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Related Concept Videos

General Structure of a Vertebra01:30

General Structure of a Vertebra

A typical vertebra, with the exception of the sacrum and coccyx, consists of a body, a vertebral arch, and seven different projections termed processes. The anterior portion of the vertebrae, the body, supports about half the body’s weight. The vertebral bodies progressively increase in size and thickness from the cervical region to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. The intervertebral discs present between the bodies of adjacent vertebrae firmly unites them, forming a continuous column.
Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature01:16

Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature

The vertebral column or spine is a flexible column that supports the head, neck, and body and  allows for their movements. It also protects the spinal cord.
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form the...
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Spinal Cord: Gross Anatomy

The spinal cord resides within the protective confines of the vertebral column. It is the main pathway for information traveling between the brain and the body. It plays a fundamental role in nearly all bodily functions, from simple reflexes to complex motor movements. The spinal cord begins at the medulla oblongata at the base of the brainstem and extends downward, terminating at the conus medullaris near the first and second lumbar vertebrae. The spinal cord's length in adults is...
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The development of the vascular system in a fetus is a complex and intricate process that begins as early as 15 to 16 days post-conception. This process starts outside the embryo, specifically in the mesoderm of the yolk sac, chorion, and connecting stalk. Approximately two days later, the formation of blood vessels occurs within the embryo itself.
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Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

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Dissection and Lateral Mounting of Zebrafish Embryos: Analysis of Spinal Cord Development
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Late development of hagfish vertebral elements.

Kinya G Ota1, Satoko Fujimoto, Yasuhiro Oisi

  • 1Laboratory of Aquatic Zoology, Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Yilan, Taiwan. otakinya@gate.sinica.edu.tw

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution
|February 13, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Hagfish embryos possess sclerotomes that express the biglycan/decorin (BGN/DCN) gene, indicating cartilage development similar to jawed vertebrates. This suggests conserved skeletal development mechanisms in jawless and jawed vertebrates.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Vertebrate Paleontology

Background:

  • Hagfishes, jawless vertebrates, possess cartilaginous vertebral elements.
  • Sclerotomes, potential axial skeleton primordia, are present in hagfish embryos.
  • Cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM) gene expression in hagfish embryos remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate biglycan/decorin (BGN/DCN) gene expression in the inshore hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri).
  • Determine if hagfish sclerotomes differentiate into cartilage by examining BGN/DCN expression.
  • Compare hagfish skeletal development to that of gnathostomes.

Main Methods:

  • Gene expression analysis of BGN/DCN in adult hagfish vertebral tissues.
  • Identification of BGN/DCN expression in embryonic mesenchymal cells.
  • Comparative analysis with BGN/DCN expression patterns in gnathostome chondrogenesis.

Main Results:

  • The BGN/DCN gene was clearly identified in adult hagfish vertebral tissues.
  • BGN/DCN expression was detected in embryonic mesenchymal cells ventral to the notochord.
  • These BGN/DCN-positive cells are hypothesized to originate from sclerotomes.

Conclusions:

  • Hagfish sclerotomes express BGN/DCN, a key cartilage ECM component, suggesting chondrogenesis.
  • Hagfishes and gnathostomes likely share conserved developmental pathways for somite differentiation and vertebral chondrogenesis.
  • This study provides evidence for shared evolutionary mechanisms in vertebrate skeletal development.