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Evolution of the head-trunk interface in tetrapod vertebrates.

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Summary

The cucullaris muscle

Keywords:
AxolotlCaecilianCoelacanthdevelopmental biologyevolutionary biologyfate mappinggenomicsmuscle developmentneck evolutionstem cells

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative anatomy
  • Developmental biology
  • Evolutionary developmental biology

Background:

  • The classification of the vertebrate cucullaris muscle (a neck muscle) as either cranial or trunk musculature is debated.
  • Recent studies identified lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) near occipital somites as a source for neck muscles in chickens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the embryonic origin and evolutionary conservation of the cucullaris muscle in vertebrates.
  • To determine if LPM adjacent to occipital somites contributes to neck musculature in non-amniotes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized computed tomography (CT) datasets to examine cucullaris muscle conservation across gnathostomes.
  • Employed fate-mapping techniques in axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) to trace the contribution of LPM to cervical musculature.

Main Results:

  • CT scans revealed widespread conservation of the cucullaris muscle in gnathostomes, including coelacanth and caecilian.
  • Fate-mapping in axolotls demonstrated that LPM adjacent to occipital somites contributes to posterior gill-levator muscles and the cucullaris.
  • The head-trunk border's axial position in axolotls aligns between LPM and somitic mesoderm.

Conclusions:

  • The LPM adjacent to occipital somites should be considered posterior cranial mesoderm.
  • This finding clarifies the developmental origin and evolutionary placement of the cucullaris muscle within the vertebrate head-trunk transition zone.
  • Axolotls exhibit a different axial positioning of the head-trunk border compared to chickens regarding LPM and somitic mesoderm contributions.