How morphological diversity arises from variations in biomechanical processes remains an open question. Although forces shape tissues, how force-generating systems differ across species to create diverse forms is unclear. Here, we combine comparative morphogenesis and active matter theory across six …
Genome assembly graphs contain valuable yet frequently overlooked information that can enhance assembly completeness by revealing contig connectivity. Here, we demonstrate how leveraging these information-rich structures enables the discovery of hidden microeukaryotic diversity in environmental DNA …
The homeobox gene engrailed is a multifunctional regulator with diverse developmental roles across Bilateria, ranging from epithelial boundary formation and neural regionalization to lineage-specific innovations such as arthropod segmentation and molluscan shell-field patterning. Despite this broad functional repertoire, its deployment within Gnathifera has remained largely unknown. Here, I characterize the genomic architecture, protein structure, orthology, and embryonic expression of the single engrailed gene in the monogonont rotifer Brachionus manjavacas. Phylogenetic analyses recover the sequence within the protostome engrailed clade, confirming its orthology. The gene retains the full canonical bilaterian motif complement, including EH1, EH2, the homeodomain (EH4), and the C-terminal EH5 region, and exhibits an intron within EH2 whose position and phase are invariant across protostomes and deuterostomes, indicating deep evolutionary conservation despite extreme variation in intron length among taxa. Embryonic in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence staining reveal a distinctly noncanonical expression pattern. Instead of segmental or ectodermal boundary stripes, engrailed is localized to the protonephridial terminal organs, canal cells, and Huxley’s anastomose (a characteristic interconnection within the protonephridial canal system), and appears transiently in two neurons of the developing foot. These domains display epithelial, ciliary, and neural characteristics, consistent with multifunctional cell identities typical of rotifers. Comparative analysis across Metazoa shows that engrailed expression broadly converges on epithelial and neural boundary contexts, suggesting that such local boundary-type functions may represent the ancestral deployment of the gene. Together, these findings broaden the known developmental repertoire of engrailed and highlight the value of rotifers for comparative studies of bilaterian gene function.
Angiosperms represent the most abundant and diverse lineage of land plants, and their evolutionary success is closely linked to major reproductive innovations, including the origin of flowers and the embryo-nourishing endosperm. Many of the genes underlying these innovations belong to the MADS-box t …
PASEDB community 🤩
We are excited to announce our first Research Webinar series called:
⭐️EvoDevo Mondays⭐️
Save the date - April 13
With our amazing speakers Luiza de Oliveira Saad and João Francisco Botelho
Session chair Professor Natalia Pabón-Mora
The Notch signaling pathway is one of the most evolutionarily conserved pathways, playing a crucial role in juxtacrine signaling between adjacent cells. Although previous studies have characterized Notch signaling in diverse models, its function in the lophotrochozoan animals is largely not understo …
This is one of the largest reported series of congenital muscular pseudohypertrophy of the upper limb. We developed a scoring system for severity and an accompanying algorithm to guide when to offer surgery for moderate or severe deformities. These new muscle morphologies may shed light on evolution …
In Articulation Morphology, inspired by the theory of anaphytes that was first proposed in 1843, ramification is the key principle in plant morphology in the open growth of plants. It engenders articulation: the formation of articles, called anaphytes. While the theory of anaphytes included tenets t …
📑 EvoDevo Papers
EvoDevo PanAm