nectary morphology was assessed through scanning electron microscopy and histology across three developmental stages of nine Cleomaceae species including representatives for seven genera. A modified fast green and safranin O staining protocol was used to yield vibrant sections without highly hazardous chemicals. Cleomaceae floral nectaries are most commonly receptacular, located between the perianth and stamens. The floral nectaries are supplied by vasculature, often contain nectary parenchyma, and have nectarostomata. Despite the shared location, components, and secretory mechanism, the floral nectaries display dramatic diversity in size and shape, ranging from adaxial protrusions or concavities to annular disks. Our data reveal substantive lability in form with both adaxial and annular floral nectaries interspersed across Cleomaceae. Floral nectaries contribute to the vast morphological diversity of Cleomaceae flowers and so are valuable for taxonomic descriptions. Though Cleomaceae floral nectaries are often derived from the receptacle and receptacular nectaries are common across flowering plants, the role of the receptacle in floral evolution and diversification is overlooked and warrants further exploration. Full article

The phylogenetic relationships of turtles (Testudines) challenge cladistics by demonstrating the inherent weaknesses of this non-Darwinian method of phylogenic reconstruction. Recent cladistic analyses have identified sauropterygians as the closest relatives of turtles and even at least one sauropterygian, Pappochelys, as a turtle. These findings are largely based on the convergence of several characteristics associated with environmental adaptation, including the relative lengths of phalanges, dense gastralia placement (assumed proto-plastron), and a well-defined intertrochanteric fossa. A lack of failure testing to identify such convergence is important in the analysis of unusual taxa because it can force a taxon into the in-group as a methodological artifact, as with the cladistic placement of Eunotosaurus within Testudines. Eunotosaurus was not placed in a wider vertebrate phylogeny, which led to its identification as a basal member of Caseidae. The characteristics shared by caseids and Testudines, including their relative head-to-body size, posterior jaw articulation, and reduced number of dorsal ribs and vertebrae, contributed to this mistake. Late Triassic Chinlechelys provides a useful window into these varied cladistic problems due to anatomical convergence. It demonstrates an intermediate step between a carapace with neighboring ribs and a carapace fused with ribs. This earlier state lacked the organizing role of the ribs in the carapace and had multiple rows of costals (dorsal osteoderms) arranged at an angle to the ribs, which is a condition only known in some pareiasaurs. This fits with an evo-devo model of gradual change creating a new structure (a carapace), which was followed by adaptive radiation filling the new niches opened by that structure. Full article

Mentha arvensis L. and Mentha × piperita L. are herbal plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family and are widely cultivated for their essential oils and culinary uses. These herbs are commercially valuable mints used in the preparation of herbal formulations, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and in food industries. Due to the presence of potential secondary metabolites, mints were employed to treat various disorders since ancient times in traditional medicines. The extracts of M. arvensis and M. × piperita can improve the function of digestive system, central nervous system and respiratory system of the human body. Majority of the health benefits of these herbs are attributed by the essential oil components. In addition, the administration of M. arvensis and M. × piperita under various pathological conditions studied in vitro and in vivo facilitated the recovery of detrimental ailments. Due to the increasing demand for natural product-based medicines, research is focused on the utilization of phytochemicals to treat various ailments. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of health benefits of M. arvensis and M. × piperita, the present endeavor deals with the antioxidant property, anti-inflammatory property, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer activities of both species. However, a deeper knowledge on the specific metabolites of M. arvensis and M. × piperita and their mode of action against different disease targets will accelerate the discovery of novel natural drugs with less side effects and higher efficiency. Full article

How complex morphological patterns form is an intriguing question in developmental biology. However, the mechanisms that generate complex patterns remain largely unknown. Here, we sought to identify the genetic mechanisms that regulate the tan (t) gene in a multi-spotted pigmentation pattern on the abdomen and wings of Drosophila guttifera. Previously, we showed that yellow (y) gene expression completely prefigures the abdominal and wing pigment patterns of this species. In the current study, we demonstrate that the t gene is co-expressed with the y gene in nearly identical patterns, both transcripts foreshadowing the adult abdominal and wing melanin spot patterns. We identified cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) of t, one of which drives reporter expression in six longitudinal rows of spots on the developing pupal abdomen, while the second CRM activates the reporter gene in a spotted wing pattern. Comparing the abdominal spot CRMs of y and t, we found a similar composition of putative transcription factor binding sites that are thought to regulate the complex expression patterns of both terminal pigmentation genes y and t. In contrast, the y and t wing spots appear to be regulated by distinct upstream factors. Our results suggest that the D. guttifera abdominal and wing melanin spot patterns have been established through the co-regulation of y and t, shedding light on how complex morphological traits may be regulated through the parallel coordination of downstream target genes. Full article