Navigation Links
Hard-to-find fish reveals shared developmental toolbox of evolution
Date:1/10/2011

several sets of these rays, holocephalans only grow a single set near their head, which eventually supports covers for their gills.

Evolutionary biologists looking for the genetic mechanisms behind these anatomical differences have long sought to study the embryos of holocephalans and sharks. But the experiment was easier said than done, because of the inconvenient location where holocephalan eggs are laid: at the bottom of the ocean floor.

Undeterred, Dr. Gillis, now a postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge, used accounts from local fishermen and fishery biologists to find potentially accessible areas of elephant fish breeding in Australia and New Zealand. By conducting SCUBA surveys of those regions, Gillis and colleagues were able to collect a precious supply of elephant fish embryos to bring back to laboratories in Chicago and Cambridge for further experimental analysis.

"Diving for elephant fish eggs was not always a pleasure trip," says Dr Gillis. "Unfortunately, elephant fish like to lay their eggs in cold, muddy, shark-infested bays, so we spent months seeking out sites like this in southeastern Australia and New Zealand. When you finally find a few eggs in the muck, it feels like winning the lottery."

The embryos of elephant fish and dogfish, a kind of shark, were stained at different ages for the sonic hedgehog (Shh) gene, a factor first isolated in the late 1970's in fruit flies for its ability to control body development. At early stages of development, researchers detected Shh expression at the hyoid arch and four of the gill arches in both species.

But within a few weeks, Shh is only expressed in the hyoid arch of the elephant fish embryo, while the dogfish embryo continues to express the gene along all five arches. Therefore, the different patterns of Shh expression match the eventual anatomical differences in the growth of branchial rays.

"It's a real feat because we had a limited number of eggs,
'/>"/>

Contact: Robert Mitchum
robert.mitchum@uchospitals.edu
773-702-6241
University of Chicago Medical Center
Source:Eurekalert

