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Related Experiment Video

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Analyzing Craniofacial Morphogenesis in Zebrafish Using 4D Confocal Microscopy

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Published on: January 30, 2014

Fgf evolution in vertebrates: insights from cyclostomes.

Liyan He¹, Zheng Dong¹, Baichuan Tong¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Department of Neonatology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.

|July 1, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) gene families in lampreys and hagfishes show significant loss compared to jawed vertebrates, indicating extensive gene loss after their unique genome duplication. This study illuminates early vertebrate FGF evolution.

Keywords:

Cyclostomes Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs)Gene family evolution Phylogenetics and synteny Whole-genome duplication (WGD)

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Genomics
Molecular biology

Background:

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are vital for animal development and regulation.
Vertebrate evolution involved complex whole-genome duplications (WGDs), with distinct events in jawed vertebrates (2R_JV) and cyclostomes (2R_CY).
The FGF gene family in cyclostomes remains understudied compared to jawed vertebrates.

Purpose of the Study:

To comprehensively survey and characterize the FGF gene repertoire in cyclostome species.
To understand the evolutionary history of FGF genes in early vertebrates.
To fill the knowledge gap regarding cyclostome FGF gene family evolution.

Main Methods:

Genomic survey of FGF genes across four cyclostome species, five jawed vertebrates, and an amphioxus outgroup.
Phylogenetic analysis to determine gene relationships.
Synteny analysis to investigate gene linkage and conservation.

Main Results:

Cyclostomes exhibit a reduced FGF repertoire (lampreys: 17 genes, hagfishes: 12 genes) compared to jawed vertebrates (22-32 genes), suggesting significant FGF gene loss.
All eight ancestral FGF subfamilies were present in the common ancestor of vertebrates.
Discovery of a novel FGF gene, Fgf25, retained in actinopterygians but lost in sarcopterygians; proposed evolutionary model for Fgf3 origin.

Conclusions:

The characterized cyclostome FGF repertoire offers insights into early vertebrate FGF evolution.
Provides a valuable resource for future research on cyclostome evolution and development.
Highlights the impact of distinct genome duplication histories on gene family evolution.