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Canonical terminal patterning is an evolutionary novelty.

Elizabeth J Duncan1, Matthew A Benton, Peter K Dearden

  • 1Laboratory for Evolution and Development, Genetics Otago, Gravida, National Centre for Growth and Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, Aotearoa, New Zealand. elizabeth.duncan@otago.ac.nz

Developmental Biology
|February 27, 2013
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The evolution of insect terminal patterning involved a stepwise assembly of trunk, torso, and torso-like genes. Torso-like was co-opted for terminal patterning in some insect lineages, enabling precise embryonic development.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Terminal region patterning in Drosophila embryos relies on a conserved signaling pathway.
  • This pathway's components and evolutionary history vary across insect species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins and assembly of the terminal patterning pathway.
  • To understand the role and co-option of torso-like in insect development.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of trunk, torso, and torso-like genes.
  • Expression pattern analysis of terminal patterning components in diverse insect species.
  • Functional equivalence assays of torso-like across different species.

Main Results:

  • Trunk, torso, and prothoraciotrophic hormone (PTTH) share a linked evolutionary history.
  • Trunk has a restricted phylogenetic distribution, suggesting an earlier evolution than anticipated.
  • Torso-like evolved in pan-crustaceans but was co-opted for terminal patterning later in Coleoptera and Diptera lineages.
  • Torso-like function is conserved across species, indicating molecular stability despite co-option.

Conclusions:

  • The canonical terminal patterning pathway evolved through stepwise gene assembly and co-option events.
  • Torso-like's ancestral function is distinct from terminal patterning; its co-option was crucial for pathway evolution.
  • The co-option of torso-like facilitated the regulation of target genes, completing the terminal patterning system.