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. A pesky bacterial slime reveals its survival secrets
2. Catfish study reveals multiplicity of species
3. Viral evasion gene reveals new targets for eliminating chronic infections
4. Large-scale study reveals major decline in bumble bees in the US
5. New research reveals unexpected biological pathway in glaucoma
6. Despite damage, membrane protein structure can be seen using new X-ray technology, study reveals
7. Genome of barley disease reveals surprises
8. New research reveals details of microbes extraordinary maintenance and repair system
9. Northern wildfires threaten runaway climate change, study reveals
10. Study reveals new possibility of reversing damage caused by MS
11. Pioneering study reveals UK biodiversity hotspot
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/23/2013)... of the world are billions of animal and plant ... and grasses, all stacked, stored and preserved in jars ... could be critical to understanding how the Earth,s biodiversity ... footprint if only the information were easily accessible. ... the help of a team from the University of ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... in Neuron , the team reveal the interplay ... work funded by the Wellcome Trust and BBSRC. ... stimuli we improve our perceptual abilities. While these changes ... can also affect the fidelity of that response. ... Neuroscience explains: "When you communicate with others, you can ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 2013 U.S. Forest Service scientists are part of ... from the TKF Foundation, will examine how collaborative planning ... recover from tragedy. , The TKF Foundation announced today ... selected for grant funding. In addition to research on ... recovery and resiliency, the 3-year, $585,000 grant will contribute ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):CU-Boulder helps tap crowds to digitize museum records of bugs and plants 2CU-Boulder helps tap crowds to digitize museum records of bugs and plants 3CU-Boulder helps tap crowds to digitize museum records of bugs and plants 4'Landscapes of Resilience' to study how people use nature as a source of recovery 2
... maxim: you are what you eat and, more to ... the brain. The findings offer insight into the neurobiological factors ... developed countries. The findings exposed changes in brain chemistry due ... 2009, the Society for Neuroscience,s annual meeting and the world,s ...
... Assistance in Area of National Need program has awarded ... to support a new graduate fellowship training program in ... next three years. An additional 25 percent match ... Biology and K-State,s office of research and sponsored programs, ...
... (Oct. 20, 2009) -- Rice University scientists have won ... Health to scrutinize the influenza A virus for clues ... of influenza A include this year,s pandemic H1N1 variety, ... Under the four-year program, biochemists in the laboratory ...
Cached Biology News:Think what you eat: Studies point to cellular factors linking diet and behavior 2K-State receives more than $780,000 to fund graduate students studying ecology, evolution, genomics 2Flu focus: NIH project aims for better drugs 2
(Date:5/24/2013)... 2013 Bed bug cases tend to increase ... the looming higher risk of becoming the pests' next victim ... bug guideline. In the guide, the company enumerated the steps ... them while traveling. , According to My Cleaning Products, ... bed bug infestation during summer: the warm weather and the ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... 24, 2013 The Oklahoma tornado ... its ravage, the mayor of Moore, one of the heavily ... said a report from cnn.com. Reaching out to also be ... Molderizer and Safe Shield to counter the looming mold problem. ... on May 22, 2013, caused 24 deaths, My Cleaning Products ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... May 23, 2013 Venaxis, Inc. (Nasdaq:   ... on obtaining FDA clearance and commercializing its rapid, protein ... pricing of an underwritten public offering of 10,000,000 shares ... 3,500,000 shares of its common stock at an exercise ... offering price of $1.25 per share and related warrant.  ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 PuraMed BioScience ® , Inc., ... over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal and healthcare products, announced that ... company based on low market capitalization valuation. ... Natural Product to Treat Migraine Headaches , ... Competitor , Currently Available Nationwide at Walgreen,s ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Steps for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs without Using Chemicals and Avoiding Them While Traveling Enumerated by My Cleaning Products in Its Latest Post 2Steps for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs without Using Chemicals and Avoiding Them While Traveling Enumerated by My Cleaning Products in Its Latest Post 3Mayor of Oklahoma-Tornado-Impaired Town Proposes Storm Shelter Bill, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to Help Victim with Looming Mold 2Venaxis Announces Pricing of Offering of Common Stock and Warrants 2Venaxis Announces Pricing of Offering of Common Stock and Warrants 3PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 2PuraMed BioScience (PMBS) Issued Alert Based on Market Cap of $721,756 3
... Inc. (OTCBB: NRTI), announces the addition of Dr. David ...  Dr. Blecker, a graduate of Tufts University School of ... and is currently the Chief in Nephrology at AtlantiCare ... of Regional Nephrology Associates, a private practice located in ...
... May 1, 2012  SPYRU Inc., a privately held corporation, ... market of functional food & beverages. They,ve just announced ... – a revolutionary new line of high ... conscious adults and serious athletes alike, SPYru packs a ...
... American researchers have created a portable, miniature microscope in the hope ... probe, which is around 20 cm long and 1 cm wide ... cancer in real-time or as a surgical guidance tool; dentists could ... probe has been presented today, Friday 27 April, in IOP Publishing,s ...
Cached Biology Technology:Dr. David L. Blecker MD, MPH, F.A.C.P. Joins Inergetics' Advisory Board to Co-Develop and Market Products to Penetrate Nephrology Market 2Dr. David L. Blecker MD, MPH, F.A.C.P. Joins Inergetics' Advisory Board to Co-Develop and Market Products to Penetrate Nephrology Market 3SPYru™ unveils "The Uberwater" 2Handheld probe shows great promise for oral cancer detection 2
... optically clear polystyrene formulation , High antibody-binding ... , Plates are certified for performance ... , Eight-well strips fit snugly in ... in use even if turned upside down ...
...
... an aqueous solution that contains a purified ... in a saline solution, pH 6.5 ... methylisothiazolone and 0.02% bromonitrodioxane as a preservative. ... and stabilizer for biologically active components in ...
... StabilGuard Biomolecule Stabilizer is a bovine protein-free ... is an aqueous solution that contains non-toxic ... saline), pH 6.6 - 7.2, and does ... maintains the activity of antibodies and other ...
Biology Products: