Evolutionary crossroads in developmental biology: cyclostomes (lamprey and hagfish)

Sebastian M. Shimeld, Philip C J Donoghue

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

124 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Lampreys and hagfish, which together are known as the cyclostomes or 'agnathans', are the only surviving lineages of jawless fish. They diverged early in vertebrate evolution, before the origin of the hinged jaws that are characteristic of gnathostome (jawed) vertebrates and before the evolution of paired appendages. However, they do share numerous characteristics with jawed vertebrates. Studies of cyclostome development can thus help us to understand when, and how, key aspects of the vertebrate body evolved. Here, we summarise the development of cyclostomes, highlighting the key species studied and experimental methods available. We then discuss how studies of cyclostomes have provided important insight into the evolution of fins, jaws, skeleton and neural crest.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2091-2099
Number of pages9
JournalDevelopment (Cambridge)
Volume139
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jun 2012

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