Evgenia A Propistsova, Guilherme Gainett, Ariel D Chipman, Prashant P Sharma, Efrat Gavish-Regev
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Relatively little is known about the diversity of embryonic development across lineages of spiders, even though the study of embryonic development is a primary step in evo-devo studies and essential for understanding phenotypic evolution. Practically nothing is known about embryogenesis in cave-dwelling spiders, animals which play an important role in cave ecosystems and may have remarkable adaptations to aphotic habitats such as loss of eyes.
Results: Here, we describe embryogenesis and study the expression patterns of several genes of the Retinal Determination Network (RDN) in the troglophile (species that have pre-adaptations to life in caves, and can complete their life cycle in caves, as well as in epigean habitats) eye-bearing funnel-web spider species Tegenaria pagana C. L. Koch, 1840, using fluorescent staining and confocal microscopy. We discuss the characteristic features of T. pagana embryogenesis and key RDN genes. Although in many respects the embryonic development of different species of entelegyne spiders is similar, we found differences in the rate of development, and the details of the opisthosoma, respiratory system, and brain morphogenesis in comparison with established spider model species. Our data supports the hypothesis of a conserved role of sine oculis gene in the eye formation of arachnids.
Conclusions: Given the recent discovery of congeneric cave species with different degrees of eye reduction throughout Israel, these data sets provide a foundational point of comparison for studying eye reduction and eye loss events in the spider genus Tegenaria.
期刊介绍:
EvoDevo publishes articles on a broad range of topics associated with the translation of genotype to phenotype in a phylogenetic context. Understanding the history of life, the evolution of novelty and the generation of form, whether through embryogenesis, budding, or regeneration are amongst the greatest challenges in biology. We support the understanding of these processes through the many complementary approaches that characterize the field of evo-devo.
The focus of the journal is on research that promotes understanding of the pattern and process of morphological evolution.
All articles that fulfill this aim will be welcome, in particular: evolution of pattern; formation comparative gene function/expression; life history evolution; homology and character evolution; comparative genomics; phylogenetics and palaeontology