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The evolutionary origin of development: cycles, patterning, privilege and continuity

L Wolpert1

  • 1Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College, London, UK.

Development (Cambridge, England). Supplement
|January 1, 1994
PubMed
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This summary is machine-generated.

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This study proposes a scenario for multicellular organism evolution from single cells, driven by environmental cues and genetic assimilation. Early development involved cell cycle changes, patterning, and differentiation, leading to primitive forms like the Blastaea.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary developmental biology
  • Origin of multicellularity
  • Cellular and molecular evolution

Background:

  • The transition from unicellular to multicellular life is a major evolutionary event.
  • Understanding the initial steps in the evolution of multicellularity is crucial for comprehending early life forms.
  • The role of environmental factors in driving evolutionary innovations is a key area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a plausible scenario for the evolution of simple spherical multicellular organisms from single eukaryotic cells.
  • To outline the potential mechanisms driving early multicellular development, including cell cycle regulation and patterning.
  • To explore the evolutionary origins of key developmental processes like cell differentiation and gastrulation.

Main Methods:

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  • Theoretical scenario construction based on existing evolutionary and developmental biology principles.
  • Hypothesizing environmentally induced alterations in the cell cycle and their assimilation via the Baldwin effect.
  • Proposing mechanisms for early patterning, cell-type differentiation, and the origin of gastrulation.

Main Results:

  • A proposed evolutionary pathway from single eukaryotic cells to a simple multicellular organism (Blastaea).
  • Environmental signals (e.g., cell cycle changes, substratum contact) are hypothesized to become autonomous through mechanisms like the Baldwin effect.
  • Early evolution likely involved positional information, asymmetric cell division, gene duplication, and periodicity.
  • Gastrulation may have originated from feeding mechanisms, with embryos being evolutionarily privileged for novel form generation.

Conclusions:

  • Multicellularity likely evolved through environmentally induced changes that became genetically assimilated.
  • Early multicellular organisms possessed conserved mechanisms for generating cellular diversity and patterning.
  • Direct development is proposed as the primitive condition, with larvae being secondarily derived.